Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor
Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Open Water – Opened my eyes to the underwater world and the cool people at Scuba 2000 (which at the time of my first course was The Wet Shop on Yonge St.).
Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Snorkling and Skin Diving especially to kids! Kids are great! They have open minds and learn rapidly. They have so much energy and enthusiasm that it makes teaching them a true joy! Adults are great too!
Dive Experience: Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why:I don’t prefer one over the other! I just love to dive anywhere and everywhere. The warmer the better though.
Best Dive(s): All of my dives but diving the Great Barrier Reef was what hooked me!
Worst Dive(s):Haven’t had one yet. Although going to the Kingston hospital after a dive for my husband to get 3 staples in his head was not the best way to finish the day.
Other Interests: Trampoline, bungee jumping and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes!
Little Known Fact About Me: I was the 1996 Ontario Junior National Trampoline Champion and I can still do a back flip!
Personal Goal(s): Looking forward to go Hang gliding and scuba diving with my daughters!
Personal Motto: Find a job (or jobs) you love and you will never work a day in your life!
Inspirational words: Reach for the stars and dive all the seas!
Liam Brown
Occupation: Web Marketing -- also a student
Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor
Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Rescue. It's the first foray into professional diving. It changes your diving outlook from watching out for yourself to watching out for others. It's a great course for anyone interested in taking the next step in their diving career. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Advanced. It's great to see divers move from having a basic knowledge of scuba to learning more advanced diving techniques that will help them grow as a diver. Plus, an Advanced weekend in Tobermory is just so much fun! Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Both have their positives. Salt water diving is, for the most part, easy diving, but diving Fresh water improves your skills like nothing else can. I love the Great Lakes and I love big shipwrecks. Fresh water diving really can be fun!
Best Dive(s): The mangroves off of Caye Caulker in Belize. Lots of life, and really cool diving atmosphere. Forest City and Arabia in Tobermory and the SS Stavronikita in Barbados. Little Known Fact About Me: I'm a licenced pilot?
David Cohen Occupation: IT Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: The Divemaster course. It was just a bunch of us who all loved diving and wanted to have fun while we learned. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Open Water. Seeing people discover a whole new world is a great thing. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt, as it usually is linked to warmer climates and involves relaxing on a beach mid-winter. Best Dive(s): Manta Ray night dive in Kauai, Hawaii Little Known Fact About Me: The government used to pay me to blow things up. Personal Goal(s): I thought it was to become an Open Water Instructor, now I’m not sure that’s far enough.
Rowan Faludi Occupation: Urban Economist Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Dive Master – Forces you to develop your skills Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Open Water - The excitement new divers exhibit when they pass the course and see a whole new world open in front of them.
Dive Experience: 490 dives and counting. (Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, North Sea, Sea of Cortez, Gulf of Mexico, Georgian Bay, All of the Great Lakes, Lake Mead, Lake Simcoe, Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers, Innerkip Quarry, Kirkfield Quarry, Ginnie Springs (Florida), and Bonne Terre Mine (Missouri). Temperatures ranging from 39F to 88F
Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt – More critters. Best Dive(s): The zillions of fish on the Vandenburg off Key West and Core Gut off the Caribbean Island of Saba.
Worst Dive(s): I don’t remember any. Other Interests: Cycling, triathlons, golf, and public speaking Little Known Fact About Me: First person to visit Ontario Place in 1976. Personal Goal(s): Cycle 100 Miles, Shoot Par in Golf, 1,000 Dives Personal Motto: Its all about balance.
Sue Faludi Occupation: Fitness Co-ordinator Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Open-water – it is what got me interested and started. It has given me the opportunity to learn skills, discover new worlds, meet and work with amazing people and now as a divemaster I hope I can share these things with others. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Not teaching yet…note the yet!
Dive Experience: Ontario,Florida,Caribbean, S. Africa, Scotland, Greece, Fiji Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Probably salt water as it has the wider variations in fish and sea life, but I have had some pretty cool fresh water dives. Best Dive(s): the White wall in Fiji and # 500 in Belize
Worst Dive(s): Nope, can’t think of one… Other Interests: Running, Triathlons, My bunny Skye, Traveling, Yoga Personal Goal(s): To continue to travel and, in the words of Robert Frost “to take the road less travelled” Personal Motto: Try anything once.
Barry Fischer
Occupation: Finance Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor
Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Divemaster. Learning how to dive is great. Learning how to teach others to dive – the knowledge I needed to acquire and the improvement in my skills to be able to demonstrate them was astounding. It made me a better diver and teacher.
Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Ice diving. The experience of looking up at a thick block of ice and seeing people standing above you is something out of this world. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Prefer interesting dive sites…
Best Dive(s): SS. Yongala – off the coast of Australia
Worst Dive(s): Big Bay Point – Barrie, Ontario
Paul Groves Occupation: Project Manager Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Divemaster To learn all the pros of diving and work with the students. Dive Experience: 13 years Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Cold Canadian waters that’s because I live here. Best Dive(s): Cozumel
Worst Dive(s): 2ND open water dive before being certified. Other Interests: outdoor activities Little Known Fact About Me: n/a Personal Goal(s): already attained Inspirational words: Keep on diving see the underwater creatures Peace and quiet.
James Huffman
Occupation: Construction Engineer
Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Hard to say; they all offer something different and unique. If I had to choose one, though, Divemaster would probably be my choice. It demands that Divemaster Candidates take a quantum leap forward, both in terms of practical diving skills and in terms of their knowledge of the physics of diving. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why:I love working with Open Water divers, especially in Tobermory on their open water weekend. It's exciting to see new divers experience open water for the first time and amazing to see the transformation new divers go through as they gain that first crucial bit of experence and confidence underwater.
Dive Experience:
Ontario:Georgian Bay/Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence Seaway, assorted smaller lakes Caribbean:Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke
Mexico and Central America:Cozumel, Akumal, Playa del Carmen, Xcalac, Mahahual, Chincho Banco, Belize
Pacific:Kauai, Maui, Lanai Oahu, British Columbia
Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why:It depends on what I am hoping to see on a given dive. If it's shipwrecks, then fresh; the preservation that deep cold fresh water offers is unparalleled. If I'm looking for sharks, reefs and colorful fish, then warm salt water is better. Best Dive(s): So hard to say. No two are the same and each offers something new and memorable. One in particular does, however, stick out in my memory: Cane Bay, St. Croix, USVI. The dive was a boat dive on the wall that drops off from the north shore of the island into the abyss of the Puerto Rico Trench - over 12,000 feet straight down. We started at 120 feet and at that depth, staring down into the depths, the water colour was a deep indigo I've never seen before or since. Very humbling hovering over an undersea canyon more than twice length and almost five times deeper than the Grand Canyon!
Worst Dive(s):Also hard to say, each has something to offer, but I have had a few that were cold and bleak with visibility of about the length of my arm! Other Interests:Travelling (with or without diving), Culinary Arts, Archeaology, Theoretical Physics, Engineering. Little Known Fact About Me:I was educated as an archaeologist even though I now work in civil construction Personal Goal(s):Nothing more than to enjoy life, wherever that leads me. Personal Motto:A posse ad esse - From possibility to actuality
Jim Jessiman Occupation: Insurance Agent Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Rescue: I learned more in a couple of hours than throughout all previous dives. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why:Dive Experience: Open water: I love to see the reaction when a new diver “gets it”. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt, mainly because there is more of it.
Dive Experience: Salt Water – 280+ dives 90% in warmish waters. Best Dive(s): Palau Blue Corner
Worst Dive(s): Kingston “The Davie” Other Interests: Hiking, Sailing, Travel Exploring Little Known Fact About Me: Started my business life as an English teacher Personal Goal(s): visit 100 countries (45 so far) Personal Motto: Service, fun, and adventure Inspirational words: Do or do not; there is no try
Nadia Pellegrino
Occupation: Real Estate Investor Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: The Ice Diving course. I was amazed at how bright it really was under 18 inches of ice. It was a very COOL experience!! Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Open water. I love working with students and seeing the huge smiles on their faces when they understand what they are doing. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: I have no preferences. I will dive anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Dive Experience: 300+ dives in places like Cozumel, Florida Keys, California, Bahamas, Dominica, Honduras, Socorro Islands, and of course…Ontario(Niagara River, Tobermory, Brockville, Kingston)
Worst Dive(s): What!! There is such a thing!!! Other Interests: Canadian Ski Patrol, rock climbing, flying gliders, fitness, hiking, camping, fishing Personal Goal(s): Retire on the beach somewhere in the Caribbean Personal Motto: Always strive to be the best you can be, and when you get there, go a little harder Inspirational words: Live, Love, Laugh…you can never do too much.
