Here are the folks who will help you snorkel and dive in the Denver Aquarium!

Shane Taylor

Role: General Manager, Downtown Aquarium Programs Director

Real Job: Organize, schedule and conduct Aquarium dive programs, daily business operations, sales, marketing, promotions, merchandizing and displays

Diving Credentials: PADI Master Instructor, Professional Aquarium Dive Guide, Trip/Tour Escort, Master Service Technician.

Personal passions: Ocean and Shark Conservation, Shark Awareness, Photo and Video, Music…

Favorite Non-Diving Activities: Wakeboarding, Snowboarding, Motorcycling, Kick-Boxing, breaking stuff, fixing stuff, good times with good friends, enjoying time at home with my dogs

Favorite food: Italian! Of Course!

Favorite Dive Location: Love every place I have had the privilege to visit but Galapagos is the best place to see a large variety of "big animals" so far for me.  Guadalupe diving with Great White Sharks blew me away too.  Any chance to dive with Sharks, count me in!

Wendie Murray

Role:  Training Manager in the Education Department, Dive Guide at the Downtown Aquarium and A-1 group trip leader

Diving Credentials: MSDT Instructor, DAN DEMP Instructor, HSA Instructor

Real Job: Playing at A-1

Personal Passions:  I enjoy working with kids and experiencing different cultures around the world.

Non-Diving Activities: Sand volleyball, camping in the summer and enjoy hanging out at the lakes on our boat.

Favorite Food: Hot Wings

Favorite Dive Location:  Philippines and the Galapagos

Todd Hall

Role:  Downtown Aquarium Dive Program Manager and A-1 Instructor

Diving Credentials:  PADI MSDT, DAN Instructor, EFR Instructor, NAUI Instructor Trainer

Real Job: Corporate Dive Safety Officer for the Downtown Aquarium and Landry's

Personal Passions: hangin' with my wife and dogs, travel anywhere and  sushi

Non-Diving Activities: motorcycles, golf, food and wine, hiking

Favorite Food: BBQ...Sushi...BBQ...Sushi...Martini's

Favorite Dive Location: Roatan Honduras

Brian Saxton

Role:  Instructor, Aquarium Dive Guide

Diving Credentials:  Instructor, EFR instructor

Real Job: Aquarium Assistant Dive Safety Officer

Personal Passions: Family, Friends, Water

Non-Diving Activities: Looking for anyone who wants to play Volleyball

Favorite Food: Pizza

Favorite Dive Location: Florida Keys

 

 

 

Stosh Ritchie

Role: Instructor and Aquarium Dive Guide

Real Job: Computer Consultant

Diving Credentials: Master Scuba Diving Trainer

Personal passion: Besides making a mean Margarita (learned from my days as bartender), making sure that all of our diving friends have a great time!

Non Diving Activities: Watersports, sailing, skiing, travel

Favorite food: Mexican

Favorite Dive Location: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Louise Eishelman

Role:  Scuba Instructor, Instructor Harassment specialist

Diving Credentials:  PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, DAN Instructor

Real Job:  Computer nerd for Vantage Marketing Research, Inc.  International Sales Representative for Baron Worldwide.

Personal Passions:  Teaching Diving

Non-Diving Activities:  traveling, reading, backcountry skiing

Favorite food:  Big fat juicy Steak!

Favorite Dive Location:  Indonesia

Tammi Abt

Role:  Instructor and Class Clown ;)

Diving Credentials:  Master Instructor and DAN Instructor

Real Job: Manager of an Animal E.R.

Personal Passions: TRAVEL, playing with my dogs, anything in the water.

Non-Diving Activities: Did I mention Travel? Vegas is always good!

Favorite Food: Mexican the spicier the better, or a good ole’ steak!

Favorite Dive Location: HMMM Galapagos is the ultimate, Cozumel for a close quick trip or Chatfield -- yup I said Chatfield!

Tim Mitchel

Role: Retail Support, Aquarium Dive Guide, Scuba Instructor

Real Job: This is my real job!

Diving Credentials: PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Emergency First Response instructor, Handicapped Scuba Association Instructor

Personal passion:  Underwater exploration and photography

Non Diving Activities: Snowboarding, bicycling, rock climbing, School

Favorite food: sushi

Favorite Dive Location: Molokai, Hawaii

Aaron Spence

Role: Instructor, Aquarium Dive Guide, and Group Leader

Diving Credentials:  Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Emergency First Responder Instructor, and DAN Dive Emergency Management Instructor.  Past experience in Equipment Service and Live-Aboard dive guide.

