Pirate Song

Hello! My name is Margaret, and I am the skipper of the boat and will be writing the day one blog! I am soooooo excited to meet all of you guys today and for the next 3 weeks. I can’t wait to get to know all of you, but for now, here is a little bit about your staff here on Pirate Song 🏴‍☠️ 🎵⛵️🌊

Skipper: Margaret
Margaret grew up in Palm Beach, Florida, 10 minutes away from the beach. She loves all water activities, from surfing to scuba diving. While in college, Margaret joined the Seamester program from Fiji to Bali on S/Y Vela. Aboard Vela, Margaret became a PADI Rescue Diver and an Emergency First Responder. Margaret has worked with kids as a surf instructor and at marine biology summer camps. She cannot wait to teach students how to sail and to have a fantastic time this summer!

Mate/medic: Aden
Aden is originally from the landlocked state of Pennsylvania. However, his family decided to move to Florida when he was 11, where he promptly fell in love with sailing and the ocean. Aden spent much of his teenage years racing various high-performance sailing dinghies and catamarans. Each year, when the racing season wrapped up, he would spend his summers using his U.S. Sailing Level One certification to coach a learn-to-sail class at a non-profit sailing program based in Sarasota. Last summer, Aden took on the exciting role of running ActionQuest’s sail-side support boat, Under Pressure! Here, he learned the ins and outs of the ActionQuest program, made great friends, and earned scuba certifications. This summer, Aden is stoked to be returning, having just gotten his Wilderness First Responder certification, and is looking forward to using his background in sailing to teach students how to sail. When not in a tropical paradise, Aden is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Jacksonville University, and when he isn’t overwhelmed with school work, you can usually find him surfing with friends, in the gym, or sailing whatever boat he can get his hands on.

Dive Instructor: Luke
Luke grew up in the northern suburbs of the Chicagoland area but discovered his passion for scuba diving at just 10 years old while visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. In 2016, he joined ActionQuest for the first time through the Vega program, where he earned his Open Water scuba certification and found a new love for sailing and exploring the British Virgin Islands. After five more summers with ActionQuest, he finished his time as a student by earning his Divemaster certification. Luke then took the next step in his diving career by earning his Open Water Scuba Instructor certification in Coral Gables, Florida. He’s thrilled to return to the British Virgin Islands to share his enthusiasm for diving with new students. When he’s not underwater, Luke is pursuing a degree in Finance at the University of Miami. ActionQuest could not have had a bigger impact on Luke as a student, and he hopes to pass on that experience to as many new people as possible.