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British Virgin Islands - 2014, Session 1

Staff Update Day 1

Location: West End, Tortola

Looking up and down the docks at West End, little by little, they have transformed from a bare dock to an ActionQuest fleet anxiously awaiting the arrival of students. The past few weeks, the AQ staff has been busy preparing dinghies, inspecting dive gear, and creating the world of AQ on each boat. Each part of the boat is stocked- whether filled with food, delicious dinner ingredients for meals from Summertime Thanksgiving to Sloppy Joe's, and everything in between. The snacks are packed aboard, and we have something for everyone, whether the craving is for fresh apples or the crunch of a potato chip! The gear has been squirreled away to house a few of favorite activities, snorkels, regulators, and waterskis! Calypso is ready; it is set; it is just missing one thing...our students! We are eagerly awaiting the students' arrival to fill their cabins, raise the sails and embark on an incredible journey in the British Virgin Islands. While we may not know now exactly where the laughter and excitement will be found, we are ready to find it, to laugh, to explore and to go on one incredible adventure as the Calypso Crew!
Here is an introduction to the staff of Calypso:
Mitch- skipper/EMT
Mitch, adventurer, fine food connoisseur, and most importantly, sailor, joined ActionQuest in 2008 after his voyage aboard Sea|mester vessel Ocean Star. During the past six years, he has finished his Communications undergrad from the University of Utah while successfully skiing the world's best powder. Mitchell is a seasoned EMT and currently holds a leadership role in sailing and staff operations at ActionQuest. He most looks forward to teaching the youth valuable life lessons while living aboard and sailing a yacht.
Catie- dive instructor/mate
Originally from Massachusetts, Catie began scuba diving in the cold New England waters. Despite the cold waters, Catie fell in love with diving and grew to appreciate it even more in the warm waters of the British Virgin Islands during her first summer with Action Quest as a student in 2009. Since then, Catie has gone on to become a PADI Scuba Instructor, holding a certification as an OSWI instructor as well as specialty instruction for the PADI navigation and PADI naturalist specialties. When not on the water, Catie is a current student at the University of San Diego, where she is studying Environmental Studies and Business Finance.
Aiar- dive instructor/mate
Aiar knew right after his first dive that he would become a dive instructor. He was 8 when he tried scuba for the first time and 18 when he got his PADI instructor license.  He and his dive partner are among the few who hold the Life Safety Award from National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section. Currently, he is working on becoming the world's best dentist. Besides diving and school, he enjoys riding his bicycle, swimming, running, exploring underwater caves, and participating in Ironman competitions. He chose to work for ActionQuest, so his love of the ocean and the sport could be shared. He hopes that this experience of diving will open new doors for traveling and learning new things through hands-on experiences.