Real Job: Business Development Manager for National MortgageCompany.Diving is my fun job!!!

Personal Passions: Enjoying time with friends/family, reading, movies…and of course meeting new friends through diving!

Non-Diving Activities:  Travel, cooking, motorcycle riding, and wake boarding.

Favorite Food:  Too many to list.  Italian, Thai, & Caribbean are great but always trying out new recipes.  (Love curried goat and Jamaican meat pies)

Favorite Dive Location: North East Grand Cayman and LittleCayman…Bloody Bay never disappoints!

Steve Paul

Role:  Instructor and aquarium dive guide

Diving Credentials: I was first certified in 1996 and got my expert/divemaster certs shortly afterwards.  Last year I finally decided to pull the trigger and get my instructor certification.  I am passionate about scuba, but I find that I am even more passionate about teaching and sharing my experience with others.

Real Job:  I'm a computer programmer for American Express.  That's all I'm going to say, as I even bore myself  when I explain my job.

Personal Passions:  I love travel and adventure.  I try to get out of the country at least once a year for an extended trip.  Next year, a cruise down the Nile!

Non-Diving Activities:  I have been a martial artist for 20 years and have instructed several disciplines.  Also, I recently opened up a small gym in mid-town Denver, and will be teaching "CrossFit" (www.crossfitdenver.com) there.

Favorite Food:  I cannot even begin to decide my favorite, but I love exotic foods, and have been known to try some rather "out there" dishes on my trips.  Ask me to explain "drunken prawns" sometime.

Favorite Dive Location:  Playing with the sea lions at Santa Barbara island off the coast of California.

Jes Brejcha

Role:  Divemaster at the Downtown Aquarium and at A1.

Diving Credentials: Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, and Divemaster

Real Job: Elementary school teacher.

Personal Passions: Enjoying time with friends and family.

Non-Diving Activities: Skiing, tennis, golf, bocce ball, watching the Nuggets, and road trips around Colorado!!!

Favorite Food: Thai and Indian (I couldn't decide)

Favorite Dive Location: Little Cayman Island

Kelly Lusk

Role:  Divemaster

Real Job:  Attorney by day, diver by nights and weekends.

Diving Credentials:  PADI Divemaster

Personal Passion:  Loving my family and friends as well as anyone that I have the pleasure of meeting.

Non-Diving Activities:  Reading, practicing Zen Buddhism, yoga, and playing Rock Band and Little Big Planet with my brother.

Favorite Food:  Mom's lasagna

Favorite Dive Location:  Galapagos is my favorite so far, but there is still a lot of world out there to dive.

Antti Heiskanen

Role: Assistant Instructor, Dive guide at the Aquarium

Real Job: Construction Project Manager

Diving Credentials: Assistant Instructor

Personal passion: Diving, climbing and skiing

Non Diving Activities: Outdoors

Favorite food:  meat balls and potatoes

Favorite Dive Location: Thailand and Philippines, off the coast of BC is a great cold water diving with giant octopus.

Bill Tanner

Role:  Dive Guide at the Downtown Aquarium, Scuba Instructor at A-1 Scuba and Travel Center

Diving Credentials: Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Digital Underwater Photography Instructor, Mind Body and Spirit Diver.

Real Job: Teaching diving is real for me!! I retired from a career as parole officer in 2005.
I must say I like this better, I haven’t had to handcuff a diving student yet!

Personal Passions:  I love to travel - and anything to do with the water.

Non-Diving Activities: My passion for the water extends to Windsurfing. I also enjoy Cycling and Skiing.

Favorite Food: Whatever the local fare happens to be!

Favorite Dive Location:  Bonaire for the easy shore diving and it’s a quick drive over to Lac Bay for some afternoon Windsurfing!

Kate Suek

Role:  Divemaster for classes.

Diving Credentials:  I am a Divemaster working on my Assistant Instructor. I lived in Bonaire studying Slippery Dick mating habits (seriously), and had a brief stint working at the Divers Alert Network(DAN) as a Research Intern.

Real Job: Blonde Representative: Englewood Chapter

Personal Passions: Writing, reading, shoes and daisies.

Non-Diving Activities: Camping, running, biking, and finding a good concert.

Favorite Food: Any kind of fish or seafood. Oh, and Cheetos!

Favorite Dive Location: Tie between Aguila on Roatan and 1000 Steps on Bonaire

Codey LyVere

Professional Occupation:
Student

Favorite Marine Animal:
Great White Shark

Favorite dive location:
Guadelupe

Years of diving experience:
5 years

Certification level:
Open Water

Most memorable diving experience: Diving with great whites in Guadelupe