Tell us your origin story!
We both took scuba in the mid-90’s as a class in college because a friend talked us into it. Many think we must have always wanted to get certified, but it really was just by chance. Little did we know taking that first step would change the course of our lives forever!

What caused you to make the leap from amateur to dive professional?
We were at the Cayman Diving Lodge on Grand Cayman in 1999 for the New Year, and met several couples that were working there. We realized this was a great way to live abroad while being employable, so came home from that trip and signed up for the Rescue Diver, Divemaster and Instructor Course with One World (known then as Underwater Phantaseas, South).

Favorite class to teach?
For Jill – Peak Performance Buoyancy. Every dive is a buoyancy dive, and learning how to control your body in a three dimensional world changes your diving experience completely!

For Brian – Rescue. This class is the most physically and mentally challenging course we teach, but the confidence built and knowledge to help another diver, potentially someone you love, is a reward that can never be repaid!

Favorite dive destination?
Indonesia for the biodiversity of creatures you can see on any given dive (and every region is slightly different), and Galapagos for the pure adrenaline rush of swimming with hundreds of Hammerhead sharks or seeing massive Whale Sharks, plus the marine iguanas are like little dinosaurs.

What is your most beloved critter to spot under the waves?
Jill – cuttlefish. All the cuttlefish.

Brian – Eagle Ray. No, dolphin. Wait, how about juvenile Many Spotted Sweetlips. Is this a trick question?

What is your “must have” piece of dive equipment?
Jill – Post dive Leave in Hair Conditioner
Brian - It’s a tie between my swivel hose and my slapstrap.

Favorite non-diving activity?
Cycling, preferably gravel. And golf. Though Pickleball is rising in the ranks.

Favorite post-dive treat or beverage?
Brian - Not much beats a Gin & Tonic at sunset. Hence my aversion to night dives!

Jill – Vodka and soda with a lime, please.

Any advice you’d like to offer divers new and old?
Never stop learning. Challenge yourself to be a better diver by working on your buoyancy. Be a better champion for our oceans by learning how we can have a positive impact in the choices we make. Explore new dive destinations, or find new adventures in the locations you’re going back – have you been caving in Bonaire, for example?

There are so many ways we can grow as divers, yet we often see people stagnate in their skillset once they think they’ve learned it all.