Aloha Staff
Location: West End, Tortola
Aloha to Aloha. The Aloha staff are ecstatic to welcome our shippies for session 3! Over the last few days, we have been preparing and provisioning the good ship Aloha so now she is ready to set her sails and be our home for the next few weeks.
Your session three staff onboard is as follows;
CiCi - Skipper, Dive Instructor, and Medic
CiCi joined the AQ team in 2021 after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a 44ft yacht. She’s no stranger to the water, having first tried sailing aged three weeks old, and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has sailed over 10,000 nautical miles and worked in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the UK. CiCi 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 is now a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and can teach eleven specialty certifications. CiCi is passionate about marine conservation, and when she isn’t on the water, she enjoys skiing, snowboarding, hiking, horse riding, and cooking.
Katie - Dive Instructor
Katie grew up in a town just outside of Toronto, and even though the nearest saltwater was hundreds of miles away, she developed a love for the ocean at a very young age on family trips. Katie’s love for the sea grew when she joined AQ as a shipmate in 2018, where she took her first-ever breath underwater and has been hooked ever since. Katie then returned for an additional summer at AQ and two trips with Seamester. When not in or on the ocean, she spends her winters in Canada as a snowboard instructor and recently moved back home from living in Whistler, BC. Katie is ecstatic to return for her second year working at AQ this summer as a dive instructor and is excited to be a part of a memorable summer for her shipmates.
Amanda - Dive Instructor
Amanda grew up in Rye Brook, New York, right outside the city. She fell in love with the ocean from a young age while snorkeling on family trips to St. John, USVI, where she eventually got scuba certified with her whole family. Since the beginning, Amanda developed a passion for being underwater and knew it was something she wanted to pursue. She spent many incredible summers as a student with AQ since 2016 and earned her Open Water Scuba Instructor certification in 2022. She learned a lot through her summers with AQ and is beyond excited to share this knowledge with students of her own! Outside of AQ, Amanda is currently pursuing a Marine Biology and Ecology degree at the University of Miami. She loves Miami but is beyond excited to return to the BVI’s for another life-changing summer with ActionQuest! Her main goal is to keep the stoke levels high and create a life-activating experience for her students as her staff did for her.
Anthony- Mate
Anthony has always been passionate about learning and sharing his interests with others, including fishing, golf, and exploring new places. He has always felt most at home at the beach and is out on the water deep sea fishing whenever he can. Anthony began his journey as a camp counselor in high school, where he found his love for the outdoors and helping others. Since his camp counseling days, he has embraced his interest in traveling by visiting Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean. Anthony recently moved back to Florida after living in California for a few years, and when he has free time, you will find Anthony at the beach with friends or playing with his dog Ari. Anthony has made his career in sports marketing and media and is currently working for the MLB team, the Tampa Bay Rays.