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Divers Den

"Divers Serving Divers Since 1967"

Meet the Divers Den Team

For the love of diving...

Kelly McAdam, Divers Den Owner

Kelly McAdam

OWNER & CAPTAIN

⇀ About KELLY

Kelly aka “Mama Duck” is the proud owner of Divers Den who truly does "all the things".

From captaining to visual inspections and filling tanks to fixing things and managing the team – you’ll see her hustling in all the places.

If she’s not working at the Den, she’ll be working somewhere else and always working hard! She might be operating the hyperbaric chamber, feeding the chickens, making soap, doing yard work, baking bread, or cooking for her beloved team, all the while wishing she had the power to slow down time.

If she could time travel back in time it would be to the Wild West and we would suggest that you do NOT challenge her to a stand off... she will win.

Please take a moment to read her warning label: “Don’t mess with my people.”

Braydin Fairchild, Captain, Divers Den Tobermory

Braydin Fairchild

CAPTAIN

⇀ About BRAYDIN

Braydin has been with Divers Den for six years, starting at 16 washing wetsuits and has worked his way up to boat captain! When he’s not on the water (or under it), he works as a firefighter in Toronto. His love for captaining comes through even when thinking about which period he would travel to if he had a time machine! He’d go to 1800 to sail all of our shipwrecks before they sank. He’s a smiley one so when he is serious, there’s a good reason for it… that’s why his warning sign would read: “If I’m not smiling, no one else should be.”

Brian Captain

Brian Combe

CAPTAIN

⇀ About BRIAN

Captain Brian likes the morning, coffee and his drysuit…. and he'll need it at his favourite dive sites: Forest City and Arabia!

He is a country person who will be found doing yard work on his days off and would choose to time travel to the 1960’s if time travel was real – no particular reason given.

His warning label would read “Grumpy when provoked”. Just bring some pasta, beer and wine (not mixed) and he’ll be dandy.

Dave Van Geem, Divemaster Divers Den Tobermory

Dave Van Geem

DIVEMASTER

⇀ About DAVE

Dave is your classic 'morning person' with coffee being an essential in his morning routine. With a passion for learning and research the one thing Dave couldn't live without on a desert island would be his internet connection.  This comes as a considerable shock to his wife of 20 years, who thought she might be the only thing Dave couldn’t live without!

When he isn't out exploring the underwater world as a Divemaster at Divers Den, you might find Dave tinkering on his classic car or building the latest green energy project, but diving is what he loves and he still can't believe he gets paid to do his hobby!

His first choice is always a dark beer... pale gold is the proper colour of beer once your kidneys are finished!

If he had a time machine Dave would travel to the height of the Roman Empire, near the Mediterranean and work tirelessly to be elected to the senate.  Veni, Vidi, Vici!

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Jamie Goodhew

DIVEMASTER

⇀ About JAMIE

Jamie became a certified diver in 1993. He came to Tobermory in 1995 to do his Advanced open water.
He fell in love with the area and came back many times over the years.
His love and knowledge of diving never faded over the years progressing up to Dive Master in 2019.
He now has a seasonal residents in Tobermory and you can find him here almost every weekend.
Jamie loves to share his almost 30 years of diving experience and will always have some kind of diving story to tell.
Jamie also recently became a member of the Tobermory Coast Guard Auxiliary.

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Julian Low, Dive Instructor, Divers Den Tobermory

Julian Low

INSTRUCTOR

⇀ About JULIAN

Julian’s passion for diving started with his Open Water in Key Largo, Florida in 2016 to achieving his Divemaster in Cozumel in 2019. Diving everywhere Honduras, Mexico, the Phillipines to the Great Lakes, gaining experience in all diving conditions, Julian has found his dive family here in Tobermory.

Achieving his PADI Instructors in spring of 2022, Julian has taken his training to the next level in order to bring his love of diving to more people. His goal is to help anyone get over their fears or mental barriers, regardless of their physical or cognitive challenges. Never forgetting what it’s like to be a ‘new Open Water diver’, Julian’s strong connection to his own journey, and how diving has played a key role, fuels his passion to show up every day and bring his best to his students.

This confident and fun loving instructor (although secretly an introvert) will make you laugh one minute and then focus and engage you on the task at hand the next minute. Julian’s superpower is being able to connect to his students at their level to bring out the best in them.

