A business is only as good as it's team. Meet the team that makes Aqua Marine Dive Center the best!
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TOMMYOwner – Captain – PADI Staff Instructor – SSI Advanced OWI – an unconvincing Grinch persona – In charge of all things boat related. |
Tommy is our “grumpy old man” and definitely is a man of few words so he may not be the chattiest person on the boat, but he loves what he does. He’s been happily married since 1991 to his best friend, supporter, and the most amazing lady! (Yes, she’s writing this… ) You couldn’t be in better hands on the boat and in the water. He started diving in the 80’s and revived his love for diving in 2018 after introducing his wife to the underwater world. He decided to advance to instructor level and teach. After teaching for a couple years in Costa Rica , he then came to St. Thomas on vacation with his wife in 2022, and never left. He and his wife are the proud owners of Aqua Marine. (It’s quite a leap from his accounting degree and financial software experience.) Tommy is a PADI Staff Instructor, an SSI instructor, an adaptive diver guide trained through Dive Heart, and a U.S. Coast Guard 100 ton licensed captain. You can usually find Tommy driving the boat. Compliment him on his hair and he may smile for you. |
 
MICHELLE (MICH)Owner – PADI and SSI Instructor – Company Admin (paper pusher and usually the voice on the phone) – the nice one |
Mich grew up in the Pacific NW then moved southeast to Alabama where she graduated from Auburn U with an accounting degree and met the love of her life. Once married, she and Tommy tried out a couple of states, then settled back in the Southeast, this time in Georgia, and raised their two boys.
Much later in life, during one of many trips to Costa Rica, Tommy managed (with a lot of effort) to talk her into doing a discover dive and after that dive she was hooked! Each year she added another level of certification and spent as much time as possible diving in Costa Rica and Cozumel. Three years from her first dive and with a dive count of over 600 dives, she completed her instructor course and exam. Not bad for starting out at 50, eh? Mich can usually be found with her buddy Duke, in the dive shop or behind the scenes organizing the trips, purchasing supplies, or doing super exciting paperwork. Most likely you have met her as the voice on the phone. She’s definitely a talker. The nickname, Mich (said Mitch), was given to her as a joke because it rhymed with another word. It stuck because she was too lazy to write out her full name. |
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STEPHLead Instructor & Training supervisor – second Captain – ” the enforcer” – In charge of all things crew related. |
Steph is our amazing “ She is amazing at finding the little critters when leading dives and is our very own octopus whisperer. We don’t know how she does it but she finds them. They cant hide from her! She grew up in Switzerland so you will definitely hear her lovely accent. She started diving in Switzerland and then she spent over two years in Thailand where she earned her instructor certification and practiced her teaching skills. Every now and then we have to let her leave the island to satisfy her love of traveling, but so far she has come back and stepped right back into her role at Aqua Marine. We manage, but we definitely miss her when she’s gone! Steph is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, an SSI Advanced Instructor and also a U.S Coast Guard 100 Ton Captain. She goes above and beyond to make every guest happy and keep them safe. If you hear her talking in German, most likely someone is in trouble. |
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DAVIDPADI MSDT instructor – SSI dive instructor – USCG licensed captain – our most “senior” team member – sit down comedian
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David is our part-time “clown”, With his infectious humor, quick wit and his repertoire of jokes, he will keep you smiling and laughing during your whole trip. He’s a skilled talker, definitely a practicing extrovert, and has an abundance of energy… so enjoy your quiet time underwater the water!
David is a retired policeman and discovered Aqua Marine on vacation to the island. He loved it so much here that he did his Divemaster training and his instructor course and certification here with Aqua Marine. He came with the business when Tommy and Mich took over in 2022 and he turned out to be a keeper! Although he alternates spans of time between his island family and his family in the states, he is now considered to be part of the inventory. David is a PADI MSDT (Master Scuba Diver Trainer), an SSI instructor, and is the 3rd USCG licensed boat Captain of our team. He is also typically our handyman for odd jobs. You can usually find him eating burgers at Tap n Still or binging Netflix shows if he’s not working on, around, or for the boat or Dive Center. Buy him a beer and he’ll be happy. Oh who am I kidding, the beer is just bonus! He’s always a happy dude. |
   
ERIKAPADI instructor – part time retail staff – fish ID specialist – our tiny super woman! |
Our tiny but mighty Georgia peach, Erika, fell in love with the ocean at a very young age. She started her ventures in scuba diving in 2018 when she was acquiring her bachelors degree in Environmental Science. After graduation, Erika made it her mission to advance in diving and spread her love of marine life.
