WHAT WE DO
We Help Others Find Relief Through Scuba Diving
IMURS is a nonprofit organization that has a passion for assisting individuals get relief from mental health conditions and cognitive or physical disabilities through scuba diving.
Working with IMURS has been eye-opening to all of the benefits that Scuba Diving has for people.
Josh Landon
Volunteer
OUR CAUSES
What Makes Us Different
Our six unique programs were developed using the best minds in instructional design and scuba instruction.
Using the power of water, we assist IMURS participants with underwater meditation and mindfulness, coping techniques used both underwater and above, pain management through weightlessness, underwater yoga, and allowing all IMURS participants to participate in SCUBA, no matter their condition.
We Educate
We educate participants on 6 different programs to manage their daily challenges.
We Help
We help empower participants with skills to find relief.
We Unlock
We unlock the underwater world to participants, fostering freedom and joy.
SOME FEATURES
We’re On A Mission
Of Big Changes.
Our Mission
To help individuals thrive.
Our Vision
To create an environment where individuals discover their true potential and ability and learn to thrive through Scuba diving.
Meet the IMURS Team
Darren Landon | Co-Founder
Darren has been a scuba instructor for 25 years and has the vision to use Scuba as a tool to help individuals with mental and physical disabilities. His personal experience with using Scuba to manage his clinical depression and anxiety was his inspiration for starting IMURS.
As a PADI Course Director/Diveheart Instructor and passionate water enthusiast, Darren has not only experienced the benefits of underwater scuba therapy, but he has also used it to help his family and friends discover how scuba diving can provide relief from the challenges they face.
Tony Gibson | Co-Founder
Tony developed a love for diving as a teenager in 1985, which led to the desire to share his passion with others. Now as a long-time entrepreneur, with a wide range of experience in creating and growing successful organizations, Tony is using his skills as a PADI Scuba Instructor (and more recently as a Diveheart instructor), to bring Scuba to those who can benefit from a new way.
As a dad of 6 (and now as a grandparent), Tony knows the challenges parents, teens, and kids face in navigating the challenges of today’s world. He is excited to help offer ways to handle mental and emotional challenges through diving as well as helping those with physical challenges experience the joys of Scuba diving.
How It All Began
In 2012, North American Divers was established as the go-to PADI SCUBA 5-Star Instructional Development Center in Utah County. During their first 10 years in business, they became increasingly aware that today’s youth and adults need help navigating their mental health.
After extensive research into the science of scuba diving as a therapeutic tool to combat physical and mental health challenges, the nonprofit started to become a reality. It has been determined by doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other scientists that scuba diving is an effective tool for helping individuals thrive with their conditions.
In 2022, after being introduced to Diveheart (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focusing on diving with disabilities), the idea was born for the founding team to become Diveheart Adaptive Dive Buddies and Diveheart Instructors to complement PADI as a way to bring scuba to everyone regardless of physical and cognitive abilities.
On November 18, 2022, IMURS was established and the founders began creating a ground-breaking program to help individuals discover their true potential and learn how scuba diving can be a therapeutic go-to in managing their challenges.