Sterling, Va

Independent Assistant Instructor

Andrew was certified in July 2005 in Clarksville, Tennessee while stationed at Fort Campbell with his wife, LTC Nancy Bodyk (Ret). He convinced his wife to get certified in 2008 and made scuba diving a family activity. Andrew advanced through other specialties including Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Aquarium Diver, Enriched Air Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Search and Recovery and Under Water Hunter. He earned his Advanced Open Water certification in November 2007, Rescue Diver in July 2014 and Master Scuba Diver in September 2014. He completed the Divemaster Program in July 2015.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor
Service Technician

Drew grew up in and around the water, snorkeling in Florida on vacation, and listening to his dad’s scuba adventures.  Drew was certified in 2004 in a local Virginia quarry, having no idea where that initial class would take him.  In preparing for a family trip to Aruba to finally do some diving with his dad & brother, Drew took his advanced open water course and hasn’t looked back since. He has since grown into an avid technical diver who loves the challenges of deep wrecks and cave diving.  He enjoys sharing his diverse knowledge of different diving equipment and configurations with those looking to expand their knowledge and skills beyond their initial certification.  Drew’s also a highly experienced equipment technician, servicing most major brands. His favorite sites to date are the wrecks off the Florida coast and in Scapa Flow, Scotland.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Duane got an early start in diving by earning his Junior Open Water certification in 1984 and hasn’t stopped diving since.  He’s currently a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and can teach divers of all levels- Open Water, Advanced, Rescue – and for countless specialties like Night, Drift, Wreck, or Boat diving.  He’s also a technical diver, as well as a cylinder inspector and gas blender at Diventures. Duane loves teaching and kinds of diving – from reefs, to wrecks, to walls – that’s why he’s been doing it for 38 years!  You might see him around the shop or on one of our trips – especially if it’s Bonaire or Grand Cayman.

Owner of Nautilus Aquatics
Instructor Trainer

Jason started his diving career on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. He was on his honeymoon and suggested he and his wife get certified together. Almost immediately upon returning to Northern Virginia Jason found Sterling Silver Scuba (now Nautilus Aquatics) and continued his diving career. In 2008 he and his wife Melissa purchased Sterling Silver Scuba.

Independent Open Water Diver Instructor

Jeff was enticed by a former colleague to try scuba diving and became hooked after his first dive. He earned his Open Water certification in 1991 and dove sporadically for years. He eventually got back to diving more regularly and moved on to earn his Advanced Open Water certification, Rescue certification, Master Scuba Diver and various specialties. Jeff decided to go pro so that he could share his fascination for scuba diving with others. Jeff’s next goal is to continue to learn new specialties and to work towards an Instructor Trainer certification.

Independent Divemaster

Joshua started diving career in July 2015 with the intention of being certified before attending a destination wedding in Saint Lucia. He was quickly bitten by the scuba bug and decided to continue with the sport. Joshua completed his Master Diver certification in October 2016 after completing 50 dives and 10 certifications (only 5 are required). 2017 introduced Technical Diving and the idea of moving to a professional diver by completing the Divemaster certification in November 2017. Joshua is excited to be assisting instructors who trained him with classes and further his love of diving.

Customer Experience Specialist

Mackenzie received her Open Water Diver certification in 2019. She was raised near the beach and fell in love with swimming and the ocean. Mackenzie was on the swim team in high school and took an interest in topics like environmental science and marine ecosystems. Being the oldest of five, Mackenzie took pride in teaching her younger siblings to be strong and safe swimmers.

During her first three years of college in the Virgin Islands, Mackenzie worked part-time at a local scuba shop and majored in marketing. A year after St. Croix endured two CAT 5 hurricanes, Mackenzie moved back to the States and transferred to George Mason University. Now Mackenzie looks forward to future trips and continuing her scuba education toward Advanced Diver.

Email: [email protected]

Independent Divemaster

Marlene started diving in 2014 and quickly fell in love with the sport. She worked her way up to the requirements for Divemaster and successfully completed the program in 2017. Marlene has completed 6 recreational specialties with wreck and coral restoration being her favorites. She is also a certified technical diver and working on furthering her technical diving skills.

Owner of Nautilus Aquatics
Open Water Diver Instructor

Melissa started her diving career on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. She was on her honeymoon and her husband suggested they get certified together. Almost immediately upon returning to Northern Virginia Melissa found Sterling Silver Scuba (now Nautilus Aquatics) and continued her diving career. In 2008 she and her husband Jason purchased Sterling Silver Scuba.

Independent Divemaster

Nancy was certified in August 2008 at Dutch Springs Quarry in Pennsylvania. She advanced through other specialties including Wreck Dive, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Under Water Hunter, Under Water Navigator, Deep Diver, Enriched Air Dive, Dry Suit Diver, Aquarium Diver and Search & Recovery. Nancy earned her Advanced Open Water in August 2008, Rescue Diver in July 2014 and Master Scuba Diver in November 2015. She completed the Dive Master Program for PADI and SDI in October 2018.

Customer Experience Specialist

Nathan has been diving for over 30 years and has been a pro since 2009. In the past, he was a swim coach, lifeguard, and swim instructor for 13+ years. He is from Florida where he dove all over, including the EPCOT living seas aquarium and one of his favorite dive spots is the Upper Keys. He loves teaching and answering any questions about water!

Independent Assistant Instructor

Rob’s been an Open Water Diver for over 20 years, earning his initial Open Water certification while living in N.C. He’s been a PADI Pro for six of those years. Rob migrated to Northern VA and soon signed up for the PADI Divemaster internship with the original Nautilus Aquatics. Currently, Rob teaches Underwater Digital Photography, Peak Performance Buoyancy and PADI Equipment Specialist.

Open Water Instructor

Robert took his Open Water certification in September 2022 and fell in love with diving immediately. He went straight into multiple specialty courses, such as Underwater Navigator, Night, Deep, and Peak Performance Buoyancy. He then gained his Advanced Open Water certification, still enjoying every second, and decided to take it seriously by getting Rescue certified. Later on, he became a Divemaster in October 2022. He started off 2023 diving strong by becoming an Open Water Scuba Instructor in April. He’s excited to help others find the beauty and peace of diving.

Social Media Marketing Strategist
Travel Coordinator and Instructor

Stephanie became enchanted with the underwater world in 1993 while snorkeling with family in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. A year later she obtained her Open Water certification in Grand Cayman and was completely hooked. Five years later, she obtained her Advanced Open Water certification in the Bahamas. After another 15+ years of diving and snorkeling all around the world, she became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer in 2013. As a self-proclaimed critter hunter and conservationist, some of her favorite aquatic experiences have included: diving with hammerhead sharks in the Caribbean and Red Seas, diving with manta rays in Hawaii and the Maldives, snorkeling with whale sharks in the Maldives, and coral restoration efforts in Florida. Stephanie also enjoys exploring scuba diving education through social media, generating creative marketing ideas, organizing conservation endeavors, and researching, planning, and coordinating scuba travel.

Store Director

Willie began his journey as a scuba student at Iowa State University in 2000. He is currently a PADI MSDT working on a crossover to SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor. Prior to joining Diventures, he managed a PADI Five Star IDC store in St Petersburg, FL, and owned a dive center in Ames, IA. Willie has experienced diving in Iowa, Florida, Australia, Hawaii, and many islands in the Caribbean. One of his favorite classes was teaching scuba as part of the Spaceflight Operations course at Iowa State University for six years. Willie takes great pride in customer service and satisfaction. He chose to work at Diventures because it aligns with his core values, which include being friendly and providing high customer service and satisfaction.