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| Richmond Dive and Travel has a diverse and talented staff with decades of combined scuba and business experience. Please take a moment to learn a little about us. |
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Zane Frye........Owner / PADI Staff Instructor
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NAUI Instructor Trainer, PADI Staff Instructor, SDI/TDI Instructor, ASHI Instructor. Zane@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com I was born in High Point, North Carolina in 1958 and moved to Richmond in 1985. I joined the U.S. Army in 1977 and served on active duty until 1981, subsequently joining the Virginia Army National Guard and serving in various positions until my retirement in 2005. I’m the managing partner of the shop, so I’m here every day looking forward to your next visit. I learned to dive in 1999, and have enjoyed diving in Nassau, Aruba, Costa Rica, the Florida Keys and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’ve had many memorable dive experiences, but nothing beats the quiet, peaceful descent of any dive, just waiting for the next new adventure to rise up and meet you. Whether you’re diving with sharks in the Bahamas, exploring a reef in the Keys or swimming with the manta rays in Costa Rica, diving has a new adventure and something to see for everyone. I became a dive instructor in 2003. While my Army and civilian careers have included teaching, there’s nothing like teaching someone to dive. Helping you unlock the door to that underwater realm and seeing the reaction on your face as you experience diving for the first time has undoubtedly been my biggest thrill in diving. Come see us soon, you’ll be glad you did. |
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Carter Hill........Owner / NAUI Course Director
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NAUI Course Director, PADI Staff Instructor, SDI/TDI Instructor, Boy Scout Scuba Merit Badge Councelor. Carter@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com I was born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1954, but have lived here in Richmond, Virginia since 1960. I am married with one daughter and work in real estate management. I’ve been a member of the South Richmond Rotary since 1997, am a past State President of MADD and the founding member of the Chance Youth Foundation. I’ve been diving since 1980 and have enjoyed many different dive locations throughout the United States and Carribean. I became a professional diver in 1990 when I received my divemaster certification, and have since received my instructor’s certification in 2006. The most thrilling part of diving to me is that you are always able to see something different every time you dive, regardless of the location. I really enjoy diving in Nassau, Bahamas, as well as the Outer Banks of North Carolina and in Florida. I’m an avid spearfisherman, so come join me to spear and prepare dinner in Nags Head some time! |
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Andy Chambers......Owner / Business Development
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Andy@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com I was born in 1961 in Northern Virginia and graduated from George Mason University with a degree in electrical engineering. I moved to Chesterfield County from Chesapeake in 2002 where I reside with my wife and three children. I own and operate a successful communications business. In 2010 I will begin my training for divemaster certification. After wanting to learn scuba diving since I was a teenager, I finally got it done in 2005 with Carter Hill as my instructor. I love diving and sincerely wish that I had started sooner. My favorite part is the feeling I get looking through the seemingly endless depths of clear water down the side of a coral wall. The best location I've found so far is Nassau, Bahamas. Access to both the island and dive sites is quick and easy, the water is warm and clear and there is a great variety of terrain to explore. And best of all... they have 5000 foot walls! |
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| Felicia Fox........Travel Agent |
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Felicia@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com Born on a Tennessee airforce base and raised in Fairfax, VA., I moved to Richmond in 1985. I live with my husband, three children and two cats in Chesterfield. I love to travel and have been the family travel agent for at least ten years. Being a travel agent is interesting because there are so many details to discover about new places. It's fun to imagine what it will be like in the new place. Scuba diving and awesome scenery go together. My favorite island so far is Saint Lucia because the mountains are near the pristine beaches. Or maybe its because I went there on my honeymoon. My bachelor's degree is in Business Management. After building a twenty year career training sales staff on software, I received a masters degree in Adult Education. My career has been on hiatus due to the Genworth layoffs. Richmond Dive and Travel asked me if I would like to learn how to be a travel agent and I found out it means learning to navigate a huge myriad of travel databases. Turns out I am perfect for the job! |
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| Clay Overholt....Underwater Criminal Investigations (UCI) Instructor | |||
