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British Virgin Islands - 2024, Session 1

Richena Unites!!!

Location: West End, Tortola

The Aloha staff is so excited to welcome our new shipmates for the first session! Ri, Rachel, and Siena have worked hard the last few days to prepare the boat for all of the awesome activities we have on the horizon. We’ve stowed provisions all over the boat, prepped dive gear and materials, and organized our safety equipment to make sure the students have everything they need for a great session of becoming rescue divers. We can’t wait to get in the water for our first dives and look forward to sailing alongside the dive side fleet!

Read more about Aloha’s staff:

Ri - Skipper & Dive Instructor

Hailing from the southern tip of Africa, Ri grew up spending most of his summers in the balmy Indian Ocean’s waters off the coast of the Garden Route. From an early age, he lived in several African countries but would always head to the same little seaside summer holiday destination where he fell in love with the ocean. From his first dive on Aliwal Shoal, he knew he would one day be a dive instructor. It also ignited his passion for ocean conservation and interest in learning about the different marine life to be found under the sea. After completing his dive master in Mozambique, Ri started backpacking through South East Asia. When he discovered the tiny island paradise of Gili Trawangan, he knew he wanted to stay there for a while and finally become a PADI Instructor. Two years later, as a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, he decided to head to Thailand to begin diving somewhere different and made it to Koh Tao – just in time for COVID! Fortunately, at the end of the pandemic, Ri found himself instructing for the first time at ActionQuest. After combining sailing and diving, he enjoyed it so much that he had to return to the BVI, and Ri can not wait for the summer to come!

Rachel - Dive Instructor

Rachel is originally from Charlotte, NC, and has loved the ocean since her first open-water dive at age 16. In 2022, Rachel sailed with Seamester on S/Y Vela’s transatlantic voyage, on which she became a PADI Divemaster. Inspired by her Seamester staff and previous dive instructors, Rachel went to Bay Islands College of Diving in Utila, Honduras, to earn her instructor certification, and she can’t wait to introduce new divers to the ocean’s magic. The only other thing Rachel loves as much as the sea is technical theatre. She graduated from NYU with a BFA and now calls New York City home, getting to play pretend for a living as a freelance professional stage manager. She recently finished working on a Broadway production and pinches herself every day that she gets to pursue both of her passions. Rachel also has experience working as a counselor for traditional (land) summer camps and enjoys reading, writing, drawing, and exploring.

Siena - Mate/Medic

Living in Northern California, Siena grew up an ocean lover. When she’s not taking her dog to the beach, she reads a good book with a cup of green tea. She started sailing and diving as a summer camp student and was lucky enough to join Seamester on S/Y Vela, sailing from Bali to Cape Town. This year, Siena is studying Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Trinity College Dublin, intending to enter the field of marine biology and reef conservation. She can’t wait to spend the summer aboard a boat, sailing and swimming alongside all of the incredible sea creatures of the Caribbean!