Xanadu

Hi there!

Team Xanadu/Dolphin here, ready to start an amazing session! We’ve spent the past few weeks working hard to get our boat (home) ready to welcome you and are so excited. We’ve got sails, dive gear, food, marine science equipment (anyone interested in some shark dissections???), and most importantly, our stellar (and most fun) team is all on board and ready to go. Keep reading for a brief intro to our staff, Jake, Sam, and Liz:

Jake first joined AQ as a student in 2016, and in 2020 he became a PADI dive instructor. Towards the end of 2021, he completed his Yachtmaster certification. Jake is currently attending Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he studies business management. Before Covid-19, he also helped instruct at Rollins’ scuba diving program. Growing up in New Hampshire, he spent a lot of time snow skiing and water skiing. He is excited to teach students how to waterski in addition to diving. His favorite diving is in the British Virgin Islands, and he can’t wait to share the beauty of the underwater world with other divers. He is also very excited to have the opportunity to give new AQ students the same fantastic experience he had as a student for so many summers.

Sam has loved the ocean for as long as she can remember. Though originally from Austin, Texas, she moved to coastal San Diego, California, when she was 18, and there obtained her bachelor’s degree in Marine Science. While in college, Sam started teaching marine science at summer camps and after-school programs, where she realized her passion for experiential education. She then led international summer programs for teens that focus on adventure, leadership, and community building. Sam also discovered her love of scuba-diving throughout this time and became a PADI Divemaster. An avid lover of adventure and exploration, she has lived or worked in Thailand, Mexico, Fiji, The Galapagos, Peru, and Germany. Most recently, she completed her master’s degree in Marine Tropical Ecology, focusing on small-scale fishery resilience in the face of climate change. Usually a program manager, marine science instructor, and dive instructor on our Sea|mester programs, Sam is very excited to be a part of the ActionQuest team and share her passion for experiential education and the marine world with all on board.

Liz first joined ActionQuest as a Dolphin student in 2015. She then became a PADI scuba instructor in 2018 and returned to ActionQuest as a staff member for the summer of 2021 and 2022. Before working as a scuba instructor at AQ, Liz worked in a dive shop in CT. Liz also taught at her college, the University of Florida, where she was a marine biology major. She is starting her Ph.D. in biology at McGill in the fall. Liz worked on many marine projects studying everything from sharks, turtles, and spiny lobsters. Now she is planning to attend graduate school following her time at ActionQuest, where she can’t wait to meet all the students and have the BVI break everyone needs after this year!

Like I said, we’ve got a pretty stellar team put together. Now, all we need is you!! See you soon!