COCONUT TREE DIVERS
Roatan, Honduras
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The Crew at Coconut Tree
Management
PJ comes from Hampshire in the UK. He started his diving career while as a fisherman, wanting to know more about the habitats of the underwater creatures he was catching. He learned to dive by exploring the shipwrecks in the chilly waters off the south coast of England in 1985. During his seven-year tenure in the Cayman Isles, he worked with several world-famous dive operations, including Jean-Michel Cousteau and the Cousteau Society. Looking for a quieter setting, he moved to Roatan in 1995 where he managed several dive operations around West End. He assumed the role of "The Boss" when he started his own dive shop at Coconut Tree Resort in 2002. As the owner of Coconut Tree Divers, his many specialties include equipment repair, compressor engineer, boat engineer, car mechanic, and father of two. He loves his wife Gaynor's cooking and takes every Sunday off to cheer on Dale Earnhart Jr. in the weekly NASCAR race. Tree comes from Canada and wears many different hats around Coconut Tree Divers: repairing equipment, filling tanks, and most of all helping customers with all of their needs. He's the guy that coordinates the show and is most likely the first person to greet you upon entering the shop. As a diver of over ten years, he knows what you'll need to get the most out of your diving experience on Roatan. Prior to becoming shop manager, Tree snapped pictures of fish and divers as the dive shop photographer. His amazing photographs adorn the shop walls and he frequently accompanies aspring underwater photographers to help them line up the perfect shot. Tree loves his country (just check out the tattoo on his chest) and helping the beautiful "bikinifish" that walk in the shop. Captain
Captain Carl is a true Roatan icon. Born and raised on the island, his boat captain career kicked off at age sixteen while ferrying visitors to and from Anthony's Key Resort. By eighteen he was working full-time as a boat captain for various dive shops around West End. Over the last thirty years he has captained many different kinds of dive boats under all sorts of weather conditions. To quote the man himself, "almost all of my life has been spent on the water." Captain Carl has worked at Coconut Tree Divers since the shop's inception. Taking the helm of Bottom Time, he will drive you to all the sites in the Sandy Bay - West End Marine Reserve. Carl will also assist divers with equipment setup, entering and exiting the water, and making certain that everything about your dives goes as smoothly as possible. He loves to snack on chicken and tell crazy stories of yesteryears on Roatan. Instructors
After learning to dive in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand, in 1995, Will explored the waters of Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Crete, Sri Lanka, Bocas del Toro, and the Corn Islands. Tired of his job as an accountant, he left sunny England in 2003 and completed his PADI Divemaster and Open Water Scuba Instructor certifications in Roatan. He has been alternating between teaching in Roatan and the British Virgin Islands ever since. Will is currently certified as a PADI Master Instructor with specialties in Enriched Air Nitrox, Wreck Diver, Deep Diver, Night Diver, Underwater Photography, and Underwater Videography. He is also Coconut Tree Diver's resident Tec instructor, teaching the PADI Tec Deep, Tec Trimix, and Gas Blender courses. Will loves sailing, shrimp Thai curry, and his dog Deco.
Marc started diving on the shipwrecks of North Carolina in 1996. He's a bit dumb, but is an idiot-savant of diving-- a veritable Rain Man. When he isn't teaching classes or leading dives, we keep him in a box in the compressor room.
Jose starting diving in the chilly waters of Maryland in 1989. His diving career has included dives off Spain, Egypt, Ireland, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Israel, and Mozambique. After earning his Divemaster rating, he went to become an Open Water Scuba Instructor on Utila in 1999. He has been living and diving around Roatan since 2000. Jose currently holds specialities in Nitrox, Deep, Drift, Naturalist, and Night. He loves surfing, art, and searching West End for his brown lab Jambo.
Monty's diving career began in 2001 when he was trained as a deep sea/commercial diver in Seattle, Washington. His diving adventures have carried him to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, St. Thomas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Isles, Antigua, Cozumel, Curacoa, Aruba, Venezuela, St. Lucia, and Canada. After working for Royal Caribbean cruise line as an instructor, he decided to seek firmer ground with the crew at Coconut Tree. Monty holds specialities in Deep, Night, Navigation, Nitrox, Drift, Gas Blender, Chamber Technician, and Emergency First Response. He likes to smoke cigars and chase fast women on his slow scooter whilst playing hockey.
