Meet Our Team in Columbia, MO

Area Director
Independent Assistant Instructor Trainer

Ryan’s love for diving and boating has kept him around water all his life. Here in the Midwest, Diventures makes it possible to experience everything the water has to offer. Ryan has been an integral part of our team for nearly a decade. As Area Director of our stores in Missouri and Iowa, Ryan enjoys building passionate teams, inspiring new dive professionals, and constantly making lifelong friends through our team and, most of all, our customers!

Phone: 417.883.5151
Email: [email protected]

Scuba Experience Manager
Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Connor started his career in the water where he earned his degree in Marine Biology. His passion for teaching scuba emerged while volunteering at his Aunt and Uncle’s dive shop. Diving since 2012, Connor has dove throughout the Midwest and Caribbean and is an Open Watter Diver Instructor. He enjoys helping new divers discover their own passion for the water.

Phone: 573.442.3483

Independent Assistant Instructor

Danny (Doc) Diaz-Arias to the Columbia Diventures Team! He was originally certified through Captain Nemo’s in 2001, spent time in Mexico furthering his career, and just completed his Assistant Instructor Certification. He is very passionate about scuba and being an educator. You will be impressed with his kind and welcoming demeanor along with his knowledge and experience of scuba diving. We are very excited to have him on board, and for everyone to meet and go diving with him!

Independent Assistant Instructor

Dave has been diving for 30 years and has assisted with scuba classes as an Assistant Instructor for 28 years. He is patient, safe and thorough when teaching. He has helped thousands of students take their first breaths underwater. Dave has a calming effect on everyone especially beginning scuba students. He would be the first to tell you that he gets a kick out of seeing the new things his students can come up with when teaching them skills!

Independent Assistant Instructor Trainer

Dwain took his first scuba class when he was 19 at the University of Missouri in Columbia. After the first day of scuba class, he knew what he wanted to do with his life. For four and a half years, Dwain helped teach a course at the University of Missouri, then continued to teach scuba and managed several dive stores before starting Capt. Nemo’s Dive Shop 36 years ago. Now, 42 years after that first scuba class, Dwain enjoys giving newcomers the same inspiring experience he had in his first lesson, teaching beginning students and helping over 2,000 divers become certified.

Phone: 573.442.3483
Email: [email protected]

Independent Assistant Instructor

Phone: 573.442.3483
Email: Rebecca_Diventures

Independent Assistant Instructor

John started diving in 1989 and has been a Divemaster and Assistant Instructor since 1992. He enjoys assisting beginning students and certified divers on their journey to experiencing the wonderful world of scuba diving. John dives in fresh water and salt water whenever he is able and enjoys meeting customers at the dive shop.

Independent Advanced Open Water Instructor

Growing up on healthy doses of the TV series Flipper and Jacques Cousteau specials, Ken turned his underwater fascinations into his own story when he became a certified diver in 1978. He is now a Level 9 Diver and Advanced Open Water Instructor. Ken spent 30 years teaching middle school science and is excited to bring the world of underwater adventure to every diver.

Email: [email protected]

Independent Advanced Open Water Diver Instructor

As a child, Mary was always near an ocean and spent much of her time swimming. She has been diving for 36 years and feels like she “can’t live without it.” Mary has been an active instructor for 28 years and loves teaching scuba. She and her husband, Dwain, have owned and operated Capt. Nemo’s Dive Shop in Columbia, Missouri, for 36 years, introduced thousands of people to scuba and conducted close to 100 escorted diving trips to the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. Her boundless energy comes from a passion for introducing new divers to the beauty of being underwater and “getting them hooked on not just getting certified, but becoming a diver.”

Phone: 573.442.3483
Email: [email protected]

Independent Open Water Instructor
Independent Classified Diving Instructor

I first started diving in 1981 while visiting Guam when I was in the Navy. I have been an SSI dive pro since 2017 and am passionate about teaching new divers and helping them develop as confident, safe divers. In addition to being a dive pro, I am also a PSI-PCI certified visual cylinder inspector and valve repair technician. I’m a level 8 diver and have been privileged to dive in the western and southern Pacific, the Sea of Cortez, California, Hawaii, Florida, and throughout the Caribbean. I also enjoy diving year-round in lakes and quarries in the Midwest.

Phone: 573.442.3483
Email: [email protected]

Independent Assistant Instructor

Rose has been diving for 33 years and has assisted with scuba classes as an Assistant Instructor for 30 years. She has traveled the world diving and enjoys introducing people to scuba diving. Rose instills confidence in students and is a serious, precise, safe but very fun, and encouraging instructor. Rose is excited to be part of the Diventures family.