PADI MSDT/Owner
PADI MSDT/Owner
Hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut
Favorite Kona dive site: Yes
Favorite marine animal: Octopus. No, wait – nudibranchs. No, wait – blackstripe coris. No, wait – scrawled filefish. Okay, pretty much all of the animals.
Favorite local restaurant: Kaimana Kitchen
Favorite quote: “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” Abraham Lincoln
Favorite topside activity: Topside? What’s topside?
PADI Divemaster
PADI Divemaster
Hometown: North Bend, Oregon
Favorite dive site: Golden Arches
Favorite marine animal: Seahorse
Favorite local restaurant: The Coffee Shack
Favorite Quote: “Just keep swimming.” -Dory
Favorite topside activity: Backpacking up a mountain to sleep under the stars and watch the sunrise.
PADI Instructor
PADI Instructor
Hometown: Kirchheim/Teck, Germany
Dive Site: Outhouse (Drift)
Marine Animal: That is a difficult one, if I have to decide: Octopus
Restaurant: Pueo's Osteria, Waikoloa Village
Quote: Be realistic, try the impossible (Che Guevara). - It worked out so far :-)
Topside: Traveling, reading bloody thrillers, enjoying nature and Excel sheets (haha)
Tank Monkey and PADI Instructor
Tank Monkey and PADI Instructor
Hometown: Darien, New York
Favorite Dive Site: The Hive
Favorite Marine Animal: Octopus
Favorite Local Restaurant: The Fish Hopper
Favorite Quote: “There are old divers and bold divers, but there are no old bold divers.”
Favorite Topside Activity: Shopping for and researching dive gear.
PADI MSDT
PADI MSDT
Hometown: Attigony, France
Favorite Kona dive site: Touch of Gray
Favorite marine animal: Dolphin
Favorite local restaurant: Umeke’s
Favorite quote: “Live and Let Dive.”
Favorite topside activity: Playing music
Captain
Captain
Hometown: Somewhere in the middle of the country
Favorite Kona dive site: Tubastrea Tunnel
Favorite marine animal: Spanish Dancer
Favorite local restaurant: Quinn’s Almost by the Sea
Favorite quote: “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” Grandma
Favorite topside activity: Hanging out with my wife, doing nothing or anything at all.
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew
Hometown: Jackson, Wyoming
Favorite Kona dive site: Touch of Gray
Favorite marine animal: Tiger shark/Godzilla
Favorite local restaurant: Da Poke Shack or Sushi Rock in Hawi (it’s worth the drive!)
Favorite quote: “Be excellent to each other. Party on dudes.” Bill and Ted
Favorite topside activity: There are topside activities?
PADI OWSI, Shop Crew, Resident Ginger, Squirrel Hospitality Manager
PADI OWSI, Shop Crew, Resident Ginger, Squirrel Hospitality Manager
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Favorite Kona dive site: Twin Sisters
Favorite marine animal: Octopus
Favorite local restaurant: Annie’s
Favorite quote: “When one tugs on a single thing in nature, they find it attached to everything else on earth.” John Muir
Favorite topside activity: Slapping da bass
PADI Instructor, Shoperations Manager
PADI Instructor, Shoperations Manager
Hometown: Fargo, North Dakota. You betcha!
Favorite Kona dive site: Eel Cove
Favorite marine animal: Nudibranchs and other teeny invertebrates
Favorite local restaurant: Mi’s Waterfront Bistro
Favorite quote: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln
Favorite topside activity: Hiking and bird watchin up mauka with the dogs
Assistant Shoperations Manager, PADI Divemaster
Assistant Shoperations Manager, PADI Divemaster
Hometown: Birmingham, England
Favorite Kona dive site: Golden Arches North
Favorite marine animal: Mantis shrimp
Favorite local restaurant: Big Island Grill
Favorite quote: “It’s so fluffy! I’m gonna die!”
Favorite topside activity: Ballet
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew and Manta Snorkel Guide Extraordinaire
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew and Manta Snorkel Guide Extraordinaire
Hometown: San Leandro, California
Favorite Kona dive site: Freeze Face
Favorite marine animal: Frogfish
Favorite local restaurant: 808 Grindz
Favorite quote: “The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish.”
Favorite topside activity: Hanging out and exploring with Nalu
Gear Technician, All-around Genius, In Perfect Trim
Gear Technician, All-around Genius, In Perfect Trim
Hometown: Oak Ridge, TN
Favorite Kona dive site: High Rock
Favorite marine animal: Tinker’s butterflyfish
Favorite local restaurant: Merriman’s (Waimea)
Favorite quote: “If it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space.” Carl Sagan
Favorite topside activity: Cooking
PADI Course Director
PADI Course Director
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Favorite Kona dive site: The last site I dove, for the first time
Favorite marine animal: Raccoon butterflyfish
Favorite local restaurant: Sansei
Favorite quote: “I feel a lot more like I do now, than I did 10 minutes ago.”
