Nacho Dinghy

Yippie students arrive today! We have been eagerly preparing for their arrival. The past 2 weeks have been spent preparing the dock, our staff, and our faithful vessel, Nacho Dinghy, for this day, and we cannot wait for students to be out on the water.

Skipper: Ayden has moved many times in his life and has enjoyed exploring all the different environments and cultures. He first sailed on S/Y Vela in the fall of 2023 and fell in love instantly. Visiting the ocean often for vacations sparked his passion for the sea and its wildlife. Diving, sailing, fishing, and anything outdoors give him the most joy. He studies environmental science at Appalachian State University and continues his education by collecting sailing and diving certifications whenever possible. He is most excited about being out in the sun with a breeze and the rolling waves this summer.

Dive Director: Mackenzie fell in love with scuba diving in Phuket, Thailand, and that short trip became three years spent traveling and diving around Southeast Asia. After graduating from Penn State University, she earned her instructor certification in Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia, where she taught for a year and dove with turtles daily! When she’s not teaching at ActionQuest, she works full-time for Global Expeditions Group as an enrollment advisor and prepares for the summer.

Dive Instructor: Toby first heard about ActionQuest the day he learned how to speak. About 25 years ago, both of his parents were staff members at AQ, and they always said they were the best summers of their lives. Following in their footsteps, Toby started diving when he was 12 during his first session at ActionQuest. He then returned for another two summers, knowing he wanted to continue diving and eventually become a staff member. He decided to take a gap year this year and went to Bali for three months with his brother, Tyler, to do his PADI Divemaster and Instructor courses. After four years of being a student and many years of hearing his parents talk about ActionQuest, Toby worked at AQ for his first year as a staff member! After living in Hawai’i, continuing to teach diving, and getting his Yachtmaster, he’s returning to be a staff member at AQ for his second year!

Medic/Mate: Ruby is from Miami, Florida, and is currently studying Outdoor Education and Field Ecology in Arizona. She grew up always around or in the ocean and loved being near the water. She was lucky enough to experience three weeks of GoBeyond in the BVI’s after her first year of high school. Five years later, she sailed with Seamester from Bali, Indonesia, to Cape Town, South Africa on S/Y Vela. She had the most fantastic time on this voyage, found a new passion for marine biology, and got her rescue scuba diving certification. Ruby loves to do anything outdoors and adventure-related. She has been a whitewater raft guide for three years and strongly appreciates risk management and rescue. She has a background in swift water rescue, high ropes rescue, and avalanche rescue, as well as her wilderness EMT license. You can find her backpacking, rock climbing, or skiing when she doesn’t have class. Ruby can’t wait to trade the desert for the ocean and return on the water this summer!