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The passion started with my Papa Jim.  He was a pioneer in the industry in the 1960's.  His brother and himself taught themselves to dive in a rock quarry holding onto rocks to go down.  He taught his kids and then his grandkids to scuba dive. Papa's love for the water and diving has been passed down through 4 generations.  

Diving has long been one of my life goals. After raising our family with my wife, it became a reality in 2015, thanks in part to our middle daughter. After high school she had an opportunity to volunteer to do coral research in Mexico and completed her open water and advanced diver certifications. We were heading down to pick her up and grabbed the opportunity to complete

the open water certification in Mexico and extended our trip to get certified and make a few dives. I was hooked on diving from that point forward.

Our family trips started to change to include diving and I continued to complete additional

certifications. After completing the Rescue Diver course and as my corporate retirement

neared, I knew I wanted to pursue diving further. A few months before retirement we were on a family trip to the island of Bonaire and I began asking the dive crew about becoming a DiveMaster. They suggested I consider their 2 month internship and just like that, the seed was planted. A couple months after my retirement, I returned to Bonaire for the Dive Master internship. It was great to work with other divers and instructors to help people learn to dive and

share our passion for diving and the wonders of the ocean. My Dive Master experience

solidified my desire to become an instructor and I returned to the island and successfully

completed the Instructor Development Course.

Being able to help people learn to dive, improve their skills and experience the wonders of the ocean is something I find incredibly rewarding. I’m honored to be a part of the dive community and am eager to share my passion with others.

Hi, I’m Abbey! I’m a Divemaster with First Dive and Beyond Scuba and the Dive Safety Officer at SEA LIFE Aquarium Kansas City. Though I was born and raised in Kansas, I’ve always had a deep passion for the ocean and its incredible creatures. For the past eight years, I’ve worked at SEA LIFE caring for a variety of marine animals and specializing in the husbandry and conservation of sharks and stingrays. When I was younger, I told my mom that I wanted to dive with sharks someday—now I get to do that on a weekly basis! When I’m not helping out at the dive shop or looking after the animals at the aquarium, I enjoy going to concerts, having game nights with friends, or relaxing at home with my fiancé, Eric, and our Rottweiler, Shy. 

I’ve been making waves since 2015, earning my Rescue Diver certification and diving into adventures from sand tiger shark encounters in North Carolina to manta-stic nights in Hawaii. I’ve gone fin-deep in Toronto, Florida, and even three public aquariums—because why limit yourself to just the open ocean?

Whether I’m under the sea or exploring topside trails, I’m always in my element. Diving isn’t just a hobby—it’s my way of staying current and sharing the wonders of the big blue with others.

I grew up, like most children of the ‘60s and ‘70s, watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and longed to experience it for myself. The movie Jaws, which only deepened my fascination with the Big Blue, rather than terrifying me as it did others. But life happened, and the dream faded, but never disappeared. I was finally certified in 2016, and most recently earned my SDI Divemaster Certification. 

While most of my dives are in warm water spots like Florida, Hawai’i, and Cozumel, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting experiences. I particularly love wreck diving due to the history behind each one. Two of my bucket list locations are the wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon in Micronesia and the Great Lakes.

I’m a former Kansas City Police Officer, retired from the US Army in 2021, and now work at Western Governors University as a Military Development Specialist, when I’m not helping with dive classes. I’m currently working on my Scubility Dive Buddy certification so I can help my fellow Veterans and First Responders who suffer from mental, physical, and emotional hardships, discover the beauty, and experience the mind-calming peace and tranquility of the underwater world. 

My goal is to work full-time in a dive shop and dive as much as possible once I decide that I’ve had enough of my ‘real job.’ I also want to get dry suit certified for those Great Lakes trips. I’ve always had a passion for training and would like to earn my instructor rating after gaining more experience.