Meet Team Aquamarine
Location: West End, Tortola
The sun is shining, the team is smiling, and the good ship S/Y Aquamarine is ready to set sail! Aboard for this session are Skipper/Dive Instructor Cate, Marine Biologist/Dive Instructor Liam and Dive Instructor/Mate Cara. We have been working hard to get everything shipshape and ready for the session, and we’re really looking forward to the shipmate's arrival and first dives. The tanks are filled, the flags are flying, and there are 2 sharks hidden somewhere on board, ready for the Marine Biologists to dissect!
Here’s a little bit of our stories. We can’t wait to meet you and hear yours :)
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.
Cara grew up riding kangaroos in rural Australia, but these days she prefers riding on dive boats. She has spent the last 3+ years in Central America, working as an English teacher specializing in kids and teenagers, and as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and a CPR/First Aid Instructor. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Science, Cara has been called a nerd for her love of fish ID and an extensive list of fun facts about whatever animal is close by. Most recently, living on a tropical island in Panamá, Cara also loves long rides to the beach, reading, surfing, and volunteering with a local NGO’s surf grommets program. Her proudest moment was being on a regatta-winning boat the first time she stepped foot on a sailboat.
Cate first went sailing aged 3 weeks old and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has sailed over 10,000 nautical miles, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and worked 3 summers as a flotilla skipper. She also started scuba diving at a young age, getting her open water at age 11, and then 14 years later becoming a scuba instructor in Thailand, where she took part in a coral restoration program. Cate is passionate about marine conservation, and when she isn’t on the water, she enjoys skiing, snowboarding, hiking, horse riding, and cooking.