Competence Under Pressure

A water baby from birth, my earliest memories are of summers exploring, swimming and snorkeling in the lakes of Northern Minnesota with my cousins. Growing up on TV shows like Sea Hunt, Jonny Quest, Flipper and of course Sunday evenings with Jacques Cousteau – a seed had been planted, I just didn’t know it then. I was 10 in the summer of 1975, participating in a water safety course at our local NTC swimming pool when the seed began to grow. The boyfriend of the head lifeguard on deck, a U.S. Navy Diver, was training in the deep end of the pool. I guess I must have been staring – because he approached me and asked if I wanted to join him at the bottom and see what S.C.U.B.A. was about. Looking back, I never even blinked. As my confidence grew all of my free time was consumed with surfing the many breaks between Black’s Beach and Pt. Loma, jumping from the cliffs and snorkeling among the numerous reefs between Hospital Reef and the Shell Shop Cave. The world was opening up, the sounds were different, the colors muted…but exciting beyond belief. In the spring of 1990 I became a City of San Diego Ocean Lifeguard, which quickly resulted in my initial NAUI Open Water Diver certification under Lt. Brant Bass during the summer of 1991. A year later while attending UCSD I progressed through the ranks of Advanced Diver, Rescue Diver and Dive Control Specialist, and finally obtained my Instructor certification through SSI under Bert Kobayashi. I immediately began teaching scuba courses and guiding tours through the Diving Locker under Terry Nicklin, sharing my love and knowledge of the world below the waves. In support of the ideal of “safety through education,” I went on to obtain State of California certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, which led me to volunteering a decade to the San Diego Mountain Rescue Team wherein I obtained expertise as a Wilderness EMT. Constantly driven to improve my education and help others, I have dedicated the past twenty years as a volunteer Snow Board Patrolman with the National Ski Patrol and obtained additional certification as an Outdoor Emergency Care Technician. It is my sincere desire to pay forward, in a manner that bridges the gap between education and experience, the gift of exploration in the world below the waves. Safety is my priority – just ask my lifelong friends who nicknamed me “Jiminy Cricket”. As a former competitive swimmer, high school varsity swim coach, and lifelong avid waterman I have a vested interest in your learning to be a strong swimmer, as well as an educated diver.