Call Us Toll-Free 1-800-998-3483
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Greg Howeth
Staff Description: Co-Owner / Boat Captain / PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Equipment Specialist / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / Search & Recovery / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / U/W Photography / Wreck Diver Summary: Owner Greg is originally from Sumpter, South Carolina. He was certified in 1987 in Honolulu, Hawaii at the University of Hawaii. He moved to Maui in 1991, as a temporary stop, planning to go to the U.S. Virgin Islands to teach SCUBA. He started work at Lahaina Divers as an instructor, and instead worked his way up to management. He then, co-purchased the business in early 2000 with Akiyo Murata, his business partner. |
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Akiyo Murata
Staff Description: Co-Owner / Master Instructor / PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: Handicap Scuba Diver Buddy / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Night Diver / U/W Navigator / U/W Photography / EFR / Hawaiian Diver Summary: Owner Akiyo is originally from Tokyo, Japan. She first became interested in scuba diving after a snorkeling trip. She was certified shortly after in 1982. She moved to Maui in 1986 and started work at Lahaina Divers as an instructor. She had worked her way up to management by 1993, and then co-purchased the business in early 2000 with Greg Howeth, her business partner. Her favorite part of the job is seeing happy customers/divers after their experience with Lahaina Divers. |
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Tim
Staff Description: Master Scuba Diver Trainer / Repair Technician / PADI Instructor / Retail Staff Specialty Certifications: Handicap Scuba Diver Buddy / EANX / Gas Blender / Drift Diver / DAN O2 Provider / O2 First Aid / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Equipment Specialist / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / U/W Photography / EFR / Hawaiian Eco-Naturalist Summary: General Manager Tim was born in Ohio, but raised in Arizona. He started into the sporting industry first as a ski instructor. It wasn’t until on vacation that he was looking for a beach related hobby that he discovered scuba diving. He was first certified in 1987 through Club Med, and then certified through PADI in 1991-92. He became an instructor in 1998 in preparation for his move to Maui in early 1999. He started work at Lahaina Divers in April of 1999. His favorite part of the job is the teaching, though he doesn’t get to do it as often as he would like. |
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Jason Bach
Staff Description: Accountant Summary: Office Manager Jason was originally born in Vietnam, he moved to Maui in 1981. He was first certified Open Water through NAUI on 19 January 1988. He began working at Lahaina Divers on Christmas day in 2004 as the full time accountant and part-time office manager. |
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Captain Steve
Staff Description: Boat Captain / Master Scuba Diver Trainer / PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / U/W Naturalist / U/W Photography / Wreck Diver / PADI Oxygen First Aid Summary: Operations ManagerWhile the frigid terrain of Steve Ellingson’s home town of Ashby Minnesota still lures him home to fulfill his winter obsession- snowmobiling- Steve enjoys sunnier climates to dive and explore the marine realm. Steve first fell in love with diving while away in the military, serving in Panama. Following his tour of duty in the Gulf War in Iraq as an aircraft weapons system technician, Steve moved to Florida and enrolled in Pro Dive Schools, at the time the largest trainer of Dive Instructors in the world. On completing his courses, Steve landed a sweet job as a Dive Instructor on a luxury live aboard in the Bahamas, cruising around Jimmy Buffet style. Unfortunately a storm shipwrecked the yacht. A buddy at Lahaina Divers hearing of Steve’s sudden unemployment convinced him to move to Maui, where he worked for Lahaina Divers from 1992 to 1994. Steve then left for the mainland, went to school for Manufacturing Engineering and Fluid Power Technology, and worked in that field while maintaining his passion for diving. The islands enticed Steve back in 2006, where he re-joined Lahaina Divers. Steve now manages the boat and charter operations, keeps the boats and mechanical systems running smoothly, schedules the crew, and still manages to drive the boats and dive as often as possible. When not chasing sharks off the southern coast of Molokai, Steve can be found at Maui Raceway Park as pit crew for team Howeth racing, exploring the back roads of Maui on his motorcycle, and playing with his son and Maui ohana. |
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Laura Scott, Course Director
Staff Description: PADI Course Director / PADI Instructor |
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Ron Redwell
Staff Description: Master Scuba Diver Trainer / PADI Instructor / Repair Technician / IANTD Instructor Specialty Certifications: EANX / Gas Blender / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / Boat Diver / Equipment Specialist / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator Summary: Ron Redwell became a dive instructor in 1974 in Los Angeles, California. At that time, Southern California was the birth place of Recreational Scuba Diving and the scuba diving certification agencies: PADI and NAUI. “I became a dive instructor by accident. I was in a high stress occupation as a printer and started scuba diving to relieve job stress. In scuba diving, I found a new and exciting world and great people to share this underwater world with. Even after diving for 30 years, I still have not found any two dives to be the same. I started teaching diving to give back some of what was given to me. I found I really loved sharing the awe of the underwater world with people who have never been scuba diving before. I get to re-live the excitement, adventure, and discovery of diving with each diver I teach. I see what I do as giving good memories that will last each diver a lifetime.” |
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Captain Dan