Since then, she completed her Divemaster and obtained several marine/coral distinctive specialties in Utila. In 2022, she came to the island to work with us as a divemaster but immediately took it to the next level and enrolled in the PADI Instructor course and then she breezed through her instructor exams! Erika took a short break off island to spend time with her family in Georgia, but Aqua Marine needed her and she came back to us. She is such a valuable asset to Aqua Marine and to diving in general. She loves showing people our amazing ocean and it shows. We have watched her advance her skills in diving and in customer service over the years and occasionally, despite truly wanting to be on the boat and in the water, she gets thrown in to run the shop when we need her there. She works hard wherever we need her. You can usually find Erika on the boat guiding divers and snorkelers and sharing her knowledge of the marine animals. You’ll recognizer her immediately. She’s the tiny one… but don’t let her size fool you. She can haul gear and move tanks in step with the full size people. |
ZACHPadi dive instructor– a true team player – aspiring headband model |
Hailing from tropical Long Island, we have our youngest instructor Zach! He spent some time at the University of Maryland studying criminal justice before realizing diving was his true passion. He has galivanted the world, diving famous dive destinations such as Truk Lagoon, Roatan, Bonaire, and many others!
He joined our team in 2024 as an instructor and was quick to learn our boat procedures and was open to all the experienced advice he got from the old folks. Zach’s attention to detail and love of people have made him a customer favorite very quickly. He has quickly become mention in many 5 star reviews. You’ll know you’ve found Zach when you see his colorful headband and warm smile that is matched only by the Caribbean sun. (He wrote that.. so obviously he has a great sense of humor too.) Zach’s personality shines through and you can’t help but smile around him! Ask him about his favorite wrecks and he will tell you all you want to know! Also, ask him where the best places to dance on the island are. We may have seen video proof that he’s got some moves! |
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KYLEPadi instructor – Climate Analyst – 12 minute breath holder … Allegedly |
Aqua Marine has our very own “Florida Man”!
Kyle was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he and his family spent time fishing, spearfishing, and lobstering in the Gulf of Mexico and down in the Florida Keys. He became a certified diver before he even had a drivers license. He was on the deans list in college where he majored in Environmental Science and minored in Statistics and Analytics. After spending a couple years working an office job, he returned to sunny Florida to complete his professional Scuba training. He then moved to St. Thomas and started working with Aqua Marine in 2024 and immediately fit in as a trusted member of our team. His professionalism and polite demeanor as well as great customer service stands out and is noticed by our customers. When he’s not diving, you can expect to see him at the beach or cheering on his favorite sports teams. We’ve heard he may let loose after hours and be a bit of a karaoke man too. He says he can hold his breath for over 12 minutes (unofficial time and also not while scuba diving of course). His talents are obviously not confined to diving! |
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Hailing from South Texas, Anna Cate is the youngest member of our team. Over the past couple years, Anna Cate discovered a passion for diving. After earning her Advanced Open Water certification while in the British Virgin Islands in 2022, she fell in love with the Caribbean and knew she wanted to spend more time here someday.
For her final year of college, she decided to take a bold step and create her own version of a study abroad experience. She’s currently finishing up her final year of college online while on the island. She moved to the island summer of 2024, became part of our team, and in her spare time she does her school work. (Priorities) Although Anna Cate is not a dive instructor, she works in the dive shop learning about the business from that vantage point. She occasionally joins the boat for snorkeling trips or fun dives. She has expressed interest in completing her rescue and dive master certifications so you may see her guiding dives in no time! She’s obsessed with her dogs back home and receives pictures and updates quite often. To get her local dog fix on the island, she is always quick to give Duke a pat or a hug whenever he visits her at the dive shop. |
DUKE Our favorite shop dog |
Duke was born deaf in an Atlanta shelter in 2012 and was adopted by Tommy and Mich as soon as he could leave mom. You will find him somewhere near Mich almost every second of the day. We did try to make him a boat dog but he insists on washing the faces of all snorkelers and divers as they come up the ladder back onto the boat. As much as we love a clean boat and clean divers, we have found that not everyone appreciates the free salt removal that is offered.
Duke and Mich spend 90% of the time following each other around, watching each other use the bathroom and wondering what the other is eating. |
