Wind Shadow

As session two preparations continue and arrival day approaches, the crew of Wind Shadow is getting excited about our new crew of shipmates stepping on board. All of our PFDs are counted, bunks are made, food is stored and the lines are coiled. Our home for the next three weeks is ship shape and we cannot wait for the twelve new shipmates to arrive to complete our Wind Shadow family. As we continue with our final preparations, all the staff will be waiting patiently to see the first ferry carrying shipmates to show up in the horizon. We can't wait to show all of you the beautiful surroundings that we will be learning to sail and scuba dive in for the next three weeks!

Here is an introduction to the crew of Wind Shadow:

Jake- Skipper

Easily recognizable by the constant smile on his face, Jake coordinates half of the Vega fleet. Brought into diving by his mom, Jake has experience diving all over the world, from the murky, freezing waters of the Great Lakes to the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean. After returning home from a life- changing trip with ActionQuest in2005, Jake knew he had to become involved with the program. Now as a skipper and PADI instructor, Jake strives to provide his shipmates with the same incredible experience he had as a student. Jake recently made the move to Sarasota and manages enrollment and business development for ActionQuest

Hannah- Dive Instructor/Mate

Hannah was born and raised in Oakville, Ontario minutes from Lake Ontario. Hannah has always loved the water and was a high-performance swimmer for eight years. Hannah completed her dive instructor training in Vancouver, British Columbia while attending The University of British Columbia for a Bachelor of Science in Oceanography and Biology. This is Hannah’s second summer working as a part of the GXG Staff family and is looking forward to the amazing experiences to come this summer. In her free time, Hannah enjoys training for half marathons, baking, hiking, canoeing, camping, mountain climbing, and spending time outside. Hannah has traveled from a very young age, and at 11 was the youngest female to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, then Mount Rainier four years later.

Emma- Dive Instructor/EMT

This will be Emma's second time as a staff member in the BVI, but her 5th time spending a summer with GXG programs! After getting her advanced open water diver certification with ActionQuest in 2011, she fell in love and decided to live a lifestyle that would allow her to dive and sail as much as she could. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean with Seamester, she went to work in Boston for a year in a dive shop. Leaving the frigid conditions there, she worked in the BVI last summer as a mate/ EMT. After this she went to Mexico to work on a marine conservation base, focusing on corals and juvenile fish. She's back this year as a dive instructor and is so happy to have the chance to dive again in the BVI! When she's not at AQ she enjoys nice vegan food, playing piano and hanging out with her cats.