OUR TEAM OF SCUBA INSTRUCTORS

Paul was born and raised in Calvert County, Maryland. When Paul isn't manning the shop, teaching new divers, or  technical dive classes, he works full time as a career Lieutenant for the Department of Emergency Services in Charles County. Paul is a 25 year veteran of Emergency Services, starting as a volunteer for Calvert Advanced Life Support in 1998. Paul is a life member of Calvert Advanced Life Support.

Checkout Paul's Online Dive Log HERE

When he's not working in the shop filling tanks, servicing gear, or teaching, he enjoys diving the underwater cave systems of Northern Florida, and the many wrecks of the Atlantic Ocean. Paul has a passion for underwater photography and enjoys sharing his knowledge of this specialty with new divers. Initially certified in 2004 as an PADI open water diver, Paul worked hard and was certified as an Instructor in 2010 and an Instructor Trainer in 2015. 
Currently a PADI MSDT and IANTD Instructor Trainer, Paul was certified as a PADI Tec-Rec, Technical diving instructor in May of 2011, and IANTD Full Trimix Instructor in February of 2015 and enjoys bringing divers into the world of technical diving.

Paul's Accomplishments and PADI instructor ratings

PADI MASTER SCUBA DIVER TRAINER #274902

2013 PADI Elite Instructor Award 50+ certifications issued

2014 PADI Elite Instructor Award 50+ certifications issued

2015 PADI Elite Instructor Award 50+ certifications issued

2016 PADI Elite Instructor Award 50+ certifications issued

Master Scuba Diver Trainer

Open Water Instructor

Advanced Open Water Instructor

Rescue Diver Instructor

Divemaster Instructor

Boat Diver Instructor

Cavern Diver Instructor

Deep Diver Instructor

Deep Ocean Megalodon Tooth Hunter Instructor (Course author)

Digital Underwater Photography Instructor

DPV (Dive Propulsion Vehicle) Instructor

Drift Diver Instructor

Dry Suit Diver Instructor

Delayed Surface Marker Buoy Instructor

Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor

Emergency O2 Provider Instructor

Equipment Specialist Instructor

Full Face Mask Instructor

Gas Blender Instructor

Gas Blender Trimix Instructor

Ice Diver Instructor


Lobster Hunter Instructor (Course Author)

Night Diver Instructor

Open Water Sidemount Instructor (Course Author)

Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor

Project AWARE Instructor

Public Safety Diver Instructor

Scuba Review / Tune up Instructor

Search and Recovery Diver Instructor

Self Reliant Diver Instructor

Sidemount Instructor

Tec Deep (Tec40, Tec45, Tec50) Instructor

Tec Sidemount Instructor

DiveRite Nomad Open Water and Technical Sidemount Instructor

Underwater Navigation Instructor

Underwater Photography Instructor

Underwater Videographer Instructor

Wreck Diver Instructor

EFR CPR / AED / First Aid Instructor

American Heart Association CPR-AED-First Aid Instructor (Heart saver and BLS Health Care Provider

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Gary was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Southern Maryland where started his dive adventure. He’s always loved being around water and wanted to try scuba diving. In 2002 he became a PADI open water diver and was hooked.  From there, he came up through the ranks and became a PADI open water dive master in 2008.  He loved helping the instructors with their students and decided in 2011 to become a Scuba instructor.  He has been an independent instructor since 2011 and became an Instructor at Southern Maryland Divers in May 2015.  When Gary is not teaching he enjoys Megalodon tooth hunting, wreck diving, spear fishing and also enjoys identifying the Aquatic life.

