Battle Creek, MI

Independent Dive Professional

CJ started diving in 1993 with Divers Paradise in Toled, OH.  He immediately fell in love with the sport and at that point, he knew this was going to be a large part of his life.  He started his pro career around 2000 and has been teaching ever since.  CJ has traveled the Great Lakes exploring wreaks, has seen soft corals in Fiji, ate his first Lionfish in Belize, dove caverns & caves in Mexico, and has snorkeled with whale sharks in Utila. As part of the Diventures Team, CJ is looking to do even more and take some students with him to enjoy the wonders of the underwater world.

Independent Assistant Instructor

Dave has been diving since 200. In 2017 he began diving with Sub-Aquatics Sports. As a result, he drew a higher interest in diving not only as a fun and recreational sport, but also in an academic capacity. In 2022, Dave completed his NAUI and SSI Assistant Instructor program certifications. He also plans to participate as a travel guide on dive trips and work towards the completion of the Instructor Certification. Dave’s diving experiences have included Michigan local lakes, Great Lakes’ shipwrecks, Grand Cayman, Mexico, the cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula and other Caribbean destinations. His diving goals and interests are to simply spend more time in the water, be more active in the dive community, explore new dive destinations and train others.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Jim was originally introduced to scuba diving by the British Sub Aqua Club while studying as an exchange student at the University of Surrey; England in 1983. He overheard a diver telling an adventure story and asked to join the table. They took him into the club and taught him how to dive. His first open-water dive seemed simple enough in the English Channel on a WWII wreck. Every weekend he went wherever the club was diving and eventually did all the dives required to become certified. Upon returning to the U.S, Jim joined an SSI shop in Lansing, MI and earned his Divemaster certification. After retiring from the Army Reserve, he found the time to further his professional dive career and ultimately got certified as an Instructor in 2020.

Independent Dive Professional

Megen has long been a familiar face around SASS, and is looking forward to continuing to grow with us as Diventures! She was first certified in 2012 and was immediately bitten by the diving bug. Megen completed the NAUI Master program with Rick, and also obtained certification from Dive Rescue International, which she uses to serve on Kalamazoo’s County Dive team. At the top of her dive bucket list is Cocos, Guam and Truk Lagoon. In her own words, “It’s not so much location for me, as what I’ll see and do. I want to swim with whale sharks, explore shipwrecks and dive among phosphorescent marine life.”

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Mike has been diving for almost 25 years and has been an instructor for almost eight years. He has traveled to numerous dive destinations around the world. His kids have been diving since they were 12 and 15 years old, and his wife finally came aboard about five years ago. He says there is nothing better than taking a dive trip with the family!

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Rob has been a certified diver for over 25 years. He was lucky enough to have parents that were divers, so he was certified when he was 12 years old. Rob did his professional training in 2019 in Malaysia while on a year and half journey through South East Asia. Since being back, he has joined Diventures Battle Creek and found a new passion for the world-class shipwreck diving in the Great Lakes. Rob plans to continue his technical training so he can have even more diving opportunities.

Store Manager

Originally born and raised in Grand Rapids, Stephanie moved to Kalamazoo in 2017 for MPI Research (now Charles River Laboratories). When she found Sub-Aquatic Sports she started on a professional pathway. Before she became an instructor with SASS, she was an instructor for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Her next challenge is to become cave and freediving certified.

Phone: 269.968.8551
Email: [email protected]

Independent Dive Professional
Technical Diver

For those of you who’ve been with the shop a long time, Tim is a familiar face. He has been diving since 1983. His Open Water Training dives were a nighttime lobster hunt. He has been to Belize, Cayman Brac and the Bahamas. Tim looks forward to diving more locations in the future. Certified as an Ice, Advanced River, Heliotrox and Trimix diver, he has a lot to show for his many years of diving. Tim is also Technical Dive certified through NAUI, and his favorite local wrecks have been the Cornelia Windiate, the Typo and the Florida. His reason for diving is, “Breathing underwater is one of the coolest things a human being can do.”