Staff Update Day 1
Location: West End, Tortola
We welcome aboard our new crew to the Entertainer for session 3 of AQ. Our staff is wrapping up last minute preparations before everyone arrives to make the boat welcoming and cozy. This will be the new home our excited students who will be learning to advance their diving and sailing skills amongst the next three-week journey. We can’t wait when all of you arrive to join us for the first night in the beautiful Caribbean blue waters with breathtaking views every day. We are excited t to share these amazing times and activities such as diving, sailing, hiking, and water skiing. We will keep the blog updated for the next 17 days so we can share our special experiences with the people we care about. We hope you have safe travels and we can’t wait to have you down here in the British Virgin Islands.
Here is an introduction to the crew of The Entertainer:
Parker – Skipper/Dive Instructor/WFR
Parker grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and now she lives at the beach in Wilmington, NC. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in Marine Biology. For the past 3 years, she has been training service dogs for children and veterans with disabilities. In her free time, she likes kickboxing and volunteering at her local aquarium. She has been teaching for the past 5 years and has been sailing for the past 4 years. Parker completed a trans-Atlantic crossing on S/Y Argo that piqued her interest in pursuing sailing on a professional level. Currently, she is interested in pursuing a future in marine conservation and plastic pollution.
Elle – Dive Instructor/Mate
Participating in an ActionQuest program in 2012 inspired Elle to pursue her passion for diving and a determination to share her enthusiasm for the marine environment with others. During her gap year, she moved to Thailand and then Mauritius qualifying as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Instructor with 8 specialty instructor qualifications, and is now also qualified as an Emergency First Responder Instructor. Elle is currently studying a BSc in International Business Management at Cardiff University and has continued her passion for diving joining the ActionQuest team as a diving instructor during the summer of 2017. When not under the water, Elle is a keen netball player captaining the University 1st team and has a love of dance having studied ballet to an advanced level since an early age.
Alex – Dive Instructor/Mate
Alex grew up away from the sea in the rural UK but has been drawn towards the ocean since a young age. Having graduated from the University of Southampton with an MSci in Marine Biology, he is joining the AQ team for the first time. As a PADI Instructor, he has worked across the globe from the cold murky lakes of the UK through to the tropics of Indonesia via the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. He is passionate about showing others the underwater world and inspiring them into conservation and the marine sciences. During his free time, Alex loves to rock climb and run ultra-marathons as a way of exploring new areas.