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Underwater Criminal Investigations (UCI) Instructor, PADI Staff Instructor, PADI Public Safety Dive Instructor I began my dive career in 1989 when I first became certified as an open water diver. I became interested in search & recovery diving when I joined the Virginia State Police (VSP) Search & Recovery Dive Team (SRT) in 1994. I was assigned as the VSP Third Division Senior Diver in 1995. Those duties included locating training sites, conducting search & recovery training for those team members assigned to Third Division and overseeing all operational dives conducted in Third Division. As my interest grew, I attended an IDC/IE in 1998 becoming certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. During the next year and a half, I gathered experience teaching scuba classes and assisting the Team Coordinator, First Sergeant Mike Berry, in teaching VSP/SRT Basic Dive Schools. In 2001, I applied for and obtained my Master Scuba Diver Trainer certification. In January 2002, I was assigned as the VSP/SRT Assistant Team Leader (ATL). My duties as ATL include setting up and conducting training for the entire team, to include the PADI Rescue Diver class for the basic dive schools and taking on the roll of operational coordinator when required. In December 2002 and January 2003, I was the VSP/SRT Team Leader during the FBI’s Anthrax Investigation, where over 14 days, nine ice-covered ponds were searched for evidence pertaining to the manufacture and disbursement of anthrax. The VSP/SRT team was the lead team during the operation being the only team out of eight to dive all nine ponds. I was ATL and one of the most senior divers during the dives conducted at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA in regards to the mass homicide/suicide in April 2007. I was in charge of safety, logistics and documentation during the second set of dives conducted at the VA Tech Duck Pond in the summer of 2007. In October 2007, I completed my training to become a UCI (Underwater Criminal Investigator) Instructor under Mike Berry. In June 2008, I became a PADI UCI Instructor (Distinctive Specialty). In the spring of 2010, I lead the VSP/SRT team through a series of dives in the search & recovery of a five-year-old drowning victim. The conditions were extremely hazardous as the target location was near a low head dam. After ensuring numerous safeties were in place and all back up plans and back up divers were ready, the team conducted over 15 dives in the area. The target area was cleared with no injuries and no problems. Since 1994, I have made 375 to 425 Public Safety dives and have been involved in approximately 250 more as operational coordinator. I have located and recovered over 25 vehicles to include cars, trucks, boats, and one airplane. I have located and recovered 18 + bodies from accidental drowning, to several suicide and homicide victims. I have located and recovered 50 + weapons including several murder weapons, guns, knives, rifles, bats, etc. I have recovered numerous other items usually stolen property. I have extensive experience using lift bags, metal detectors, and a wide variety of search patterns. I have conducted most of these dives in zero visibility, a variety of depths, currents, and a wide variety of enviroments and at night. I am currently a PADI IDC Staff Instructor. I also teach Emergency First Response, 11 PADI Specialties, to include the PADI Public Safety Diver and three PADI Distinctive Specialties, to include the Underwater Criminal Investigation (UCI) Course. Along with my duties on the VSP Search & Recovery Dive Team, I am a Special Agent with the State Police assigned to the General Investigation Section. I graduated the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Academy in November 2005 and currently work as a Crime Scene Technician. My duties as a crime scene tech include maintaining the Division Three Evidence Van and equipment, conducting training, and crime scene investigation. Diving, whether it’s recreational, commercial, or public safety, is one of the greatest things I have ever done in my life. I look forward to being your guide into the wild and wonderful underwater world. |
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Nathan Kissner........Instructor
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PADI Instructor, DAN Instructor At the age of 25, I’m proud to say I’m the youngest instructor with our shop. I was born and raised in Dinwiddie, Virginia and have lived there all my life. I work as a 6th grade science teacher in the Dinwiddie school system, and also enjoy working as an assistant baseball coach. I started in diving when my father introduced me to the sport nine years ago at the age of 16. I’ve been an instructor for three years now, having obtained my instructor rating in Key Largo, Florida. What thrills me about diving? Wrecks, wrecks and more wrecks!! There is nothing like dropping down a descent line and all of a sudden out of the blue (or sometimes green or brown) appears this massive chunk of steel. The history of wrecks here in our area is awesome and just knowing that you are where some men once stood or lived is quite thrilling. Besides diving wrecks off the east coast I would have to say that Roatan, Honduras is my favorite place to dive. I served a divemaster internship there and the diving is just pristine, so if you’re looking for beautiful wall diving, reefs and wrecks, Roatan is your place. |
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| Gerald Craver........Instructor |