Staff Description: Boat Captain / PADI Instructor Summary: Captain Dan is originally from Southern California. He moved to Maui in 1968, after high school, and worked for several diving and boating companies before helping get Lahaina Divers started 1978 with his best friend, Blain Roberts. He took a short sabbatical back on the mainland before returning with his wife, Terri, in 1998. He again, began working at Lahaina Divers in the spring of 2004. |
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Captain Elliott
Staff Description: Boat Captain / PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: Handicap Scuba Diver Buddy / EANX Summary: Captain Elliott Gardner has always been an island boy. Growing up in Mercer Island just outside of Seattle, WA, he spend many summers in the San Juan Islands. Elliott moved to Maui in 2002, having visited just once on vacation and immediately fell in love with Maui. Elliott started as a scuba instructor for Lahaina Divers in 2004, and stared captaining full time in 2007. When Elliott is not driving the boat, you can find him riding his motorcycle, diving, relaxing on the beach, or off on some adventure around the island. |
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Jarret
Staff Description: PADI Instructor |
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Therese
Staff Description: Retail Staff Summary: Therese came to Lahaina Divers to learn to scuba dive from New York. After realizing that her passion in life was not what she had thought, she decided to quit her job, get rid of everything she owned and move to Maui to make bubbles. She loves being underwater here in Maui and meeting the amazing people that dive with LD. |
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Ron G
Staff Description: Master Instructor / IDC Staff Instructor / Master Scuba Diver Trainer / PADI Instructor / Retail Staff Specialty Certifications: EANX / Fish ID / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / Drift Diver / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Equipment Specialist / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / Search & Recovery / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / Wreck Diver / EFR Summary: Ron is a Master Instructor who comes to us from the Sacramento California area. He worked out of Dolphin Scuba Center where among other things he helped train Instructors. Ron started diving after a snorkeling trip when he couldn’t follow a school of Moorish Idols as they started down from the surface. While diving a year later, he ended up in the middle of a school of about 200 Moorish Idols. Ron loves diving with the sharks. He has dove with thousands of Hammerheads and schools of White Tip reef sharks. He has dived the Caribbean reef shark “feeding arenas” and even dove with the Great White Sharks (in cages). He loves drift diving Molokai because the chance to see Galapagos and Hammerhead sharks is so enticing! |
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Dan F.
Staff Description: PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: EANX / Fish ID / DPV / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / U/W Photography / Wreck Diver Summary: Dan grew up swimming and diving in the cold waters of the Pacific. After graduating with an economics degree from Eckerd College in 2009, he decided that teaching scuba was a safer career. He bought a one-way ticket to the warm waters of Maui and hasn't looked back since. |
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Rebecca
Staff Description: IDC Staff Instructor / Master Scuba Diver Trainer Specialty Certifications: EANX / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Night Diver / Search & Recovery / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / Wreck Diver / EFR Summary: Rebecca Thelen is originally from Williamston Michigan, she started diving in Flagstaff Arizona; where she became a SSI Instructor. After completing her PADI Instructor training, she found Lahaina Divers in February 2008. Since at Lahaina Divers Rebecca has become a PADI Staff Instructor and Enriched Air Blender. Rebecca is currently working on the Marine Option Program through Maui Community College and becoming a research diver for University of Hawaii, along with building sea time for a captain’s license. |
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Gwen
Staff Description: PADI Instructor / Retail Staff |
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Les
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Chelsea
Staff Description: IDC Staff Instructor / Master Scuba Diver Trainer Specialty Certifications: Handicap Scuba Diver Buddy / EANX / Gas Blender / Fish ID / Digital U/W Photography / Digital U/W Videography / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / Drift Diver / DAN O2 Provider / O2 First Aid / Boat Diver / Deep Diver / Multi-Level Diver / Night Diver / U/W Naturalist / U/W Navigator / U/W Photography / Wreck Diver / EFR / PADI Oxygen First Aid Summary: Chelsea Trimper was originally certified by Lahaina Divers in 2000 and realized she had to move to Maui someday. She graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a B.S. in Marine Science in May 2009, with research in Coral Reef Ecology which she did in Jamaica. Chelsea became a PADI Instructor in June 2006 and started working at Lahaina Divers in June 2007. In the next couple years she became a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, American Association of Underwater Science (AAUS) Scientific Diver, and Handicap Scuba Instructor. Chelsea started diving to the bottom of the pool at age 1 and a half and hasn't wanted to get out of the water since! She enjoys teaching people to dive and sharing her love of the ocean. |
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Steven
Staff Description: Divemaster Summary: After graduating from Berkeley, Steven decided to move to Maui to explore how far his dream of diving could go. |
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Chris
Staff Description: PADI Instructor Specialty Certifications: EANX / Peak Performance Buoyancy / Project AWARE / Coral Reef Conservation / EFR Summary: Chris relocated from California after coming to Hawaii for a family vacation and not going back. He decided to follow his dream to become a scuba instructor and live on Maui after travelling extensively. |
