Marietta, GA

Store Manager

Rusty was born in New Orleans and his family moved to a small town in the Atchafalaya Basin of south Louisiana when he was a very young boy. This is the largest swamp and wetland in the US covering 22 parishes and living on or near the water is a unique way of life in cajun country. He gained an incredible appreciation for his cajun culture and the food, family, and fun that helped to shape it (GEAUX TIGERS and WHO DAT NATION!). His family moved to GA when he was a teen where he attended HS and, later, college. He spent 27 years in the tropical fish industry where he furthered his appreciation for the underwater world from his childhood. Rusty started scuba diving in 2005 after hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. His Uncle worked in the scuba industry for many years and, when his family fled New Orleans for GA, he brought extra scuba equipment. He has been diving to this day and involved many family and friends to share a lifetime of memories with.

Scuba Experience Manager
Divemaster and Mermaid Instructor

Email: [email protected]

Aquatics Experience Manager

Suzanne started swimming very young, switching to competitive swimming when she was 10, and continuing through high school. She raised two boys who also swam competitively through high school, and during this time was certified as a Stroke & Turn Referee for USA Swimming. She started teaching private lessons years ago, and previously taught group lessons at The Dive Shop in 2020. She’s now back and running the swim program at The Dive Shop/ Diventures. As an SSI certified Swim Teacher and Swim Teacher Instructor, Suzanne can teach anyone to swim, from two months old through adults. Before raising her boys, she was also a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.

The water is her happy place. She loves to swim wherever she can and truly loves to share it with anyone who wants to learn. It’s also a life skill – something you can do your entire life. This skill is especially important for kids since drowning is a leading cause of death for them.

Email: [email protected]

Freediving Instructor

Aghali was born in Brazil and moved to California at a young age. Later, as an adult, he and his family moved to GA where his passion for freediving grew. As an avid freediver, & the founder of the Georgia freediving community, he became a freediving instructor so that he may share his passion of freediving with others. As an experienced educator, Aghali is no stranger to make your learning to freedive experiance a fun, fast, & safe process. Don’t just come and learn to freedive, come be a part of a growing dive community dedicated to growth, safety, & experiences to remember.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

What can we say?  Alfredo has been diving since 1983.  He loves training people to learn to dive and further their skills and experience.  Father of two and married to former Instructor Suzanne, they love diving worldwide.  You can find him in the water in Roatan or The Dive Shop pool, the man is a fish!  Alfredo continues to amaze all of us with his drive to learn more. He’s the one who brings staff the famous pupusas, if you don’t know what they are, you will have to ask Alfredo! Go diving, practice skills, be like Alfredo!

Divemaster

Danimal grew up in Cincinnati and would go Boating/Swimming/Water Skiing at Lake Cumberland, and the Ohio River. He has been driving boats since he was about 8, and has always loved the water. He got certified as an Open Water Diver in 1994 at age 15, and is level 6 SSI scuba diver with experience in a variety of types of scuba diving. His favorite place to dive is Lake Lanier, doing cleanup dives, and has helped remove over 1.5K lbs. of trash from the lake bottom. In the past, he worked part-time as a factory-trained and certified scuba equipment technician for several brands. On occasion, he gets his Mersona on as “AquaDan” and hangs out with the local pod of Marietta Merfolk. He is a certified Freediver and is working up to becoming a Freediving Instructor in the future.

Email: [email protected]

Swim Teacher

Don loves teaching people to swim and to be comfortable and confident in the water.  By day, he is a bus driver for the schools here in Georgia, so Don knows how keep everyone in line and safe! An avid diver, personal trainer and overall merman, Don is the most upbeat human you can meet, with a smile that can’t be beat. His classes have waiting lists, and we feel so lucky to have him on our team. Mr. Don to our swimmers, and superhero to us all!

Customer Experience Specialist

Alton was born on April 21, 1951, in the lakes region of Bridgton, Maine. His contact with the world of scuba seems to have run in ten-year cycles for a while. In 1960 (or so) a family friend came to his home on Lake Annabessacook (Winthrop, ME) to dive and he was instantly enthralled with the gear and the idea of breathing underwater. In 1970, another family friend got into scuba diving and showed his new gear and again he was hooked. In January of 1980 (ten years later) Alton earned his first “C” card from the YMCA. While this was going on he graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts Education (shop). He continued on in the diving world to earn a PADI Advanced Open Water, and Rescue Diver “C” cards in 1986. Several courses later Alton earned his PADI Master Diver certification in 1988. In 1991, the owner of the shop he was working out of convinced me to go for my PADI Dive Master, and PADI Open Water Instructor certifications. As time progressed Dr. Alton Bell spent 40 years as a Middle School Teacher and earned several more degrees (master’s, specialist, and doctorate) in education.