Gary's Instructor Ratings

PADI MASTER SCUBA DIVER TRAINER #237095

Open Water Instructor

Advanced Open Water Instructor

Rescue Diver Instructor

Divemaster Instructor

Boat Diver Instructor

Deep Diver Instructor

Deep Ocean Megalodon Tooth Hunter Instructor 

Digital Underwater Photography Instructor

DPV (Dive Propulsion Vehicle) Instructor

Drift Diver Instructor

Dry Suit Diver Instructor

Delayed Surface Marker Buoy Instructor

Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor

Emergency O2 Provider Instructor

Night Diver Instructor

Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor

Project AWARE Instructor

Scuba Review / Tune up Instructor

Search and Recovery Diver Instructor

Underwater Navigation Instructor

Underwater Photography Instructor

Underwater Videographer Instructor

Wreck Diver Instructor

EFR CPR-AED-First Aid Instructor


PADI Divemaster #199381

John works part time in the shop on the sales floor and assists with classes as an experienced divemaster. John's enthusiasm is contagious and he enjoys sharing "war stories" that he has personally collected over his many years of diving. John has a great working knowledge of dive gear, much of which has been learned from actually diving the different types of gear over the years. John can help you with everything from getting fitted for a proper fitting mask to getting you outfitted with a full scuba setup.

John was Born in New York City and raised for the most part in the DC area and is now retired.  John was certified 14 years ago and became a PADI Divemaster in 2006. John has logged hundreds of dives over the years, gaining a plethora of experiences that he enjoys sharing with new and experienced divers alike.  John enjoys all kinds of diving from warm blue water wall diving in Tahiti to cold blackwater heavy current wreck diving near the mouth of the Oregon Inlet in North Carolina.

John has completed coursework and fieldwork in Underwater Archeology. He has participated in an archaeological dive in nearby St Mary’s River mapping a wreck from the 1700’s in zero visibility as part of the course.  From the Caymans to the Quarry, John takes every opportunity to enjoy the sport.  If you dive John would love to swap stories and talk gear.  If you don’t and have questions he is  happy to answer and introduce new divers to the sport he loves.  John always looks forward to seeing customers around the shop or the pool or the quarry or better yet in the water in Bonaire or Honduras on a dive trip!

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona Jacob took up diving in 2000 at age 11 with a strong desire to see what was deeper. At 30 years of age he has been diving for well over half his life. Jacob joined the Navy in 2007 with a coin flip, Heads Navy Diver and Tails Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Tails would have it and his journey began! After checking into Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, Pensacola, Jacob found himself training as an SSI Dive Master with the Scuba Shack and serving as a watchful deck hand and logistics expert on board the Wet Dream. 

In 2009 Jacob reported to his first operational command at HSC-25 located on the tiny island of Guam, where he sought out training as a technical diver and dive instructor. Completing the Instructor Development Course Jacob went on to instruct and evaluate divers of all skill levels, later assisting in the facilitation of subsequent IDC’s and completing training requirements to earn himself the IDC Staff Instructor rating. 

​​Jacob currently serves at Rotary Wing test and development on board NAS Patuxent River as an H-60S platform test Aircrewman. He is currently attending school at American Military University working towards his BS in Earth Science and conducting field research with Institute of Maritime History. When not flying Jacob is constantly training for the next technical dive ensuring all aspects of equipment, training, logistics, and risk mitigation are carefully accounted for.

PADI IDC Staff Instructor #260982

Open Water Scuba Instructor
Master Scuba Diver Trainer
EFR Instructor
IDC Staff Instructor
Deep Instructor
Digital Underwater Photography Instructor

Drysuit Diver Instructor
Underwater Navigation Instructor
Multilevel Diver Instructor
Care for Children Instructor
Equipment Specialist Instructor
Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor
Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor
Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor
Project AWARE Instructor

Public Safety Diver Instructor

Other Certifications Held

IANTD CCR O2Ptima Diver

TDI Advanced Nitrox
TDI Decompression Procedures​​​​​

PADI Assistant Instructor #381363

Ryan was born and raised in Southern Maryland while currently residing and working in Charles County. Owner of RCD Photography, Ryan has a passion for photography which quickly spread into one of his other addictions, scuba. He previously worked for the local media as a photographer with his work appearing in various news outlets such as WUSA 9, Fox news, Good Morning America, and ABC News as well as numerous other local organizations.

