Bend the rules

The sun is shining, the team is smiling, and the good ship S/Y Bend, The Rules, is ready to set sail!

Aboard for this session are Cate, Liz, Dan, and Sephena. 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 a shark is hidden somewhere onboard, just waiting to be dissected.
Here are a few of our stories. We can’t wait to meet you and hear yours :)

Cate - Skipper, Dive Instructor, Medical Team
Cate first went sailing aged three weeks old and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has sailed over 10,000 nautical miles, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and worked three summers as a flotilla skipper. Cate also started scuba diving at a young age, getting her open water aged 11 and then 14 years later becoming a scuba instructor in Thailand, where she participated in a coral restoration program. She recently received her Master Scuba Diver Trainer certification and can teach 11 specialty certifications. Cate is passionate about marine conservation, and when she isn’t on the water, she enjoys skiing, snowboarding, hiking, horse riding, and cooking. She has recently taken her Wilderness First Responder course and is looking forward to her second year working at Action Quest.

Liz- Marine Biologist, Dive Instructor
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. 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!

Dan - Dive Instructor
Dan is from the UK and graduated from the University of Leicester with a history degree in 2016. He started diving with a marine conservation program, where his passion for marine ecology began. Dan has been a PADI and SDI dive instructor around SE Asia for the past five years, including in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia…until COVID prompted his relocation to Saba in the Dutch Caribbean. He speaks Mandarin from teaching English in China and Taiwan and has experience as a technical dive guide and dive resort manager. While he enjoys planning and executing decompression dives, this doesn’t compare to his love for “muck diving.” Dan is happiest scouring the seafloor for tiny critters (especially nudibranchs) and loves underwater photography. Dan can usually be found up a tree or in a bush looking for wildlife to photograph when not underwater. Alternatively, follow the sound of out-of-tune singing. Dan is excited to join ActionQuest for the first time this summer and is looking forward to sharing his passion, experiences, and terrible jokes with everyone on the boat.

Sephena - Dive Master and Medical Team
Sephena got her Open Water certification in 2018 and attended ActionQuest for the first time that summer. She returned to the BVI to participate in the Rescue Program the following year. Sephena currently attends the University of California Santa Cruz, where she studies Marine Biology. During the school year, she conducts research in the California kelp forest and works as a divemaster at a local shop. When Sephena isn’t diving, she is on bike rides, playing lacrosse, or spending time with family and friends. This summer, Sephena is excited to be a part of the AQ team and trade the cold waters of California for the BVI’s tropical temperatures. Sephena will be headed off to Corsica, France, to research the ecosystem and marine environment at the end of the summer.