Meet our Tri-State Scuba Dive Pros!
It takes someone with very special qualities to be a Tri-State Scuba staff member. We look for individuals who are passionate about taking care of our customers and are focused on ensuring diver education and safety.
These Tri-State Scuba Pros will care for you on your next visit to our shop, pool, or quarry:
Mary Ann has been co-owner of Tri-State Scuba since 1994, is a Master Scuba Instructor, and has been diving since 1984. Through the years, she has never lost her passion for diving, teaching and traveling. Tri-State Scuba has sponsored over 140 international trips in her tenure and the group has had fun all over the world. She feels blessed to have met (and is still meeting) the most wonderful customers and making new friends everywhere we go.
Joly is co-owner of Tri-State Scuba, is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), and became PADI certified in 2000. He knew immediately that he wanted to come an instructor, so three years later Joly became a PADI dive professional by earning his Master Scuba Diver Trainer and Instructor Development Course (IDC) Instructor certifications. After hundreds of certifications at all levels, Joly’s favorite course is Discover Scuba because he obtains tremendous joy from seeing the excitement of a new student. Joly has been very fortunate to dive around the world over the years and always looks forward to the next adventure.
Dale is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) and Marine Corps veteran who obtained his Open Water Certification in 1982. After a short hiatus from diving, Dale met the staff at Tri-State Scuba at the Cincinnati Boat Show in 2000, which has resulted in a wonderful ride! Dale went on to complete his Rescue Diver through his Maser Scuba Diver Trainer certifications and, in 2018, received the PADI Elite Instructor for conducting over 50 certifications in a single year… all because of Tri-State Scuba. Dale can be recognized by the crazy colors and dive skins he wears on all of our dive trips and training dives. He loves to have fun but the number one item on Dale’s list is safety and following the PADI way of training. Dale looks forward to seeing you at the store, on one of our trips, or at the quarry.
Stan is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) and Navy veteran who became a certified scuba diver in 1977 under the old NASDS (National Association of Skin Diving Schools) in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 1979, he was certified under the PADI system in Camarillo, California. Stan then became a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver in 2000. Starting in 2014, Stan began his professional training and became a PADI Rescue Diver and Divemaster. In May of 2019, he attended the Instructor Development Course (IDC) in Utila, Honduras, passed the PADI Instructor exams on 22 May 2019, and became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. Stan enjoys teaching and loves seeing the pride of accomplishment of students from their first breath underwater until their open water certifications.
Ken is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) who obtained his Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, and Divemaster certifications at Tri-State Scuba. He completed his IDC (Instructor Development Course) to become an Open Water Scuba Instructor at Utila Dive Center in May of 2019. As a MSDT, the specialties Ken can teach include Night Diver, Wreck Diver, Deep Diver, Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver, and Emergency Oxygen Provider. Ken’s favorite dive destination is the Red Sea and his favorite dive sites are wrecks. Warm or cold, Ken wants to dive it all!
Pam is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) who began diving in 2018. She had a “love-hate” relationship with diving initially, but completed her Open Water and then went on to complete her Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, and Divemaster certifications with Tri-State Scuba in 2019. Pam is extremely passionate about training new divers and obtains a tremendous amount of joy from watching our students succeed, so she decided to obtain her Open Water Scuba Instructor certification in September of 2021 in Roatan, Honduras and then completed her MSDT in October 2022. She LOVES traveling with our shop and considers the staff at Tri-State Scuba to be her family!
Curran is a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor who started his diving interest in 2011 after hearing about his uncle’s shark dive in the Keys. In 2018 he started his professional diving career by becoming a Divemaster at Tri-State Scuba. A few years later, after being leap frogged by one of his students, Curran was encouraged to get his Open Water Instructor’s certification in Utila in April 2022. Diving to Curran is not just a hobby but a passion that he enjoys sharing with all of his students.
Jeff is a PADI Divemaster who certified as an Open Water Diver in 1989 and completed his Rescue Diver certification in 2007. In 2018, Jeff became a certified Divemaster. Jeff’s favorite saltwater fish is the Goliath Grouper. He has spent a tremendous amount of time diving in the Florida Keys, but his favorite place to dive is Utila in Honduras. Because Jeff has a degree in biology, he is particularly interested in expanding his knowledge about coral restoration.
Hannah is a PADI Divemaster who has been diving since 2016. She obtained her Rescue Diver and Divemaster certifications with Tri-State Scuba in 2018. Next, she moved to the Caribbean for a year and a half to work as a Divemaster, educator, and coral conservationist in the Turks & Caicos Islands and Curacao. Hannah returned to Ohio for a short time during COVID, but has been traveling the globe the past few years and recently obtained her International Masters in Marine Biological Resources. What’s next for Hannah? She has accepted a research position at UC-Irvine in California!
Chris is a PADI Divemaster who began diving in 2005. He struggled with his Open Water certification due to a prior accident while kayaking. After fighting his way through his OW, he immediately completed his Advanced Open Water, moved on to Rescue Diver, and has loved diving ever since. Chris is a retired volunteer firefighter and EMT. He enjoys diving in all types of water from local fresh-water quarries to the salty ocean. His favorite dive is the USS Spiegel Grove, a retired LSD ship which was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in Key Largo, Florida. Chris loves assisting others and is interested in coral restoration projects.
Sal is a PADI Divemaster and Navy veteran who has been diving since 2018. Sal grew up watching his dad dive and couldn’t wait till he was old enough to dive with him. By the time Sal was old enough, his dad had been injured and was no longer diving. In 2018, Sal took a Discover Scuba class in Grand Cayman with his son Aaron and they both loved it. Sal then obtained his Open Water certification with Tri-State Scuba followed by his Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications. Since then Sal and his son have had the pleasure of really getting to know the staff at Tri-State Scuba; Sal loves diving with them at their quarry so much that he recently completed his Divemaster certification so he could be part of this awesome environment and help others fall in love with diving. As a Navy veteran, Sal is particularly passionate about helping other veterans (especially those with PTSD) discover the solitude, peace, and meditative experiences of being below the ocean’s surface.
Dave is a PADI Divemaster who began diving in 2017. At that time, Dave had received advice from his physician to find a non-impact hobby due to many years of physical stress from rugby, martial arts, and snowboarding. Dave is a former firefighter and medic with a background in swift and cold water rescue. He has fallen in love with diving and the lifestyle so much that he changed careers. He now finds and fixes underwater leaks in various aquatic environments. After having the opportunity to dive in the Florida springs and cave country, he is currently working to pursue his cavern and cave certifications. He is passionate about training, enjoying the underwater world, and Project AWARE dives.
Mike is a PADI Divemaster who has been diving since 2000. Mike received his Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications with the YMCA and obtained his PADI Padi Divemaster certification with Tri-State in 2021. Mike enjoys being at the dive shop, helping with classes, pool lessons, certifications, and trips provided by Tri-State Scuba. There is nothing better than breathing under water and wearing bright colors around the aquatic life.