After 67 years in business, Copeland's Dive Shop on South Padre Island Drive is closing its doors, marking the end of an era for Corpus Christi's diving community.
Jim Copeland and his wife began the business out of their love for scuba diving. In 1957, they started a local dive club, but with no dive shops available, they relied on a local construction company to refill their scuba tanks.
The Copelands bought an air compressor and built a trailer-mounted scuba filling station in 1958. In 1961, they opened their first dive shop at 6 Points before moving to the Padre Island Drive location in 1970.
About six months ago, the family found a buyer for the business, but that sale fell through. That's when they decided it was time to close the shop.
"I've enjoyed all of it and we've had so many exciting experiences, that we've been around the world and we have friends here that we've gone around the world with us and I'm gonna miss that," Copeland said.
Copeland says they are still hoping to find a buyer that will keep the shop open. He says the family hates to see the dive shop close, but everyone is now in a retirement mood.
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