Lana Taylor - PADI Course Director:
I started my love of diving in 1995 when I enrolled in a PADI Open Water course in Calgary, Alberta. This was a life changing decision - however, at the time I sure didn't know that! Although I had lived my entire life in Calgary - I had only been to Banff twice (approximately 90KM west of Calgary). Little did I know that I would become more familiar with the underwater world of Banff than the topside world.
Diving has introduced me to travel opportunities I would never have thought possible. I started diving in Two Jack Lake and Lake Minniwanka in Banff, Alberta and then made my way to the west coast of British Columbia and then south to the coast of California. All beautiful, and considered to be cold and extreme dive environments. My first introduction to warm water diving was in 2005 with a trip to Roatan Honduras! By that time I had been diving for 10 years and had acquired the PADI rating of Staff Instructor - a long time diving and always extreme! It was quite a difference to experience lighter dive gear and greater visibility.
Since that first introduction to a significant travel experience and a considerably different dive environment I have attained my Course Director Rating - so now I not only introduce the joy of diving to people, but I also introduce the awesomeness of teaching to divers! I have also checked off a number of bucket list dive trips from the amazing underwater history of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands of Scotland to the unique creatures of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and yes - everyone's got to see place - Australia.
Randy Kliewer - PADI DiveMaster; Service Technician; Emergency First Response Instructor; Retired Captain - Calgary Fire Department:
From the first time I saw divers entering Lake Okanagan wearing their rubber suit and double hose regulators I knew I had to see what was under 'there'. That was in the 60's! But I didn't start in Kelowna - too young then! I did hang out at the local sports stores - checking out the latest catalogues to look at wet suits and dive gear - always with the dream that I too would wear that stuff and join the `Sea Hunt` gang one day.
Fast forward - Calgary 1979 - I joined the local fire department and was teamed with a person who was a diver. He introduced me to the local dive center where I bought all my dive gear the very first day! No looking back now! My buddies and I would 'jump in the truck - out to Minni' - the flavour of a day off. Every dive site was a highly anticipated adventure - have you dove Three Valley Gap? Eerie!
My first warm water dive was Hawaii in 1980 - an introduction to a "Hawaiian back-pack" and the Malokai express! The newest adventure - Sidemount Diving! Dive gear and training have come a long way!
I started my love of diving in 1995 when I enrolled in a PADI Open Water course in Calgary, Alberta. This was a life changing decision - however, at the time I sure didn't know that! Although I had lived my entire life in Calgary - I had only been to Banff twice (approximately 90KM west of Calgary). Little did I know that I would become more familiar with the underwater world of Banff than the topside world.
Diving has introduced me to travel opportunities I would never have thought possible. I started diving in Two Jack Lake and Lake Minniwanka in Banff, Alberta and then made my way to the west coast of British Columbia and then south to the coast of California. All beautiful, and considered to be cold and extreme dive environments. My first introduction to warm water diving was in 2005 with a trip to Roatan Honduras! By that time I had been diving for 10 years and had acquired the PADI rating of Staff Instructor - a long time diving and always extreme! It was quite a difference to experience lighter dive gear and greater visibility.
Since that first introduction to a significant travel experience and a considerably different dive environment I have attained my Course Director Rating - so now I not only introduce the joy of diving to people, but I also introduce the awesomeness of teaching to divers! I have also checked off a number of bucket list dive trips from the amazing underwater history of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands of Scotland to the unique creatures of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and yes - everyone's got to see place - Australia.
Randy Kliewer - PADI DiveMaster; Service Technician; Emergency First Response Instructor; Retired Captain - Calgary Fire Department:
From the first time I saw divers entering Lake Okanagan wearing their rubber suit and double hose regulators I knew I had to see what was under 'there'. That was in the 60's! But I didn't start in Kelowna - too young then! I did hang out at the local sports stores - checking out the latest catalogues to look at wet suits and dive gear - always with the dream that I too would wear that stuff and join the `Sea Hunt` gang one day.
Fast forward - Calgary 1979 - I joined the local fire department and was teamed with a person who was a diver. He introduced me to the local dive center where I bought all my dive gear the very first day! No looking back now! My buddies and I would 'jump in the truck - out to Minni' - the flavour of a day off. Every dive site was a highly anticipated adventure - have you dove Three Valley Gap? Eerie!
My first warm water dive was Hawaii in 1980 - an introduction to a "Hawaiian back-pack" and the Malokai express! The newest adventure - Sidemount Diving! Dive gear and training have come a long way!
Seventy percent of the Earth is underwater - let me introduce you to that world!