Customer Experience Specialist
Service Technician

Originally from Kentucky, Jay Young moved to the Atlanta area in 2019, to continue his career in the Film and Television industry, and his passion for Diving. Beginning in 2021, he joined the team at The Dive Shop in Marietta, utilizing his skills to provide service and technical work on equipment, and help provide the shop with continuous excellent customer interaction and education.

Independent Open Water Instructor

Jonathan started diving in 1992 as something interesting to do after leaving the U.S. Navy following honorable and faithful service while attending college and becoming a flight instructor. Jonathan completed the PADI OW course and did lots of diving In the springs of north Florida and the gulf coast. Following a 20-year hiatus to start a family and attend graduate school, it was time to get back into diving. Earning the the SSI Advanced Open Water course at The Dive Shop in Marietta, Jonathan became an active Boy Scout leader and ran two 10-day dive trips to the Florida Keys with 32 scouts and scouters and is still an active BSA Scuba Merit Badge Counselor. Jonathan continued diving coastal Florida and multiple destinations in the Caribbean in pursuit of better tropical diving adventures in places such as Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Honduras, Belize, Aruba, Bonaire, and the Bahamas. Jonathan became an SDI Divemaster in 2020, and SDI OW Instructor in 2021, and is now back at The Dive Shop as an SSI OW Instructor to share his love of diving with others.

Independent Open Water Instructor
Independent Scuba Ranger Instructor

Robert is an awesome diver who decided to become an Instructor after years of being pushed into it by his fellow divers, Dive Instructors, and friends. He’s a true educator, passionate about diving, thorough and patient. Intimidating in stature but he’s a true teddy bear when needed. Robert was inspired by some of the best and his drive to make them proud truly shows not only in the pool & classroom but in every trip he leads. Originally from Florida, he has been diving since 1993. He joined The Dive Shop IV in 2019, and we just love him.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Sheena is a Memphis Tiger turned Georgia Peach! She has been a part of The Dive Shop family for eighteen years between both the Memphis and Marietta shops, and we are so thrilled she is a part of our Instructor Staff. Sheena has a Master’s Degree in Maritime Archaeology, and loves teaching scuba Marine Ecology courses! Sheena loves to travel internationally, and when she’s not running her own business – you’ll find her in an exotic dive location: Australia, Costa Rica, or in our very own indoor heated pool in Marietta!

Independent Open Water Instructor

Stacey started diving in 1992 while in a 3 week vacation in Thailand. Having dove all over the world, he loves teaching others to enjoy this amazing experience. Father of two boys and along with his wife Leslie, he is getting to share his love of diving with his family. In order to keep his skills sharp, he has spent the last 16 years as a volunteer diver at the Georgia Aquarium performing glorious activities like cleaning acrylic, scrubbing rocks and moving sand. When he is not in the water, he is most likely involved in a boy scout activity with his youngest son – or at work in the IT industry.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Steve has been teaching underwater skills for over 25 years. He is passionate about search and rescue, which is his main career. He has traveled the planet working with multiple government agencies, volunteer rescue teams, and others. Even though that might be his bread and butter, training new scuba students remains his favorite thing to do.

Email: [email protected]

Customer Experience Specialist
Divemaster

Whitney is currently a DiveMaster and is looking forward to her next dive adventure – becoming an SSI Assistant Instructor! She loves underwater photography, so when she is not in the shop, you will catch her in the Florida Keys or the Caribbean, snapping photos of the vibrant wildlife and enjoying being an 80-80-80 diver (degrees, water temp., and visibility). With a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and a passion for coastal and marine environment conservation, Whitney is looking forward to continuing her dive education and professional development.

Former Open Water Diver Instructor

We lost Emily after a courageous battle with cancer in 2023, but her smile and energy will be remembered in our dive shop forever. She mastered all levels of scuba diving and was one of the first SSI TekXR divers. Scuba took her all over the world, but we are so thankful she taught our students here in Marietta, including many youth and Scuba Rangers.