When he’s not working at the shop you can find Julian playing with the puppies or working out. At 48, he knows how important it is to keep yourself physically and mentally ready to show up for your team and your students. On the boat, he’s our elected DJ where his music playlist makes as much sense as trying to taste the colour 9! But we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Justin Evans, Snorkel Crew, Shop Staff, Divers Den Tobermory

Justin Evans

SNORKEL CREW / SHOP STAFF

⇀ About JUSTIN

Justin is in grade 11 at Medway high school. He is an Advanced Open Water certified diver with PADI and got certified at the young age of 10.

If he was to have a super power it would definitely be the ability to fly.

Justin has recently completed his NLS certificate and joins the Divers Den team for his first season in 2022. You will find him suiting up our Snorkeling Tour guests, guiding them on their snorkelling adventure to experience the shipwrecks of Fathom Five, or lending a hand around the Dive Shop.

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Kristen Anderson, Captain in Training, Divers Den Tobermory Scuba Divers

Kristen Anderson

CAPTAIN

⇀ About KRISTEN

Kristen is a Captain-in-training with Divers Den. Professionally, she is a Registered Psychotherapist with Music Therapist Accreditation working in private practice.

She is a jazz and classical pianist; singer-songwriter and guitarist; though she is most revered for continuing to use a Blackberry.

Her family has been coming to the Bruce Peninsula for more than 40 years and Kristen began diving in 2000.

She has travelled to many incredible dive destinations around the world including the Galapagos and Indonesia, but her heart truly belongs to The Bruce.

She is now searching for a way to merge her love of the water with her love of music. BEWARE that if you choose to skip a dive on Kristen's boat - she will have to sing to you.

Kristiina Erkkila, Front Team Scuba Diver, Doubles Diver, Divers Den Tobermory

Kristiina Erkkila

FRONT TEAM

⇀ About KRISTIINA

Originally from Finland, Kristiina has found a new home in Canada – and in Tobermory during the summers.

She came in 2018, saw the Sweepstakes and fell in love with shipwrecks. Now, it’s hard to keep her out of the water!

She is currently a Divemaster candidate working her way to becoming a PADI Pro!

If she’s not at our headquarters as shop staff, she’s probably diving.

A hidden talent of hers is salsa dancing and crocheting. While she prefers dragons over dinosaurs, she’d go back to the Mesozoic era to meet some real-life dinosaurs if she could.

In her snack pack: Quesadillas! 

Lonny Kirlin, PADI Instructor, Tobermory Dives Den

Lonny Kirlin

INSTRUCTOR

⇀ About LONNY

Lonny was born into Scuba Diving in 1998 in the cold and dark waters of Ontario’s pristine Lake Simcoe.

In spite of the magnificent 2 to 3  feet of visibility during those certifications dives, Lonny continued to learn, dive and love the cold, dark waters.

To this day Lonny is one of few Instructors who has never dove outside of Canada. With 12 years experience as a military instructor in a variety of subjects, Lonny became a PADI dive instructor to share his passion for this amazing sport.

He loves to introduce a wide range of age groups to scuba diving in all core courses and specialties, including young divers. This is demonstrated by his 12 year old daughter who not only shares his passion for diving but who is also a certified diver with multiple specialties.

If Lonny had a super power, it would be to breathe under water, because let’s be honest, tanks do eventually run out of air.

These days Lonny can be seen hovering at depth enjoying the beautiful shipwrecks of Tobermory and sipping on his coffee between breaths from his regulator... maybe if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of this rare marine animal.

Milan Desnerck, Dive Instructor, Tobermory, Divers Den

Milan Desnerck

INSTRUCTOR

⇀ About MILAN

This tall hardworking creature was born in Belgium, and has since spent his time travelling as much of the world as he can.

His passion and love for diving lead him to become an instructor in 2017, and he has never looked back.

In the rare occasion he is not underwater, you can find him working with his hands, tending to his garden and drinking coffee with chocolate.

Legend has it he cooks AND cleans…a rare creature indeed.