Ian Scarth Occupation: Engineered Automotive Systems Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Rescue. Lots of fun, but most importantly I became a much better diver. It changes your outlook. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why:Dive Experience: Open Water. I like to see the look on the students' faces when they learn to dive for the first time. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt. Definitely. The fish and coral are just fantastic to see. Best Dive(s): Vandenberg wreck off the Florida Keys. Amazing and absolutely huge ship.
Worst Dive(s): Diving with Joel when he makes you do skills at 110' Other Interests: Boating, nordic skiing. Little Known Fact About Me: All facts about me are known. Personal Goal(s): To dive in every ocean of the world. Personal Motto: Inspirational words are for wimps. Inspirational words: See above. Other comment: Ian was instrumental in developing an underwater labratory named Project Neptune. To read more on the lab click here!
Jeff Segal Occupation: Paramedic Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Divemaster, It gives me a great understanding for the challenges it takes for instructors. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why:Dive Experience: Rescue I enjoy torturing the students with “real life” scenarios so they know what to expect when the unthinkable happens. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: As long as there is a regulator in my mouth and I am under the water, I am happy! Best Dive(s): Arabia, Forest City, Munson
Worst Dive(s): Tugs! Other Interests: Rock climbing, Little Known Fact About Me: I have a great visual memory, but ask me to remember a name.. eek. Personal Goal(s): To be the best diver ever! Personal Motto: To enjoy life! Inspirational words: Do what makes you happy, you live once and live it to the fullest! Other comment: Don’t be afraid to ask for my help anytime.
Katya Tikhokhod Occupation: Account Manager at Protagon Display Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Divemaster because it made me a better diver. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: Open Water because I get to see how people fall in love with the sport, just like I did when I took my Open Water course. Dive Experience: 300+ dives; dove in Ontario, BC, Red Sea & Caribbean. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt water because of the underwater life that strives in salt water. Best Dive(s): God’s Pocket in BC and Red Sea.
Worst Dive(s): no such thing! Other Interests: sailing, travelling, mountain hiking, camping. Little Known Fact About Me: I play guitar Personal Goal(s): to visit every continent on the planet (so far I’ve been to 5 out of 7), to have a successful career and to build a family. Personal Motto: I don’t regret anything in life – I am where I am because of everything and everyone that has touched my life. Inspirational words: No dream is ever too big!
Tony Ward Occupation: Safety Manager Current Certification Level: PADI Assistant Instructor, PADI EFR Instructor Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Rescue Course. Lots of fun and no pressure. Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why: EFR – a life saver. Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Warm salt water. A lot less weight. Best Dive(s): Punta Sur in Cozumel
Worst Dive(s): None – all dives are great. Other Interests: Reading and taking vacations. Little Known Fact About Me: Retired from one job at 51. Personal Goal(s): Retire a second time. Personal Motto: Live life to the fullest. Inspirational words: Always have a smile for everyone.
Dan Wexler Occupation:Automotive Management
Current Certification Level:PADI Divemaster & PADI EFR Instructor Other Certifications/Specialities: Wreck, Deep, Nitrox, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search & Recovery.
Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why:Rescue Diver – It gave me a new sense of confidence as a recreational diver / Divemaster – It put all the previous certifications to a professional level.
Favourite Course(s) To Teach & Why:Open Water – Theawein the students face when they submerge for the first time and their feeling of accomplishment . Rescue – The individual attains a great sense of purpose and ability. Dive Experience: Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean, Various Canadian Lakes, Swimming Pools J Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: I don’t prefer one over the other! I just love to dive anywhere and everywhere. They both have a lot to offer.
Best Dive(s):Every single dive I have ever done!
Worst Dive(s): No such thing for me. Even the ones I could call iffy had a lesson and experience.
Other Interests:Motorcycling, Flying, Motorsports
Little Known Fact About Me: In 2007 I came real close to a tornado in Iowa. Another story for another day!!
Personal Goal(s):To become the best I could be in everything I do.
Personal Motto:He who laughs last laughs last!
Inspirational words: It’s your life. You call the shots and make all the decisions. Choose well.
Mirko Zadravec Occupation: Senior Systems Analyst Current Certification Level: PADI Divemaster, PADI EFR Instructor Best Scuba Course Ever Taken & Why: Divemaster, but the real learning starts when you start helping others learn.
Prefer Salt Water or Fresh Water & Why: Salt --So much more to see and it’s, well, easier to see. Best Dive(s): Roatan -- so much life. Vancouver -- just as much life but bigger.
Worst Dive(s): Innerkip Quarry Other Interests: Playing and listening to music
David Cohen
Ian Scarth
