Favorite Dive Site: House Reef, Kralendijk, Bonaire

Diving Experience: 55+ years diving; 45+ years instructing; 19,000+ dives; 20,000+ students certified; 500+ instructors certified

Bio: John was a Cayman Island dive operator in the mid 70’s, a former Florida Regional Director of the YMCA Scuba Program, and the former Secretary of Treasury of the Florida Association of Dive Operators (FADO). John is one of a select few that teaches about marine life through direct interactions with wild animals including; moray eels, barracudas, goliath groupers, scorpion fish, angel fish, lobster, butterfly fish, and sharks. He began this personal interaction with sea creatures in his Cayman days by learning more about them on every dive. He shares this interactive knowledge and love of the sea with generations of scuba divers.

Favorite Dive Site: The Odyssey, Roatan, Honduras

Diving Experience: 25+ years diving; 5 years instructing; 15,000+ dives; 800+ students certified, IANTD Ambassador

Bio: Don worked as a scientific diver in aquariums for 10 years contributing to his enthusiasm for sea life. He loves underwater archaeology and has worked on numerous shipwreck projects. Some of the most interesting projects Don has worked on include finding shipwrecks in Tampa Bay, uncovering blockade ships from the War of 1812, diving pristine shipwrecks with Great Lakes Historical Diving Society, and assisting in bringing up artifacts from Queen Anne’s Revenge Blackbeard’s flagship. Don has done and continues to do conservation work including manatee health assessments, shark evaluations in Hawaii, fish surveys for REEF, and working with the Coral Restoration Foundation in the Keys. His passion for teaching people how to become competent, self-reliant divers is seen in all his classes. Don loves to say that he hopes to ignite the spark in a diver that becomes the wildfire that changes the world.

Favorite Dive Site: The Eagle, Islamorada, FL

Diving Experience: 3+ years diving; Instructor; 300+ dives

Bio: Ryan was trained here at Deep Six in 2020. He has been diving all over Florida including searching for and finding megalodon teeth, diving the beautiful reefs of the Keys, and doing deep dives in Jupiter. Ryan is one of staff members at Deep Six and is always willing to help customers in the shop with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He has become very knowledgeable in the shop and in diving and will make a great instructor soon.

Favorite Dive Site: Tiger Beach, Grand Bahama, Bahamas

Diving Experience: 2+ years diving; Rescue Diver; 100+ dives

Bio: Jaren started off his passion for the ocean freediving and taking pictures of all sorts of predators including alligators and sharks. His love of the water quickly guided him to pursue scuba diving. Jaren works at the shop part time and is always willing to assist customers with anything they need. He has a great deal of knowledge when it comes to underwater photography and loves to show off his spectacular pictures.

Favorite Dive Site: Davis Island Dog Park Beach, Tampa, FL

Diving Experience: Nothing formal

Bio: Duke would classify himself as the bestest boy, we agree of course. He hangs around the shop most weekends that John is in the Keys and runs a tight ship for Boomer whenever he is away having fun diving. Duke is a sucker for snacks, belly rubs, and all other forms of attention. Be sure to to swing by and give this guy some loving.

Favorite Dive Site: Little River Springs, Brandford, FL

Diving Experience: 20+ years diving; 15+ years instructing; 1500+ logged dives; 1000+ students certified

Bio: Danny started teaching elementary school after 14 years in the Air Force. He taught science at North Lakeland Elementary School, a passion you continue to see through his teaching style at Deep Six Divers Service, Inc. Danny enjoys cave diving whenever he has the opportunity and is a fully certified instructor. Danny may have retired from his day job, but he still loves teaching scuba and being with students sharing the joy of his favorite sport.

Favorite Dive Site: Weeki Wachee/Twin Dees Cave System, Spring Hill, Florida

Diving Experience: 20+ years diving; 10+ years instructing; 2000+ logged dives; 200+ students certified

Bio: Matt was certified at 12 years old here at Deep Six Divers Service, Inc. Instantly infatuated with the sport he continued his training and by the age of 13 he was the youngest certified cavern diver in the US. His true passion is cave diving and exploration. Matt can be found exploring springs and caves throughout the south eastern US or relaxing with his wife and two daughters on his days off. Matt is on the board of Karst Underwater Research. Matt worked at Deep Six since 2004 while earning a degree in Environmental Science at USF. He now works at SWFWMD and instructs for Deep Six on his free time.

