Instructor
PADI IDC Staff Instructor #323525
EFR Instructor #323525
SDI OWSI #23746
DDI #1440
PSI/PCI Inspector # 28202
Jerry first fell in love with the underwater world through watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, but the hook was truly set when he went on two iterations of SEACAMP as Big Pine Key Florida in 1980 and 1981. Sadly Jerry was unable to get his SCUBA certification until 1994, when he was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC.
Jerry dove infrequently until the military finally deposited him in central Florida in 2008, for his last active duty tour, where he resumed diving with a passion and worked up to his Master SCUBA Diver rating. In 2012, he beat Hurricane Sandy to Cuba, landing at US Naval Station GTMO about 18 hours before the storm made landfall. Once the weather cleared, he enrolled in the Divemaster program, and then the Instructor Development Course. Jerry taught at GTMO with his wife Maria (herself a PADI MSDT who he met through teaching) until late 2015.
Jerry and Maria departed GTMO for the Northern Virginia / DC area at the end of 2015, and Jerry promptly started teaching in the local dive community in March of 2016, though in waters much cooler than he is used to. Since returning to the states, Jerry has earned IDC Staff Instructor rating, several fun specialties, as well as several technician certifications through PSI / PCI.
In the Fall of 2017, Jerry relocated to Central Florida (Seffner) due to work. Since his return, he has resumed his exploration of new local diving and started reacquainting himself with his old dive sites.
Jerry’s goals include earning his PADI Master Instructor rating, earning his Masters’ degree in History, and working towards tec diver ratings and technician training. Jerry loves everything diving, and is always up for fun dives or simply conversation about diving.
Favorite Dive Sites and/or Type of Diving: My favorite type of recreational diving is wall, drift and wreck. My favorite dive sites are The Slot (GTMO); Roatan, Honduras; The Bahamas, and Point Lobos, Monastery Beach and Lover’s Point in Monterey, California. Since my return to Florida, I have been pursuing overhead training in hopes of progressing through full cave certifications as well as other technical dive certifications.
Fun Fact About Jerry Outside of Diving: Jerry does not really do much outside of diving (though work is a necessity). If not diving, Jerry can usually be found studying famous shipwrecks, from the pioneering dives made on them and the histories of the diving expeditions OR studying on cave diving / exploration within the Florida area.
Jerry’s Thoughts on Diving: “There is always more to learn about diving; be it new gear, methods or locations. Never stop learning, never stop exploring.”