Marco started his career teaching Web Publishing at Clemson university for three years and then served for three years in the United States Army. After he finished his enlistment he worked in the construction industry until deciding it was time for a career change into the diving industry. Marco has been scuba diving for over a year, having completed his PADI Divemaster certification with Coconut Tree before joining the staff as an instructor. He enjoys cooking gourmet meals and practicing web design in his spare time.
Escaping from the frozen version of water and choosing to be barefoot instead of wearing ski boots in Colorado, Tim "The Dude" began his professional diving career in Utila, Honduras in 2001 before coming to the Coconut Tree team in Roatan. After taking some time teaching scuba in Hawaii, Tim returned to the preferred, clearer waters of the Carribean. Tim enjoys teaching the Advanced Open Water courses and holds specialties in Nitrox, Deep, Night, and Navigation.
Steve's diving addiction took hold with the first bubbles he blew in 2000. As a Master Scuba Diver Trainer since 2004, Steve has spent most of his diving career exploring Roatan's reefs as part of the Coconut Tree Crew. His diving adventures have included Cozumel, Grand Cayman, British Virgin Islands, the Cornish Coast of England, Malaysia, and (his absolute favorite) the shipwrecks off the North Carolina coast. Steve loves teaching the Rescue course and exploring the tunnels around Hole in the Wall. When not teaching diving or playing video games, Steve can be found huddled behind his laptop updating the Coconut Tree website or working on his own projects at TheScubaGeek.com.
Since she learned to dive in 1996, Loren has travelled the world over in search of the perfect site, visiting diving "hot-spots" such as Red Sea, Malaysia, Australia, Fiji, California, and Tobago. She has worked as a PADI Divemaster in Malaysia and Cayos Cochinos before completing her Instructor Development Course in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef. Loren first came to Roatan in July 2002 working for Coral Cay Conservation and joined Coconut Tree Divers in their first ever reef clean up. Loren is qualified Marine Biologist and has done extensive conservation work around the world. When the weather goes sour and Will is too chicken to venture out, Loren takes charge in teaching courses and guiding dives. The rest of the time Loren works behind the front desk, juggling the instructor schedule, greeting new customers, and generally making the shop run smoothly. Loren is currently certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor with specialties in Enriched Air Nitrox and Underwater Naturist. Loren can teach in Scottish, German and English. She loves to find Juvenile Trunk fish and not having to wear shoes.
A native Roatan islander, Rolando started diving the reef around his island three years ago. He completed his Divemaster certification at Coconut Tree in 2005 and now leads visiting divers around his favorite dive sites. Rolando loves driving his skiff, drinking rum, and impressing the ladies by diving headfirst into the reef. Support Staff Deco, a purebred Caribbean Reef Dog, joined the Coconut Tree crew in 2006. He refuses to tell any of us where he has been or what he has done. He loves to chase cats, sticks, and tennis balls while barking incessantly. His favorite food is rawhide bones. Bring him a bone or tennis ball and you will win his love forever! Tuk-Tuk has been hanging around Coconut Tree since 2005 when Tree brought her in as a pup. She can be distinguished from other purebred Island Dogs by her stubby tail-- a puphood souvenier from a rough encounter with a land crab. She loves spending days at the Treehouse, chasing other dogs on the beach, and pracing around like a little caribou. Precious, a beautiful calico Honduran feline, adopted Coconut Tree as her new home after receiving a warm saucer of milk. She has since given birth to several litters of kittens and recently became a grandmother herself with one of her offspring had a litter at the shop. Precious loves sunbathing, curling up inside a towel, and constantly getting pregnant. Divemaster Trainees
Next: Photos of Roatan -> |
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PJ Rowntree
Tree
Carl Wagner
Will Welbourn 
Marc Cruciani 
Jose Silva
Monty Graham 
Marco Alvardo 
Tim Wyatt 
Steve Craig 
Loren Hartley
Rolando 
Deco 
Tuk-Tuk 
Precious 
coconuttreedivers@gmail.com |
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