Tanis Marie

As our third and final session at ActionQuest begins in a few hours, the staff of Tanis Marie is eagerly awaiting our new shipmates. After completing two full sessions, we now know many of the BVI's secret locations and hidden gems. This final session is our last chance to show the summer 2013 shipmates all that we've discovered, and all four staff aboard are ready to provide them with what will be one of the best experiences of their lives. The four international staff, having worked all over the world, have all agreed that the BVI offers some of the best diving and sailing that anyone could ask for! The sooner the shipmates get to Soper's Hole, the better! The yacht is ready and waiting. We look forward to sharing our experiences by writing our online log so those at home can follow along. We'll also take photos so that you can see all the exotic locations and ports we'll be visiting. It's been a truly incredible summer as captain of Tanis Marie, and I very much look forward to all the upcoming experiences with our newest crew.

Here is an introduction to the crew of Tanis:

Growing up sailing and racing on the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington State, Aaron now calls Hawaii home. After graduating from Hawaii Pacific University in 2004, he traveled to the United Kingdom to train with the Royal Yachting Association. Earning his MCA Master of Yachts 200 Ton and RYA/MCA Cruising Instructor certifications, he began sailing the world's oceans as a skipper and instructor working from the West Indies to the UK and to the Mediterranean. When not sailing professionally, you can find him traveling the globe in search of perfect waves in countries such as Panama, Nicaragua, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Maldives, and Papua New Guinea to name a few. With over a decade as a professional sailing instructor, surf instructor, and windsurf instructor, he is looking forward to joining the 2013 ActionQuest Team and sharing his passions with its students in the BVI.

Sam has attended several ActionQuest programs as a shipmate and began working for AQ as an EMT/Mate in 2011. Sam grew up all over the world, spending the majority of her time in Doha, Qatar. After graduating high school in Qatar, she attended Boston University, where she obtained a degree in Psychology with a minor in Arabic. She's been working as an EMT since 2010 and is looking forward to attending Paramedic school in January of 2014. Sam has a variety of interests, including medicine, sports, languages, and teaching. At the moment, Sam plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor while continuing to expand her knowledge of sailing, scuba diving, and other aquatic sports. (not pictured)

Steven is a transplant Floridian from New Hampshire. Scuba diving stole his interest in college and threw his future plans of being a lawyer on its head. After working at an adventure camp in the Florida Keys, as a PADI Scuba Instructor, his passion for the water, scuba diving, sailing and most importantly, sharing it with young people was solidified. He says nothing beats showing someone the ocean the first time or seeing them breathe under it! If Steven isn't on the water, then he may be in the kitchen trying new recipes or on the trail looking for new vistas. (not pictured)

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Linda was drawn to the magic of the oceans at an early age. As a child, she spent most of her summers on a sailing boat discovering the Baltic and the Mediterranean sea. At the age of fifteen, she took her first scuba certification and soon thereafter decided that she would work with scuba and biology in the future. After attending high school in the U.S., she went back to Sweden to complete a bachelor's degree in Biology at the University of Uppsala. With a passion for new adventures and teaching, she has worked as a dive instructor in Sweden, Spain, and Greece. When she is not out on the water, odds are you will find her playing ice hockey or discovering the world. Linda's professional credentials include PADI Open Water Diver Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor, and an Inshore Yacht-master Diploma by the Swedish Council for the Education and Training of Yachtsmen.