Emeriti professor submerges self in hobby

Mallory Metheny -

Thirty feet beneath the surface of the Maldives, Mardel Miller rose up along the rock wall, nearing the end of her dive.

Sun streaking through the water, she beheld a glorious sight: pedestal-shaped coral in bold yellows, oranges and greens, reaching in all directions, teeming with fish and declaring the majesty of the coral outgrowth known as the Tabletops dive site.

She paused to capture the sight with her underwater camera.

That is just one of the experiences that confirmed Miller's passion for scuba diving and underwater photography.

"I knew I would like it, and, of course, fell in love with it the first time I got in," said the associate director of education student services emerita from Indiana State University's Bayh College of Education.

One could say Miller thrives in H2O. Having been a swimming instructor, lifeguard, member of the Sycamore swim team (she earned three degrees from ISU including her bachelor's in 1966), and part of the Dolphins (a water ballet club), she unknowingly set the foundation for a mid-life love. Miller took her first scuba dive at age fifty-five. Now, she is beginning her twelfth year as an active scuba diver.

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