OUR CREW
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Kerry Key
PADI MSDT/Owner
Kerry Key
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? -
David "Daveed" Marchand
PADI MSDT
David "Daveed" Marchand
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 -
Jeffrey Nannestad
Captain
Jeffrey Nannestad
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. -
Hailey (Hailstorm) Hawkins
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew
Hailey (Hailstorm) Hawkins
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? -
Alex (Ginger Bear) Villemain
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew, Resident Giant, Emergency back up Ginger
Alex (Ginger Bear) Villemain
PADI Instructor, Shop Crew, Resident Giant, Emergency back up Ginger
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Favorite Kona dive site: Suck ’em up
Favorite marine animal: Boxfish
Favorite local restaurant: Phuket Monkey
Favorite quote: “Air is for tires.” Kerry Key
Favorite topside activity: Eating -
Ian (Flossie) Roussopoulos
PADI OWSI, Shop Crew, Resident Ginger, Squirrel Hospitality Manager
Ian (Flossie) Roussopoulos
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 -
Katie Key
PADI Instructor, Shoperations Manager
Katie Key
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 -
Ali "Wally" Hogg
Assistant Shoperations Manager, PADI Divemaster
Ali "Wally" Hogg
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 -
Gerard K. Newman
Gear Technician, All-around Genius, In Perfect Trim
Gerard K. Newman
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 -
Bob Hajek
PADI Course Director
Bob Hajek
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 -
Maxine Markert
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer & Mission Control Extra-Specialist
Maxine Markert
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. -
Daniel Windberg
PADI Instructor and KDC's Second Nicest Staff Member
Daniel Windberg
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
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Imran Sourjah
Divemaster
Imran Sourjah
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?? -
Shanti Mendola
Fill station specialist and in-house massage therapist
Shanti Mendola
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 -
Sara Keller
Position: PADI OWSI
Sara Keller
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?
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Siena Baldi
Position: Shop crew and Head Artistic Consultant
Siena Baldi
Position: Shop crew and Head Artistic Consultant
Hometown: Libertyville, IL
Favorite Kona dive site: Pu`uhonua O Honaunau (Two Step) at night!
Favorite marine animal: Octopus
Favorite local restaurant: Shiono Sushi
Favorite quote: There’s diem to carpe!
Favorite land-based activity: Beach Volleyball
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Ashlie Niederer
Position: Shop crew and aspiring Divemaster
Ashlie Niederer
Position: Shop crew and aspiring Divemaster
Hometown: Lyman, WY
Favorite Kona dive site: Crescent Beach
Favorite marine animal: Manta Ray (specifically Kenzie)
Favorite local restaurant: Rebel Kitchen
Favorite quote: “It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea–whether it is to sail or to watch it–we are going back from whence we came.” – John F. Kennedy
Favorite land-based activity: Eating cookie dough and/or taking naps
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Nate Bowden
Position: Captain
Nate Bowden
Position: Captain
Hometown: Key West, FL
Favorite marine animal: Squid
Favorite local restaurant: Kona Inn
Favorite quote: “You’ll never, never know if you never, never go.”
Favorite land-based activity: Rambling around
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Jack
Official KDC Greeter
Jack
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 -
Mili
Shop Lap Dog and Senior Toe Licker
Mili
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! -
Izzy
Resident Good Girl and Chief Butt Sniffer
Izzy
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
AND CAMEO APPEARANCES BY...
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Tim "Turtleface" Mitchell
PADI MSDT, Captain, Executive Director: Sea Turtle Conservancy
Tim "Turtleface" Mitchell
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 -
Michael Karlson
Captain
Michael Karlson
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 -
Tim "Captain Bananas" Valley
Mechanic and Maintenance Engineer Extraordinaire
Tim "Captain Bananas" Valley
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 -
Billy Ball
PADI Instructor
Billy Ball
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