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!

Email: shanetaylor@a1scuba.com

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

Email: wmurray@a1scuba.com

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

Email: thall@ldry.com

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

Email: bsaxon@ldry.com

 

 

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

Email: stosh.ritchie@gmail.com

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

email:  lweshelman@hotmail.com

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!

Email: tammiabt@yahoo.com

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

Email: aquanautmitchell@gmail.com

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!

Email: aspence@ascenthq.com

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.

Email:  stephengpaul@gmail.com

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

Email: jbrejcha@hotmail.com

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.

Email:  scuba.kelly@yahoo.com

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.

Email:antti.heiskanen@gmail.com

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!

Email: billtanner12@yahoo.com

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

Email: katesuek@gmail.com

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