Ryan teaches our very popular Underwater Photography Workshop and routinely makes our divers better photographers. 

Ryan is currently certified at the PADI Tec 50 level and dives in sidemount configuration. Ryan is also certified on the Dive Rite O2Ptima fully closed circuit rebreather (CCR). He continually pursues additional training and certifications and is currently working towards full technical and cave certification on his rebreather. He enjoys taking advantage of any opportunity he gets to get some diving in, whether it be training locally, relaxing in the warm waters of Bonaire, or looking for that next challenging dive in his journey to further himself.

My interest in water activities started early in life when I was on a swim team and thought being a lifeguard would be fun. When I got out of the Marine Corps and waiting for my first year of college to start I took a Red Cross lifesaving course. The remainder of that summer, and a couple subsequent ones, I worked as a lifeguard, pool facility manager, and swim coach. The pool company I worked for was also a scuba dive shop so I decided I wanted to learn how to dive, didn’t hurt that I got a discount. I got my Open Water certification in 1972 from NASDS.

After some college and a few miscellaneous jobs I again landed in the swimming pool industry and found my scuba skills to be of great value. I had done some ocean dives & realized the more I knew the safer I would be underwater. Many years passed & then one day, while waiting on an air fill, I got to talking with the dive shop owner & decided to further my scuba education; Advanced, Rescue, and Nitrox, followed by PADI Divemaster in 2009. By now I was hooked and decided to become an instructor; having always enjoyed sharing my skills and knowledge with others it was a natural for me and I became a NAUI Instructor in 2010. In 2017, David completed his PADI Assistant Instructor with Southern Maryland Divers.

Other than the thousands of dives done repairing swimming pools I’ve dived in Hawaii, the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico and various lakes, quarries, fresh water springs and rivers. Some of the more unusual dives include breaking the ice to dive into and repair a swimming pool or two, diving on the Black Panther U-1105, a German submarine in the Potomac River, and cenotes in Mexico. Cenotes are underground rivers where portions of the roof have caved in; giving you an occasional escape route to the surface, therefore you don’t need to be “Cave certified” to enjoy them. The most unusual aspect of this type of dive is that you start the dive in fresh water but as you descend you pass through a halocline, a boundary where the fresh water layer sits atop salt water, and are now diving in salt water, quite an interesting experience.

Billy is relatively new to the dive scene but absolutely loves it. Billy was born in St. Mary’s but travels frequently. Billy received his Open Water Certification in July of 2016 and received his Dive Master certification in August 2017.

Billy loves assisting with classes at the quarry and attending the different dive trips that Southern Maryland Divers offers.  Billy is looking forward to becoming an instructor in the coming years.

Billy also works in the shop assisting customers with getting outfitted with gear and signing up for courses. Stop in and say hi one day. He loves talking about SCUBA! 

Rich was born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland; however, after serving in the United States Navy, he was fortunate to make Calvert County his home.  Rich works full-time at Exelon’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant as a Senior Reactor Operator.

Rich got Open Water Certified in 2007 and his first dive was at EPCOT in the Living Seas attraction.  Since then he achieved Divemaster in 2018 and Assistant Instructor in 2019.  Rich works part time in the shop and assists with dive trips as an experienced divemaster.  Over the years he has developed practical expertise with a vast array of dive gear.  Rich can aid in everything from your mask to equipping you with the full scuba kit best suited for you and your needs. 

Rich dives frequently in a variety of locales, and relishes each new experience.  He has logged countless dives from wreck and meg tooth diving in North Carolina to The Great Blue Hole in Belize, and everything in between.  His favorite dive to date, however, would have to be Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos.  Rich would love to chat with you about your favorite dives, answer any questions you may have, or help you figure out where you should dive next! 

