Scuba diving hobbyist-turned-expert Ken Canell opened Dive Adventures Dive Center Sunday at 357 Milton Ave.

Canell and his wife, Elaine, of Ballston Spa, set up the shop to sell diving equipment, but it also serves as a headquarters for the charter trip business they started in 2006 and has space for scuba diving instruction. They also fill and inspect air tanks.

Canell, an electrician for the state by day, is a certified dive master and assistant instructor who can dive to depths of 150 feet.

“I fell in love with the sport after my first class in 2002,” Canell said. His wife’s take: “It’s a hobby that got out of control.”

The couple arranges spring and fall trips to the Caribbean and other exotic locales to take scuba enthusiasts from throughout the country on guided dives. They regularly take divers out on Lake George, where they circle the 252-year-old sunken battleship known as the Radeau Land Tortoise.

In upstate New York, the couple sees recreational diving as a growing industry and hope to attract new divers by selling and renting used scuba gear and continuing their trips to Lake George.

“It’ll keep people from having to spend money to travel,” Canell said. “They don’t have to go to the ocean. We have one of the best lakes in New York state right here.”

The store offers a 10 percent discount to military personnel.

For more information, call Canell at 879-8866.