Tucker Waud, Owner and Advanced Open Water Instructor
Tucker moved to Florida from Lake Bluff, Illinois. Raised in a family of scuba divers, he got certified when he turned 12 years old in Australia. When not diving he enjoys playing with his dog, Butters, or playing keys in his Grateful Dead tribute band, Dead Set Florida. Places he's been diving include California, Bahamas, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Bonne Terre Mine, Lake Superior, Australia, Fiji, Truk Lagoon, Hawaii and the Maldives.
Tucker moved to Florida from Lake Bluff, Illinois. Raised in a family of scuba divers, he got certified when he turned 12 years old in Australia. When not diving he enjoys playing with his dog, Butters, or playing keys in his Grateful Dead tribute band, Dead Set Florida. Places he's been diving include California, Bahamas, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Bonne Terre Mine, Lake Superior, Australia, Fiji, Truk Lagoon, Hawaii and the Maldives.
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Jeff Longenecker, Boat captain, Instructor
Jeff is a retired Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and EMT. He has been an Instructor for over 20 years and a boat captain for 19 years with a 100 ton license. His dive interest include Underwater photography and videography and spearfishing and loves diving the wrecks in the Gulf. Come take your rescue class from a rescue professional. |
Genny Donaldson, Dive Control Specialist Instructor
"I have been a certified scuba diver since 1984 with over 3000 dives. I have been teaching classes for 20 years. I still love teaching open water classes to all ages but also have many special dive interests that I like to teach and personally dive as well. My dive interests include underwater photography and videography, fish identification, fossil diving, underwater archaeology, wreck diving, deep diving, shark diving, lobster hunting, spearfishing and lionfish hunting just to name a few. I also participate in community events introducing the underwater environment in our local area.
"It's a different world underwater and I want to spend a lifetime learning and
experiencing something new all the time."
"I have been a certified scuba diver since 1984 with over 3000 dives. I have been teaching classes for 20 years. I still love teaching open water classes to all ages but also have many special dive interests that I like to teach and personally dive as well. My dive interests include underwater photography and videography, fish identification, fossil diving, underwater archaeology, wreck diving, deep diving, shark diving, lobster hunting, spearfishing and lionfish hunting just to name a few. I also participate in community events introducing the underwater environment in our local area.
"It's a different world underwater and I want to spend a lifetime learning and
experiencing something new all the time."
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Rachel Starling, Manager, Freediving Instructor, Resident Mermaid
Rachel began diving in the cold kelp forests of California’s central coast. She moved to Florida in June 2019 and quickly fell in love with the world-class diving the state has to offer. As well as divemastering on our boat, Rachel teaches freediving and mermaid classes in the numerous freshwater springs nearby. She is passionate about environmental sustainability and ocean conservation. When not diving, she enjoys surfing, kayaking, and camping. |
Ted Eversoll, Open Water Instructor
Ted was first certified in 1995 as part of his high school’s coral reef ecology course. As a student at Indiana University, he earned Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Underwater Resource Management, where he studied marine ecology, underwater archeology, and scientific diving. The best part was summertime field work in the Florida Keys surveying the numerous sites of the 1733 fleet of Spanish galleons for development as protected marine parks. Ted became an instructor in 2001 in South Padre Island TX while working as a dive master on the oil rigs and wrecks. Ted has dived numerous Midwestern limestone quarries (doesn’t recommend it), Bonne Terre Mine, wrecks in Lake Michigan, the barrier reefs of Honduras, Mexico and Belize, but still loves diving the wrecks, artificial reefs and ledges right here off the west coast of Florida.
Ted was first certified in 1995 as part of his high school’s coral reef ecology course. As a student at Indiana University, he earned Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Underwater Resource Management, where he studied marine ecology, underwater archeology, and scientific diving. The best part was summertime field work in the Florida Keys surveying the numerous sites of the 1733 fleet of Spanish galleons for development as protected marine parks. Ted became an instructor in 2001 in South Padre Island TX while working as a dive master on the oil rigs and wrecks. Ted has dived numerous Midwestern limestone quarries (doesn’t recommend it), Bonne Terre Mine, wrecks in Lake Michigan, the barrier reefs of Honduras, Mexico and Belize, but still loves diving the wrecks, artificial reefs and ledges right here off the west coast of Florida.
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Tiffany Nicholson, Divemaster
"I first fell in love with diving at the age of 14 when I was on a trip to Hawaii with my family. I have been born and raised here in Florida but love to travel around the world to new places. I am currently working on my Masters degree in Conservation Biology with a focus on marine biology at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. I've had the opportunity to dive in many Caribbean locations including Roatan, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Belize, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman! I also love to dive and sail around Florida." |
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Cassidy Frieling, Divemaster
Cassidy began diving at the age of 11 and after her first dive in Grand Turk, she fell in love with everything the ocean had to offer. She was born and raised in Colorado, but moved to Florida in 2018 to attend Eckerd College. She will be graduating with a major in Animal Studies and a minor in Marine Science. Right now she is doing research with African elephants, bottlenose dolphins and Amazon River Dolphins and hopes to one day conduct her own research. She also wants to work with marine mammals doing rehab and behavioral studies. The places she's been diving are Grand Turk, Curacao, California, Bahamas, Roatan, and Cuba! |