Therapy shipmates assemble! The crew of your future home, Therapy (a gorgeous 46-foot catamaran), are getting so excited for your arrival tomorrow. We have all been down in West End for the last few weeks working, learning, and prepping for your voyage. We are loading all the food, compressor, and scuba tanks, books, marine biology gear, and the rest on board and stowing it away. We have been working tirelessly to make sure everything is perfect. We are all anxiously awaiting for our students to walk down the dock, unpack their bags, and move into their new home and get this adventure dream boat off the dock. We cannot wait to know each and everyone one of you and hope you have a great flight down and that you are ready to have the best summer of your lives. So Therapy shipmates: welcome aboard!
Here is an introduction to the staff of Therapy:
Cat- skipper/dive instructor
Cat is excited to be a first-year staff member at ActionQuest this summer. She received her PADI instructor certification in August 2008 and her Yachtmaster license after sailing on a Sea|mester voyage from Cape Town, South Africa to Antigua via Brazil in the spring of 2010. While this is her first summer as a staff member at ActionQuest, she has worked at similar companies for years and has run 12 programs, so she has experience with and passion for teaching sailing and scuba diving. Cat graduated from the University of Puget Sound in December 2011 with a degree in International Political Economy. She took a break from the sea last summer to serve as an Americorps volunteer, but has returned to the Caribbean to be the skipper of this boat and could not be more excited to facilitate a summer of growth and adventure for every shipmate!
Marina- dive instructor/Wilderness First Responder
Growing up in Sarasota, FL, Marina's passion for the ocean began at a young age. She joined AQ in 2006 as a shipmate on the Dolphin voyage and continued on completing two Atlantic crossings aboard Argo with Sea|mester. Marina graduated from Florida State University in 2013 with a B.S. in Biology. She holds PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, AAUS Scientific diver, WFR, and STCW-95 certifications and has interned at Mote Marine and Pritzker Marine Research laboratories. Marina has worked with AQ since 2011 and is now the director of our Marine Science program.
Ben W.
Ben grew up in Florida with a passion for all sports in and on the water. By the age of 14, Ben was an avid surfer, junior open water diver, and competed in regattas. In 2005 he traveled Central America, and in Honduras, he gained his dive instructor rating. Over the past nine years, Ben has traveled around the world to follow his passion for diving. Off the coast, Kauai, in 2012, Ben became a US Coast Guard Captain. In 2013 he moved to the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. On Koh Tao, Ben worked as a speedboat captain, as well as dive instructor, hiking guide, cliff jumper, and rock climber. Cool, calm, and collected, Ben loves big waves and storms and can often be seen sporting a contented grin while everyone else is running for cover!
