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Salem Scuba & Travel (Visit this link)
Barry Hooe Barry was certified in the Philippines in December of 1984. After his Open Water class he continued to improve his skills with Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, and Divemaster course. In July 1993 Barry completed the Instructor Development course (IDC) and Instructor Evaluation (IE) November 1994. His specialities include: High Altitude Diver, Underwater Hunter, Equipment Specialist, Drift Diver, Deep Diver, and PSI Visual Cylinder Inspector. Today, he is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer / Staff IDC Instructor with over 1000 logged dives in oceans and lakes around the world! Barry teaches many speciality courses, including Search & Recovery Diver, Equipment Specialist, Multilevel Diver, Underwater Navigator, Dry Suit Diver, Deep Diver, Boat Diver, and Night Diver. Through out his diving career he has had the opportunity to dive in the Philippines; Okinawa, Japan; Malaysia; Singapore; Indonesia; Australia; Florida; Oregon; and Washington. One of Barry's favorite memories continues to be the excitement he felt breathing underwater for the first time. Barry is still excited every time a new diver takes his or her first breath underwater. He says the look on their face is what makes being a SCUBA instructor the most rewarding adventure you can have!
Denise started diving in 1990 in Kona, Hawaii. Subsequent warm water diving experience has included incredible locations like the Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Yap, Palau, the Cocos Islands, the Galapagos Islands, Honduras & Roatan, and of course Hood Canal and the Puget Sound. Denise finally braved the cold water of the Pacific Northwest in 2003 to join the Salem Scuba family and become a divemaster in 2004. Favorite diving memories include whale shark encounters, finding the elusive and amazing Mantis Shrimp, spending whole dives searching for pygmy sea horses, a quest to find every nudibranch in the book, and endless entertaining activities during decompression stops and between dives. When not diving or at work at Salem Hospital, Denise can be found teaching classes at the local Red Cross, serving with Marion County Search and Rescue, running, swimming, riding horses, riding bikes, spending time with good friends and good food, or generally playing outside.
Don Mikeska- I began my recreational diving adventures in 2003. While I was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Noble Eagle III, my unit wanted to do something fun and one of our options was to scuba. I completed my open water certification at FT. Lewis Scuba and I found that I had a passion for the sport and continued my education until now as a Master Scuba Diver Trainer for PADI. While most of my dives have been helping out in classes as a Dive Master or a Dive Master Candidate, I have over 200 dives in Oregon, all over in The Puget Sound, and Florida. I can not say what my most memorable diving moment is because they are all different in a way of their own. I feel each is as exciting and memorable as the next. But I can say that the happiest moment in diving was when my entire family was certified as divers and I was there to see it. We went to almost every dive store in the State of Oregon and found that Salem Scuba and Travel was the most courteous and honest store around. I did my advanced diver through Dive Master with Salem Scuba, with Blake, Barry, and Kerri as my instructors. I took what they taught me and passed all my instructor level evaluation with flying colors. I have many hobbies, National Guard, three horses, go to rodeos, church, my family, golf, baseball/softball, volleyball, and anything else that might seem fun. I will try anything once, more if I like it.
Curt began diving as an excuse for going to tropical destinations, other than just laying around on the beach having fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them. After his first trip he was hooked and has since gone to Bonaire, Cozumel and Florida Keys. Curt continued diving in the Northwest in order to stay in practice and increase his skills. He soon discovered the amazing variety of undersea life in the Puget Sound. While taking classes Curt realized he enjoyed helping other divers and began working on his professional ratings. Curt finds diving to be a great distraction from his full time job in community mental health. Outside of work and diving he enjoys sailing, the beach, family, friends and church. His future diving plans include more scuba related travel to the Caymans and Belize.
Doug began his diving adventures with Salem Scuba. His enthusiasm and dedication quickly moved him up the professional diving ladder and in 1998 he became a PADI Instructor. In 1999 he received his IANTD Instructor certification, enabling him to teach Nitrox. Doug also teaches many specialites, including Deep Diver, Altitude Diver, Boat Diver, Drift Diver, and Underwater Naturalist. Doug is a journeyman electrician and heavy equipment operator. The most important thing in the world to him is being a good father and husband. He and his family enjoy camping, boating, dirt bikes, and going to church together.
Ron Williams was introduced to Scuba Diving in 1982 on the Island of Guam. Within two years he amassed over 200 dives and attained his PADI Instructor rating. During the next 4 years his diving experiences led him to such exotic places as Various islands in Micronesia, Hawaii, Montana, Canada, Washington and Oregon. He moved to Germany where he became a leader in the Mantas American SCUBA Club and opened up a Dive Store on Otterberg, Germany. His 4 years in Germany led him to other exotic places to give such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Luxembourg and Spain. Ron moved to Florida and managed Dixie Divers of Stuart. There he logged many dives in Florida with manatees. Ron Moved to Oregon in 1993 and bought SCUBA Unlimited which he successfully ran for 10 years. His Dive log was quickly filled with dives in the Cayman Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Fiji, Canada, California, Oregon and Washington. Since 2002 and becoming part of the Salem SCUBA Staff he has been diving in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, St Thomas, St Lucia, Dominica and the Dominican Republic. Ron has logged well in excess of 6000 dives and has attained the prestigious levels of Master Instructor and IDC Staff Instructor as well as just about any specialty the Padi offers. He also holds Divemaster ratings with YMCA and NAUI and holds various certifications with IANTD and Dive Rescue International. One Memory that comes to mind is a Dive he made in the Coral Sea, 300 miles off Australia where he and his dive partner were diving with approx. 1500 sharks in a single dive on a site known as the North Horn. There were about 15 different species of all sizes and shapes. WOW! He claims it was a Jurassic Dive. He also loved the Cenote Dives in the Yucatan where he and his partner Kristina were the 7th people to enter a newly discovered Cenote called Dreamscape in Oct of 2003. When not diving Ron finds himself Firefighting in the Oregon Air Guard, Mountain Bike Riding, Skiing or just plain traveling to International destinations. His full time job find him assisting individuals and businesses alike in their financial retirement and planning. His favorite game is "Where in World is Ron Williams"?
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