Favorite topside activity: Anything with Miki
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer & Mission Control Extra-Specialist
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer & Mission Control Extra-Specialist
Hometown: Bloomington, MN
Favorite Kona dive site: Suck’um Up
Favorite marine animal: Humpback Whale/Monk Seal
Favorite local restaurant: Quinn’s
Favorite quote: “Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated.”
Favorite topside activity: Hiking, Bowling and Stargazing.
PADI Instructor and KDC's Second Nicest Staff Member
PADI Instructor and KDC's Second Nicest Staff Member
Hometown: Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany
Favorite Kona dive site: Suck ’em up/Big arch
Favorite marine animal: Harlequin shrimp/frog fish/shark
Favorite restaurant in Kona: Kona Brewing Company
Favorite quote: “Don’t dream your life, live your dream.”
Favorite land-based activity: hiking, beaching, camping, editing videos
Divemaster
Divemaster
Hometown: Torrance, CA
Favorite Kona dive site: Black Hole
Favorite marine animal: Flamboyant cuttlefish
Favorite local restaurant: Broke da Mouth
Favorite quote: “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”
Favorite land-based activity: Land??
Fill station specialist and in-house massage therapist
Fill station specialist and in-house massage therapist
Hometown: Tuscon
Favorite Kona dive site: Pyramid Pinnacles
Favorite marine animal: Cuttlefish
Favorite local restaurant: Loko Wraps
Favorite quote: “Do all the interns get glocks?”
Favorite land-based activity: Travel the island and not fall in lava
Position: PADI OWSI
Position: PADI OWSI
Hometown: Bismarck, ND
Favorite Kona dive site: The Dome
Favorite marine animal: Whale shark
Favorite local restaurant: Original Thai
Favorite quote: Dress like the shark you want to see in the world!
Favorite land-based activity: Land-based?
Official KDC Greeter
Official KDC Greeter
Hometown: Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, Hawaii
Favorite Kona dive site: Dog Beach
Favorite marine animal: Katie
Favorite local restaurant: Big Jake’s BBQ, because bones
Favorite quote: “You can come!”
Favorite topside activity: Wandering and getting other dogs lost
Shop Lap Dog and Senior Toe Licker
Shop Lap Dog and Senior Toe Licker
Hometown: Kainaliu, Hawaii
Favorite Kona dive site: Dog Beach
Favorite marine animal: Goatfish
Favorite local restaurant: Outback Steakhouse, because bones
Favorite quote: “Time for bed!”
Favorite topside activity: Sleeping on a lap. Or in a sunbeam. OR…sleeping in a sunbeam on a lap!
Resident Good Girl and Chief Butt Sniffer
Resident Good Girl and Chief Butt Sniffer
Hometown: Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Favorite Kona dive site: Dog Beach
Favorite marine animal: Bird wrasse
Favorite local restaurant: Ruth’s Chris, because bones
Favorite quote: “Let’s go for a hike!”
Favorite topside activity: Chasing coconuts on da beach
The New Kid
The New Kid
PADI MSDT, Captain, Executive Director: Sea Turtle Conservancy
PADI MSDT, Captain, Executive Director: Sea Turtle Conservancy
Hometown: Turtle Island
Favorite Turtle Reef, Maui!
Favorite marine animal: Turtles
Favorite local restaurant: Turtle Bay Restaurant, Oahu
Favorite quote: “I’m as self-contained as a turtle. When I put my key in the ignition, I have my home right behind me.”
Favorite topside activity: Turtle Racing/Raising
Captain
Captain
Hometown: Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Favorite Kona dive site: Pyramid Pinnacle
Favorite marine animal: Humpback whale
Favorite local restaurant: Roy’s
Favorite quote: “I am what I am and that’s all that I am.” Popeye
Favorite topside activity: Hiking
Mechanic and Maintenance Engineer Extraordinaire
Mechanic and Maintenance Engineer Extraordinaire
Hometown: Sebring, FL
Favorite Kona dive site: Three Room Cave
Favorite marine animal: Jeweled Anemone Crab
Favorite local restaurant: Umeke’s
Favorite quote: “Welcome to Costco. I love you.” Idiocracy
Favorite topside activity: Exploring
PADI Instructor
PADI Instructor
Hometown: Athens, GA
Favorite Kona dive site: Devil’s Doorway
Favorite marine animal: Saddleback butterflyfish
Favorite local restaurant: Original Thai
Favorite quote: “Next stop, rocket science.” Twin Peaks
Favorite topside activity: Eating gummy bears