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NAUI Instructor, PhD in Educational Research I was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1972 and have lived here all my life. I work for the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Health Policy Researcher. My wife April and I have two children, Will and Avery. I also served in the Virginia Army National Guard from 1993 until 2003 as a Captain in various infantry and field artillery units. I learned to dive with my wife April in 1998 and have enjoyed dive locations in Morehead City, North Carolina, St. Croix and the Cayman Islands, just to name a few. Many things thrill me about diving, some of which include diving on deep wrecks while surrounded by sharks, seeing things that only a few people have ever seen before and having barracudas keep me company on decompression stops (by the way I am a technical diver with the following certifications: Advanced Nitrox, Demompression Procedures, Extended Range and Trimix). I also enjoy wall diving with April in the Cayman Islands, as well as working with students in classes of all levels. I received my divemaster certification in 2008. |
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| Mike Burnett........Instructor |
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SDI Instructor Trainer I've been diving since 1986, been an instructor since 1994, an instructor trainer since 2001 and it still get a thrill out of training new divers. Wreck diving in North Carolina and Florida, reef diving in the Bahamas and Curacao, cave diving and the related travel also keep me excited about diving. Retired from a career with CSX Railroad, I spent my childhood in Savannah Georgia before making Richmond my home. I have two grown sons (a Henrico Police Officer and a correctional officer), four grandchildren and have been married to Kat since 2008. |
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| Bill Price....---....Instructor |
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NAUI Instructor I grew up watching Lloyd Bridges on Sea Hunt and wanted to learn how to dive since I was a kid; and I still feel like a kid when I’m diving; there is no other experience like it that I’ve found. To be part of a fascinating underwater world that a relatively small part of the population ever gets to experience is an experience I’ll never forget... The more I experience it, the more I want it. It is a sport I have enjoyed since 1980 and expect to enjoy for many years to come. I enjoy wreck diving; that’s what you’ll find mostly along the Virginia / North Carolina coast. Wreck diving doesn’t mean you have to penetrate inside dark holds and passages of ships, though there is specialty training that will prepare you for that. There is plenty to see and enjoy just cruising the outside of a sunken vessel, plus you also get the experience of reef diving since wrecks serve as artificial reefs. I’m retired from the U.S. Marine Corps and currently work for the State Government. |
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Wayne Hackett........Service Manager / Divemaster
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PADI Divemaster Wayne@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com I was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950, moving to Richmond when I was eight years old. I joined the Virginia Air National Guard in 1970, where I worked until retiring in 2005 as an F-16 Life Support/Parachute Superintendant. I learned to dive in Curacao in 2002, and have enjoyed diving at various locations throughout the world since. I began working in the dive industry two years ago as a equipment service technician, and earned my divemaster’s certification last year. I enjoy all aspects of diving, particularly the freedom and beauty of the undersea world and diving with friends. I attend Three Chopt Presbyterian Church and my wife, Elsie and I have several grandchildren. |
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Shelley Nellis........Sales Associate, Southside Location / Divemaster
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PADI Divemaster Born in Virginia Beach, I moved all over Virginia growing up and graduated high school in Powhatan. I’ve been diving since 2006 and have been a PADI Divemaster since 2009. I love marine wildlife, and that is the primary reason I got certified. Just spotting anything from a coral polyp to a sea turtle thrills me beyond belief! My favorite dive experience was diving with reef sharks in Nassau, Bahamas. I also enjoyed the reef and wall dives where the ocean floor was thousands of feet below! I received a Master of Science in Biology in 2010 from VCU, and am currently working for Fort Lee's Environmental Management Office. I anticipate resuming my education of marine ecosystems and hope to use diving for research in the near future. |
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PADI Divemaster Debi@RichmondDiveAndTravel.com I was born in England, and arrived in the US in 1970. My husband (Bob Ross) and I began our diving journey together in 1989 with Richard Carter as our instructor. We both completed our first ocean water dive in October, 1989 in Florida. That first giant stride from the boat that looked so different from a saunter into the quarry! I never really had a specific plan regarding my diving progression. Advanced open water certification was completed in Aruba a few years later when I realized I was doing those dives anyway; all that was missing was the signature of an instructor. After several more dives (and years) I decided improve my diving by undertaking the daunting task of Divemaster. My Divemaster certification was completed in December, 2000. My 400th dive in 2010 was on the Vandenberg. I have been fortunate enough to dive in the Caribbean, Indonesia and the Philippines. Other than diving, my background includes a bachelor degree in Business Administration from Mary Baldwin College and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Richmond. I am a certified instructor for water aerobics currently teaching at American Family Fitness. I am now able to learn a different side of the diving industry by being a member of the Richmond Dive and Travel Team. |
