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Meet The Crew!
The crew on board the SEA EXPERIENCE harbors quite a mix of knowledge but they all share
one thing in common, the love for the sea. Each of the crew members are experienced
scuba divers and you may get to see one of them hop into the water with their gear on
to add to the excitement! They all enjoy sharing their time on the water with the passengers
and pointing out things of interest. All the crew work for tips and if you so desire,
gratuities are greatly appreciated. So without further ado, let's introduce the crew!
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Bill Cole
Capt. Bill has been running dive/snorkel vessels for 23 years and is one of the
most experienced boat captain's in South Florida. Bill started diving on his
honeymoon in Grand Cayman in 1977 and it's been hard to keep him out of the
water ever since. Completing scuba instructor training in 1979, Bill began
teaching diving at the University of Georgia. After graduating from UGA with a
degree in Engineering (Fall 1980), Bill and his wife Susan decided to move to South
Florida. In 1988, Bill brought the first glass bottom boat to Fort Lauderdale
that ran daily charter. He had spent the previous year training the fish on a
shallow reef that he named "Fort Lauderdale Twin Ledges". To this day the fish
come to greet the boat when it arrives at the site. Bill became a PADI Course
Director in 1993, this is the highest instructor rating attainable with the
Professional Association of Diving Instructors
(PADI). He has trained thousands of instructors who are now employed around the world.
In 1993, Bill was among the first group of elite divers (this group included Jacques Cousteau)
awarded the Platinum Pro 5000
certification by SSI (Scuba Schools International). Divers in this group have
over 5000 SCUBA dives. Bill loves taking passengers out for tours to the coral
reef whether it be in the water or just pointing out things of interest through
the boat’s glass bottom windows.
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Aaron Tarka
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Aaron has been working with Sea Experience since
before the dive shop grand opening. Aaron is the dive shop manager and with all
his technical abilites he keeps the shop running smoothly. Being a certified
diver and avid boater, when Aaron is not at the shop working he's out on a boat
or in the water diving.
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Mateo Torres
As a PADI open water scuba instructor, Mateo enjoys scuba diving and sharing those
experiences with others. Mateo's passion is working on the ocean. He enjoys passing on
the knowledge he has to students and to teach them to dive with respect to the marine
life and to leave only bubbles!
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Wes Gruver
Wes Gruver is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, NAUI Scuba Instructor, SDI
Open Water Instructor, TDI Technical Instructor and USCG Licensed 100 Ton
Captain with more than 20 years diving and training experience currently
living in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He has dived every ocean on the earth except
the Arctic; however its on his list.
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Mark Brettin
Mark received his open water diver certification in New Mexico in 1999.
Diving in fresh water springs was not enough for him. Shortly after becoming
a certified diver, Mark moved to Fort Lauderdale so he could dive in the warm
waters of south Florida. Continuing with his diving education, Mark became a
PADI divemaster in
2001. His love and respect for the ocean got him involved with the
OceanWatch Foundation,
a non-profit volunteer organization for the preservation, protection and education of the
local coral reef communities in Southeast Florida. Every year Mark participates in OceanWatch's
annual reef cleanup.
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