SWOSU Parks and Recreation Instructor Paul Hummel started scuba diving in 1998 and now is teaching his daughter the ways of the underwater world as well.
Hummel has been on dozens of dive trips in his 22 years of diving, but his favorite was a more recent adventure when he was able to take his newly scuba-certified daughter Maya to Maui to witness the humpback whale migration. Hummel said humpback whales sing during migration, and it can be heard underwater.
He said, “When she (his daughter) heard the whales sing for the first time, she had the biggest smile on her face, her fists were clenched and she was so excited.”
Maya has been diving in the pool since she was 8 years old, however, she needed to be 10 years old to become certified for open water diving. Since their Maui trip, Maya has turned 11 years old. Hummel has another daughter, Laken, who is 8 years old. His wife Heather is a certified divemaster as well.