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| Sam Nunnelly.......--. Divemaster | |||
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PADI Divemaster I was born and raised in Blackstone VA. In 1986, I fulfilled my childhood dream and became a firefighter by joining the Blackstone Vol. Fire Department where I am still an active member. After high school, I worked as an electrician in Richmond and finally Blackstone until 1998 when I was hired by Fort Pickett Fire Rescue in Nottoway VA, where I still work as an Assistant Chief. I also teach fire classes around the state as an Instructor for The Virginia Department of Fire Programs, and Dominion Power. In 2003, I took the plunge and became an honest man, and in 2006 my wife Amy, gave birth to our daughter Kathryn. I began diving in 2008 when the fire department hosted an Open Water class. I was hooked immediately. I kept diving and taking classes and completed the Divemaster program in March of 2011. My most memorable diving experience was my first trip to Nassau. It was amazing, the clear blue water, the beautiful coral and sea life, the awesome wrecks, but most of all I got to swim with Sharks! When I am not working or diving, I enjoy spending time with my family exploring the great outdoors. |
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| Bill Echelberger....... Divemaster | |||
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PADI Divemaster My greatest scuba thrill has got to be floating weightless. It’s like flying! The ocean can be so peaceful and fascinating whether it’s at 25 feet or 170 feet (by the way I am a technical diver with the following certifications: Advanced Nitrox, Demompression Procedures, Extended Range and Trimix). There’s always something new to see and do - another challenge just ahead. I learned to dive at 48. That’s a time when many guys are starting to slow down and give up the activities that have kept them active. Diving has allowed me to continue learning and stay adventurous. Until recently my favorite diving was among the wrecks and reefs in Nassau, Bahamas. That was until I got the rare opportunity to do a drift dive fifty miles off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina. The current was ripping, but you couldn’t feel it as you drifted weightless in the blue. The deep wrecks off North Carolina are historically significant, and hauntingly beautiful with diverse marine life. Professionally I'm a Fiscal Analyst for the Virginia Senate and I live in the city of Richmond. |
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| Steve Chambers....---Divemaster | |||
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PADI Divemaster I was born and raised in Richmond, Va in 1968. I joined the Army in 1988 and had various duty stations around the world. In 2003 after leaving the military I was sitting by the pool in Jamaica noticing divers train in the pool and became curious. The instructor said it was free to dive at the resort so I took the plunge. After the first dive he could see my excitement and said how would you like to do that anywhere in the world. Since that day I've been traveling the world diving everywhere I can find water. I became a professional diver in summer of 2012 and eagerly await my next challenge. My certifications are Dive Master, Advanced Nitrox and Limited Penetration Wreck Diver to name a few. I love to dive but more than that I love divers. They are truly good people and a close family to spend time with at home and abroad. |
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| Chet Parzych....---....Divemaster | |||
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PADI Divemaster I was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts and have been diving since 1989. I graduated from Norwich Military College of Vermont in 1993 with a BS in Civil Engineering. I served in the U.S. Army, deploying to Afghanistan in 2009, and since my return have enjoyed my involvement with the American Legion Post 186, La Societe des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux, Voiture 53, and the Al Bartraw, Jr. DAV Post 50. Upon my return I decided to return to diving to involve my family in a wonderful and relaxing family sport. The great thing about the staff here is that they understand military veterans and are supportive and professional. I love the calming effect that can be discovered under the surface of the water and the tranquility a peace that you find there. My family is the most loving and supportive I know, and I’ve enjoyed getting my two sons involved in this sport and watching them evolve as divers. I earned my PADI Divemaster certification in February of 2013 and look forward to helping you learn the joys and inner peace that diving brings to me. I enjoy helping others improve their lives while becoming a better person myself, which makes me feel more successful than I ever thought possible. I enjoy wreck diving in Virginia Beach most of all for the challenges those sites bring to diving, but also enjoy Carribbean and Florida diving while I share the experience with my family and friends. I hope to meet you in one of our classes or dive trips soon! |
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