Staff Update Day 1
Location: West End, Tortola
Here on Peeps Larou, we are waiting excitedly for the arrival of our 12 students! We know this is going to be a wonderful 17 days. On board, we will have both Neptunes and Dolphins, making it a great mixture of diving and marine biology! We are super excited to teach several cool PADI specialties and even how to dissect starfish and sharks. Tomorrow morning we will set off to begin our circumnavigation of Tortola stopping at amazing places along the way. More to come from Peeps Larou!
Here is an introduction to the crew of Peeps:
During college, Monika sailed aboard Ocean Star as a Sea|mester student before joining the AQ team as a Divemaster. Upon returning to university, Monika received a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, while also earning her IYT Master of Yachts 200 Ton, and EMT certifications. Now a skipper with Action Quest, Monika strives to provide her students with the same incredible experience she had as a shipmate.
Ben graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Political Science and began working with AQ in 2009 as a PADI Scuba Instructor. An avid outdoorsman, Ben can either be found in the mountains of Vermont, working in the ski industry and spending his free time on the slopes, or racing in a Cyclocross team in Portland, Oregon. During the summer Ben enjoys showing off the incredible shipwrecks and diverse sea life of the BVI to the ActionQuest shipmates, as well as free diving with the Tarpons and Barracuda that like to hang out under the boats.
Growing up in Sarasota, FL, Marina's passion for all things marine began at a young age. She followed this into college at Florida State University until graduating in 2013 with a B.S. in Biology. During her stay there, Marina split her time between the sailing team, instructing scuba, and completing an independent research project. Marina holds PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, AAUS Scientific diver, WFR, and STCW-95, certifications. She has interned at Mote Marine and Pritzker Marine Research laboratories. Marina joined the AQ team in 2011, giving her the chance to share her love of the water with others, just as she learned when she was a shipmate.