Meet the Team!
Location: West End, Tortola
Welcome aboard, dawgs! We’re so excited that our shipmates are finally arriving at their new home for the next three weeks, our beautiful catamaran known as Yo Dawg. Over the past two weeks, our staff team has been prepping our boat for Day 1. This prep has included pumping dive tanks, sorting dive gear, stocking the galley with food, cleaning from bow to stern, and much more. Despite the extra challenges posed by COVID-19, we are so glad that we’re able to welcome students for a fun, safe summer. Here are the staff members for your upcoming adventure!
Mara Booth: Skipper and Dive Instructor
Mara grew up in New York City and first came to AQ in 2013 as a new shipmate eager to learn sailing and diving for the first time. After four summers sailing as a student, she was completely hooked and went on to become a staff member. She took a gap year before college to sail with Seamester aboard S/Y Argo, crossing the Indian Ocean from Australia to South Africa, and traveling to get her PADI scuba instructor certification. When not spending her summers at ActionQuest, Mara is a student at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Liam Ward: Dive Instructor and Marine Biology Instructor
Liam joined the AQ team in 2021 with experience in marine conservation and dive operations in Madagascar, Maldives, and Honduras, eager to show what he has to offer to the team and teach the participants. Liam completed his Junior Open Water Diver at 11 and went on to become a PADI Open Water Instructor in 2017, then finishing his MSc in Marine Biology in 2018. Even though Liam is from rural Yorkshire, a village in the middle of England, the ocean seems to call to him. He uses his knowledge and experience in diving and marine biology to educate and train others about the underwater world he is so passionate about. Liam enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and generally traveling to experience local cultures and places when he isn’t exploring the underwater world.
Sarah Packman: Divemaster and Medic
Sarah has lived her whole life in Atlanta, GA. She spent her summers throughout high school learning how to sail and dive at ActionQuest, and she is so excited to now be a staff member! Between high school and college, Sarah took a gap year circumnavigating the Atlantic Ocean with Seamester. During this voyage, she became a PADI Divemaster, discovered a passion for environmental policy, and decided to become a Wilderness First Responder. Outside of diving, Sarah enjoys teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to refugees through the International Rescue Committee. She will begin as a first-year at Harvard this fall.