How It All Started...

I started diving as a teenager and was drawn to the sport because of the teaching style. That teaching style inspired me to gain a degree in Experiential Education and Environmental Science from SUNY Empire State University. Combining real-life hands-on experiences with a solid academic backbone is the way I prefer to learn. My early diving took place in the lakes and rivers surrounding the Catskill Mountain Range in Upstate NY. From there, I moved to South Florida and received his PADI Instructor rating in 1993. I worked on reef protection programs in the Caribbean, The Red Wolf Reintroduction Project in the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks Service, and developed environmental science-based programs for the state education systems of NY, NJ, and PA. In my spare time, I zig-zagged the globe, leading wilderness expeditions in the US, South America, Baja Mexico, and Southern Africa.

In 2003, I was invited to Hawaii and after a very short time decided it was time to settle down and stay in one place for a while. From 2003 to 2014 I spent my time exploring all Hawaii has to offer and sharing it with some of the most interesting people I have ever met. I lead the professional dive training program for Isalnd Divers on Hickam Air Force Base and Schofield Barracks. When I was not leading the Island Divers Professional Development Program, you could find me somewhere out there on my rebreather, stand-up paddleboard, or just trekking through the countryside.

In 2014, I was offered the opportunity to move to the Florida Keys. I moved to Key Largo Florida and started working with Rainbow Reef Dive Center leading the internship program and co-teaching the number 1 instructor development program in the world. I spent extensive amounts of time exploring the reefs & wrecks of the Florida Keys on rebreathers and traveling through the mangroves on Stand Up Paddleboards. 

In 2018 I moved to Cayman Brac and became the Dive Operations Supervisors and led the CCR training program for Clearly Cayman/Cayman Brac Beach Resort. COVID 19, unfortunately, ended my stay in Cayman.

In 2020 Yippee Expeditions became my main focus and I now travel with my wife and our cat all over the world sharing the joys of the water world with all sorts of interesting characters. We are primarily based at Gilboa Quarry for the summer months and in North Florida for the winter months. Gilboa provides us with excellent access to training and the amazing diving of the Great Lakes Region. In the winter months, we move our base of operations to North Florida Cave Country.