Erik was born and raised in Ohio along the shores of Lake Erie. He started diving in 1996 and quickly discovered the lure of Great Lakes shipwrecks. He conducted his first decompression dive in the late 1990's and hasn't made a wetsuit dive in nearly 20 years.  Erik specializes in shipwreck penetration, conducting long penetration dives. He believes true shipwreck diving consists of diving deep, conducting decompression, and making penetrations.

Erik is a sought after speaker presenting on various shipwreck, maritime history, and technical diving topics throughout the country. He has been published in multiple international dive magazines and is the author of the highly acclaimed Shipwrecks of Lake Erie Volume One - the first in a series of three volumes about the shipwrecks in Lake Erie. His forthcoming book Lake Erie Technical Wreck Diving Guide is in the final stages of publications. Erik regularly writes for Wreck Diving Magazine. 

Erik currently resides in Huntingtown after spending the last 10 years as a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service.

Erik also heads up the Southern Maryland Dive Club. 

Kent's Bio is pending.

David was born in Long Island New York. After studying at Marist College majoring in Fine Arts he joined the Air Force. As a Power Production Specialist he installed, operated, maintained, repaired and inspected power production plants and equipment along with aircraft-arresting barriers. After his service David started a construction company in Colorado framing homes as owner operator. He is now Vice President of Operations for a large commercial contractor based out of Maryland that remodels hotels, restaurants and bars around the country and in the Caribbean.

David is currently certified at the PADI Tec 45 level and dives in sidemount configuration. He is in a constant state of learning. After joining us as a Recuse Diver he has earned his TEC 45, Tec Sidemount Diver, Tmx 45, Dry Suit Diver, Self-Reliant Diver and Divemaster. He travels weekly and takes his gear with him on as many trips as possible finding sink holes, lakes, oceans/seas and pretty much anything he can blow bubbles in.

His love of diving and mentoring drove him to become a Divemaster. Giving him the opportunity to assist during classes and dives. You can typically find him smiling since he is doing what he loves.

Born and raised in Southern Maryland,  Christina became a career Firefighter/Paramedic in January of 2014, and then decided to become a certified diver in 2015 after completing the Fire academy.  She took PADI OW and Advanced together, getting certified in the Caribbean.  While on a training run New Year's Day, 2017, she saw the dive flag outside of SoMd Diver's, bringing her to our shop where she became excited to advance her diving career.

Christina successfully completed training in Nitrox, drysuit, Rescue, Divemaster and Assistant Instructor.  She is also a TDI technical diver with advanced nitrox.  Through SOMD Divers, she was introduced to the Institute of Maritime History where she is an active member, diving almost ever weekend in the local waters.

Christina dives every opportunity she gets and has dove in a vast variety of conditions, from the clear waters of the Caribbean, Hawaii, and Cenotes/caves in Florida to local black water and even lakes in Eastern Europe.  Christina loves being in the water and sharing her love of diving with anyone who will listen.  Christina looks forward to continuing her education and is currently looking at CCR and furthering her technical diving skills.

Andrew was born in Heidelberg Germany but was mostly raised in North Carolina.  After graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in 2006, he moved to Southern Maryland in early 2007 to take a job as an electrical engineer for SMECO.  

Since he was 15 years old, Andrew has always been fascinated with the idea of scuba diving and finally became a PADI open water diver in 2015.  He was instantly hooked on diving and became a PADI Divemaster in 2018.  

Andrew has been assisting with classes at Southern Maryland Divers since his certification as a Divemaster.  He loves learning and teaching diving, so in 2020 Andrew became a PADI instructor.  When Andrew is not teaching, he enjoys traveling and diving. 

He has made dives in Italy, Grand Cayman, Bonaire, California, and in Florida just to name a few. Andrew is also certified as a PADI TEC 40 diver and continues to take advantage of any opportunity to further his diving education. 

