Our Story

Since 1959

Excerpts from "One Earth, Two Worlds"

by Bill Matthies, Founder of MSD

"In 1959, my family moved to Brainerd. My wife, Evelyn, and I were both hired to teach in the Brainerd school system. She taught art at the high school, and I taught math. Since I was already a diver my plan was to explore the bottom of as many lakes and rivers in central Minnesota as I possibly could. 

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It was inconvenient and expensive to drive to Minneapolis every weekend to refill my air tanks. Evelyn and I discussed the possibility of avoiding those long trips to the Cities. We bought an air compressor, rented a little building from Sherm Levis (across the highway from where the Perkins restaurant is today) and the Brainerd Skindiving Supply Co. was born. Later the name was changed to the Minnesota School of Diving, Inc."