Andrew has been a diver since he was 13 years old and a full time dive professional since he was 20 years old. With decades of experience as a PADI Instructor and customer service professional, he uses his broad knowledge base to keep people happy and diving. His favorite dive sites include Fiji and Bonaire, but the best is still a day of diving in our beautiful California kelp forests!
Jed started his journey as a Marine Ecology major at Cal State Channel Islands, obtaining his AAUS Scientific Diver certification and working on various projects from the California wetlands to whale research in Hawaii. Since Jed became a PADI instructor he has consistently received PADI’s Elite Instructor Award and loves introducing students to our underwater world. As an avid technical and sidemount diver, Jed is able to navigate his students and customers through some of the trickiest gear set ups and diving sites. While Jed loves diving the Mexican Cenotes, he still loves diving Anacapa Island where he received his initial Open Water certification.
Ashley is a certified Swim Instructor Trainer with Starfish Aquatics Institute. SAI has paired up with PADI Swim Schools to offer an innovative and learner-focused curriculum using an “ages and stages” format with swim and safety benchmarks to insure a positive experience for children of all ages and skill levels. As a Red Cross certified lifeguard, Ashley knows what it takes to introduce your little ones to the water safely.
Ashley has brought her passion for teaching children safety in and around the water through a fun filled curriculum to Santa Barbara Aquatics and looks forward to bringing the joy of swimming to kids of all ages!
Hi there, I’m John.
In 2007, my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Hawaii. We did an Intro to Scuba dive and were
immediately hooked. We ended up getting
our Open Water certifications on our honeymoon and dove for a couple years
until our kids were born and we took a hiatus.
We got back into diving in 2018 and haven’t looked back.
SCUBA diving has been a wonderful part of my life. From giving my wife and I something to
continue to bond over, to traveling all over the world, to making new friends. I enjoy teaching and especially love getting
to share and teach about this sport, which has given me so much.
My love for the ocean started when I lived in Singapore for a few years as a kid, and got to snorkel around the reefs of Southeast Asia and Australia. I ended up studying Aquatic Biology at UCSB, and got into diving with the hopes of doing research. I’m excited to keep diving around SB and the Channel Islands as I pursue my Dive Master certification.
My name is Trinity Patron and I am a third year at UCSB. I grew up in the water. I have always felt like it was my second home. I swam competitively and played water polo for about nine years. I have been teaching and lifeguarding for about 4 years now. Teaching kids how to swim has become such a passion of mine! I love being able to be a part of a program like Santa Barbara Aquatics where I can watch my students improve and develop a love for swimming.
Hi, my name is Shannon Mabry and I began working for Santa Barbara Aquatics as a part-time swim instructor back in early 2019. I have always loved the water and I grew up playing water polo, swimming competitively, and participating in my local junior lifeguard program. I started coaching water polo for my local club in the Orange County area when I was 16 and began teaching swim lessons a few years later in 2015. I fell in love with teaching swim lessons and I continued to do so until I transferred to UCSB in the fall of 2018. A few months after moving here for school, I was hired as a swim instructor at Santa Barbara Aquatics and happily taught lessons until early 2022. During that three year period of being a swim instructor, I earned my initial open water diver certification and was immediately addicted to breathing underwater. I continued working on my diving certifications until I became I divemaster back in the fall of 2021. At that point, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in diving and began the transition from swim lessons to working on the diving side of the business, eventually earning my open water scuba instructor rating in December 2022. I am excited to continue sharing my love and passion for diving with all my future students.
Hey! I’m Vivien and I am first-year Economics major at UCSB! I started swimming competitively at the age of 9 and played competitive water polo once I entered high school. I also participated in the junior lifeguard program growing up where I eventually began teaching ocean safety and how to swim in the ocean. It is very rewarding for me to be a part of kids journeys in learning to swim because it is where I fell in love with swim and everything that has to do with being in the water!
The only thing I like more than being out on the water is being under it. I love diving the kelp forests of the Channel Islands, the warm waters of the Florida Keys, and taking video of all the critters of the big blue.
Hey I'm Allie! I grew up swimming and playing water polo and have always had a passion for the water. I started coaching swim lessons in highschool and also worked as a daycare assistant For three years. I was hired at Santa Barbara Aquatics in December 2021 and have absolutely loved getting to know the kids and learning even more techniques to teach all levels of swimming!
Hi, my name is Cael Hill. I am an engineering major at Santa Barbara City College and a first year there as well. In my free time I really enjoy swimming in the ocean, skating, and playing basketball at the park. I love to learn and teach and I like to create a positive environment to do so in. I have been lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons for 2 years now and have been having an amazing time doing so. Since I’ve been working at Santa Barbara Aquatics Ive noticed that the program makes sure all students improve in skill, have fun, and are included in activities, which is how I like to teach as well! I look forward to guiding the kids through water safety and good swim skills!
Alicia received her Open Water certification in Lake Natoma of Sacramento then her Advanced Diver certification in Tofu, Mozambique. She spent two months in a citizen science volunteership where she collected data on Humpback whale migration patterns, listened to humpback whale calls from a Hydrophone and gathered ID photographs of whale sharks and a variety of rays for other organizations collecting data. Her favorite dive sites are those off of Santa Cruz Island and her favorite fish are box fish.
I first learned to dive back in 2014 because I was studying marine biology and it seemed useful. I immediately got hooked on diving for its own sake. Everything is better underwater! Towards the end of my degree program I realized that the career path of marine biology eventually led out of the water and behind a desk. I didn't want that, so I jumped out of academia and got into the SCUBA industry. I earned my Open Water Scuba Instructor rating in December of 2022. I found that I love teaching and kindling that same spark of joy in exploring the underwater world for my students. I love diving in many places including Bonaire and Mexico, but my favorite place to dive is right here in the California kelp forest.
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