Andrew's Instructor Level Certifications:

Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT)

Open Water Instructor

Advanced Open Water Instructor

Rescue Diver Instructor

Dive Master Instructor

Deep Diver Instructor

Night Diver Instructor

Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor

Project AWARE Instructor

Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor

Delayed Surface Marker Buoy Instructor

Emergency O2 Provider Instructor

EFR CPR-AED-First Aid Instructor

Other Certifications Held:

PADI Tec 40 Diver

Self-Reliant Diver

Master Scuba Diver

Jim grew up in Anne Arundel County where he spent a lot of time enjoying the Chesapeake Bay.  His passion for the water, sense of adventure and interest in travel led him to become scuba certified in 2013.  He was hooked after his first trip to the quarry.  Since becoming certified, he has enjoyed diving in Bonaire, Roatan, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Palau, Chuuk Lagoon, the Great Barrier Reef and many of the islands of the Caribbean.  His sense of adventure finds him spearing invasive lionfish, lobstering in Florida, diving with Bull sharks in Mexico and collecting Megalodon shark tooth fossils off the coast of North Carolina.  Jim entered the professional ranks of scuba diving by completing his PADI Divemaster certification in 2017, where he actively supported pool and quarry classes across Maryland, DC and Virginia.  In May of 2021 he became a certified PADI Instructor to help educate others who are passionate about diving and love adventure.

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor #402311

Open Water Instructor

Advanced Open Water Instructor

Rescue Diver Instructor

Divemaster Instructor

Peak Performance Buoyancy Instructor

Enriched Air (Nitrox) Instructor

Emergency First Response Instructor

Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor

Project Aware Instructor

Natively from Staten Island, New York City, he spent the vast majority of his summers in the waters where the Hudson River pours out into the Atlantic Ocean. By 16 years of age, he relocated to the Raleigh/ Wake Forest area of North Carolina due to the rising crime rate in the city. Due to the culture shock, he did not finish high school, worked a wide array of jobs from fast food to home building and eventually realized that he wanted to do more for than just himself and joined the U.S. Navy in 1995. During his 23 years of active service all around the world, one observation became quite clear; Aircraft don’t fly, Ships don’t sail, and submarines can not operate without its people and regardless of field, people are and always will be the most important asset. This ideology served him well as a Military Training Specialist, he spent several years shaping his field of Aircraft Electricians by teaching thousands of students how to troubleshoot and repair military aircraft the right way the first time, every time.   

In 2014, Marcus reported onboard Naval Air Station Patuxent River as a Chief Petty Officer, leading, mentoring, and guiding sailors to their fullest potential. In November of 2016 he met Christina Castro, and a year later, almost to the day, they were wed, not without the caveat that she have a dive buddy if their relationship was to continue. Enter Marcus’s first attempt at becoming a certified Open Water diver. It did not go so well on day one, as he suffered from some anxiety and a lack of trust in the gear, and as a result, he quit. However, he did return the following morning to face his fears, and caught up to the rest of the class on day two. Ever since then, he’s had the diving bug, to absorb as much knowledge about diving as he can, which ultimately led him to becoming an Instructor. Marcus is a Southern Maryland Divers home grown, did all his training with us up to Dive Master, Dive Mastered with us for 2 years, and recently with the assistance of the Veterans Affairs, secured the funding to go through an intensive 9-week program with Rainbow Reef Career Development Center to earn his Staff IDC Instructor Rating.

Marcus retired from U.S. active naval service in April of 2018, not without earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Maryland. He was on the path towards earning his Juris Doctorate and passed his LSAT exam. At some point during his application for law school, his conscious got the better of him, and decided he needed to find a new passion to follow post-retirement. What he did not realize was that he was already doing it recreationally, and made the decision to switch to the professional side of diving instead. When not traveling, diving, or teaching, he is the mechanic of seven vehicles, works on home improvement projects, learns about and plays with new electrical/electronic technologies, and is an avid motorcycle rider.