Favorite Dive Site: Spiegel Grove, Key Largo, Florida

Diving Experience: 10+ years diving; 5+ years instructing; 2000 + logged dives; 200+ students certified

Bio: Tyler is a police officer with the Lakeland Police Department. He is also the leader of the LPD Dive Team. Tyler is an avid scuba diver and has been since he was certified at Deep Six years ago. He enjoys wreck diving, deep diving, and spearfishing. He is an IANTD instructor and following in the steps of all the Deep Six instructors works with his students as long as needed to help them become comfortable divers.

Favorite Dive Site: Mermaids Grotto, Okinawa, Japan

Diving Experience: 10+ years diving; 5+ years instructing; 700+ logged dives; 200+ students certified

Bio: Shawn served in the NAVY where he was a rescue swimmer. He rekindled his passion for diving when he was living in Japan and working for the US Marines. He is often found in north Florida diving in caves. Shawn is a very enthusiastic instructor at Deep Six and his passion for diving is seen while teaching. Shawn has a background in safety management and as an authorized OSHA outreach trainer puts safety at the forefront of his instruction.

Favorite Dive Site: Musa Underwater Museum of Art, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Diving Experience: 5+ years diving; Instructor; 300+ dives

Bio: Alex was trained here at Deep Six in 2018. He is always doing classes to gain more experience and continue his diving career.  On top of diving and being an Instructor, Alex works in the shop helping customers. He may be the youngest in the Deep Six family but he is always willing to help and is quickly gaining a wealth of knowledge. Alex is very approachable and will do whatever is needed to make sure you are comfortable in the water.

Favorite Dive Site: The Corridor, West Palm Beach, Florida

Diving Experience: 20+ years diving; 1 year instructing; 600 + logged dives; 20+ students certified

Bio: Brant learned to dive with Deep Six in 2004. He has been diving all over the world but has a passion for spearfishing and lobster diving. Brant always tells his students that "if you are going to take from the sea, you should give back to it as well." He proves this by doing clean up dives and dive related volunteer work. Brant's past military service continues to serve him well working with new divers every day.

Favorite Dive Site: Triangle Rocks, Bimini, Bahamas

Diving Experience: 4+ year diving; Instructor; 600+ dives

Bio: Amanda started her diving career at Deep Six in 2021. She has been diving all over Florida and the Caribbean but has a passion for searching for fossils, spearfishing, and shark diving. She is always trying to grow and expand her knowledge and experience as a dive professional. Amanda will be an instructor with Deep Six very soon and her skills will be a true asset to the shop.

Favorite Dive Site: Airplane Graveyard, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands

Diving Experience: 20+ years; Dive Master; 200+ dives  

Bio: Christina began her diving career in Washington State, mind you in the middle of December. Shortly after getting her open water and advanced certifications in WA, she moved to the tropical islands of Kwajalein Atoll, working, and diving as much as possible. Life and family did put a hiatus to her scuba diving for several years. After some time out of the water and with her husband Hector’s new found interest in scuba diving, she returned to the sea and renewed her passion for teaching and love of diving. She relocated with her family to Florida in 2021 and joined the Deep Six team that same year. Christina has completed her Diver Master certification and is currently on track to complete her instructor training in the near future.

Favorite Dive Site: Titlow, Tacoma, Washington

Diving Experience: 5+ years; Dive Master; 100+ dives  

Bio: Hector began his diving career in Washington State, also in the middle of December. Shortly after getting his Open Water, Advanced, and Rescue certification in WA, he moved to the Florida and began diving with Deep Six. Hector completed his Nitrox, Drysuit, and Divemaster certifications with us and wanted to share his passion for the underwater world with others. He is our above and below water photographer and takes care of all the cool shots you see on our social medias.

Favorite Dive Site: Sea Quest Deep, Roatan, Honduras

Diving Experience: 20+ years; Instructor; 500+ dives

Bio: Danielle grew up fascinated by ocean life watching every nature show on TV during her childhood. She got certified as a natural progression to becoming a marine biologist and was quickly hired as a scientific diver working at different aquariums across Florida. Danielle was part of the research team whose project successfully produced the first sexually propagated Acropora cervicornis from collected coral gametes. She still has a passion for the conservation of corals and all marine life and can often be found shooting pictures while diving. Her photos and writings have been published in dive manuals, magazines, and other publications. 

Favorite Dive Site: Mary's Place, Roatan, Honduras

Diving Experience: 3+ years diving; Rescue Diver; 200+ dives

Bio: Born and raised in Florida, David has always had a passion for being on and in the ocean. He enjoys boating, diving, and fishing. David's initial interest in SCUBA diving was sparked by the desire to go lobstering in the Keys. David worked hard to become a proficient diver and has celebrated many milestones with his Deep Six family. His interest in the sport has grown and he wants to share his love for the ocean and SCUBA diving with others and has started on the path to become a dive instructor.