Peter McAdam, Captain, Divers Den, Proteus

Peter McAdam

CAPTAIN

⇀ About PETER

Peter is one of our captains supporting the DD team in his retirement for the love of captaining and being on the water. He has been a captain for the last 8 years for Divers Den, but has over 25 years of experience on his own 36' cruiser.

He prides himself on doing everything he can to help divers enjoy their outing by focusing on their safety and picking the best available sites pending the weather and diver interest.

On his days off you might bump into him trail running with the dogs after his morning coffee. His love for American Pie (the song), Monty Python and Sea Salt & Ground Pepper chips says it all: Peter is a happy, content man who doesn’t want any trouble.

When asked where he’d take a trip to if he had a time machine, he simply answers “Today!”.

Rich Moccia, Captain Divers Den

Rich  Moccia

CAPTAIN

⇀ About RICH

Captain Rich, aka ‘Starsky’ or ‘Richie-Rich,’ is a captain and divemaster and a full-time friend to all!

He would love to be in control of the weather and to be able to talk to dolphins at his favourite dive site, which is, “Anywhere below 2 metres with good visibility.”

Like most of us, Rich fell in love with Tobermory from the moment he first set eyes on it.  That was back in 1970 when he arrived to complete his first, open water certification dives.  Since then, he spent his career working on the Great Lakes as an aquatic and fisheries scientist, research diver and university prof, and has dived the Tobermory wrecks too many times to mention!

Rich’s ‘Happy Place’ is anywhere on, in or under the water, and he enjoys helping new and experienced divers alike.

Captain Rich’s top priorities are client safety and ensuring that all passengers have an enjoyable aquatic adventure.  In addition to over 5 decades of scuba diving and marine experience, Rich brings extensive knowledge of the dive sites, local geography and geology, flora and fauna, and a sense of humour to every charter!

Shannon Ward, Divers Den Administrator and Front Team

Shannon Ward

FRONT TEAM / ADMIN

⇀ About SHANNON

This social butterfly was raised around the lakes of Ontario, but now you will find her flying all around the globe collecting the most pristine pebbles to add to her collection.

On land you can find this heat loving creature soaking up the sun or curled up in front of a fire. Yet in the deep and cold waters of Tobermory, she feels right at home - perhaps she's a bit of an enigma.

She loves bringing groups together and will never turn down a spontaneous adventure! Legends say she’s trained her husband to cook & clean, which probably explains why she's smiling all the time.

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SUGAR

DIVE SHOP HOSTESS & PART TIME ASSISTANT MANAGER

⇀ About SUGAR

Sugar has been a shop dog at Divers Den HQ for a few years now and the team have grown quite fond of her.

When she isn't belly up and smiling while lounging on her bed, you might find her wagging her tail at children or greeting customers with a friendly full body wiggle.

Her favourite things include sleeping and snoring and playing with her fur-siblings Deco and Dexter.

Hank

HANK

TRAINING CENTRE WATCHDOG & ASSISTANT DIVE INSTRUCTOR

⇀ About HANK

Hank is usually found at the training center or lazing around in the back area sun soaking the day away at Headquarters.  When not in the sun or greeting customers he assists with office support and administration.
He has his own BCD, regulator and SPG.  He also comes with a professional 1st impression appearance styling his bowtie look so he's ready for anything 😂
When not at Divers Den he is with his dad (Julian) living his absolute best and incredibly spoiled life.
He believes in ladies 1st and will demonstrate that by kissing up to them for love and attention before acknowledging gentlemen.
He may or may not at times (100% is guilty) of attempting to steal the hearts of women so watch out fellas.....he's shameless!

Join the Team

Divers Den is always looking for talented individuals with a passion for diving.

Send us an email to: hiring@diversden.ca
with an expression of interest to be considered as an applicant.

If you're looking for a fast paced, dynamic and engaging role in a unique, picturesque tourism destination? You may have found your new home. The Divers Den team are a crew of hard working and fun individuals with a passion for diving, people and teamwork. If you think you'd be a good fit on the team, we want to hear from you!

E-mail: hiring@diversden.ca using "Application for Employment" as the subject line and we will be in touch!

What are we all about? Find out more here!

SAFETY

CUSTOMER SERVICE

ADVENTURE

PASSION

DIVING

Opening May 11 for the 2024 season! Book online, email or call for inquiries!

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