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Aquarius Scuba Training Team |
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| Welcome to Aquarius Scuba Diving Center, please take a minute to familiarize yourself with our experienced and enthusiastic instructors and staff. |
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Marek Paszyn |
MAREK PASZYN developed his great love for water sports at an early age in his native Poland, where he was a competitive swimmer, lifeguard and lifeguard instructor, skin diver, and then CMAS-certified commercial and rescue SCUBA diver. Mark is the owner and founder of Aquarius SCUBA Diving Center, which was established in 1993.
He is also its Head Instructor, as well as the President of its 12-year old affiliate, the Coral SCUBA Diving Club. Mark has introduced many thousands of Canadians to the wonderful world of snorkeling and SCUBA diving, and has also trained several high quality Instructors, Dive masters and Master Divers. They have all benefited from his great interest in helping others improve their skills and enjoyment in one of nature’s most pleasurable activities. Mark holds many professional diving certifications including NAUI Instructor, ACUC Master Trainer Instructor, TDI Advanced Nitrox Instructor, TDI Decompression Procedures Instructor, TDI Equipment Oxygen Service Technician, CMAS Three Star Instructor, DAN and ACUC Oxygen Provider Instructor, PADI Master Instructor and 20 specialties, in particular, cave diving, breath-hold (free) diving, technical diving, and underwater videography etc.
Mark has studied physical education at the university level, has a Diploma in Automotive Engineering, and is also a Certified SCUBA Service Technician and Mixed Gas Blender.
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LAWRENCE BEAGAN is a career diver with over thirty years experience in sport and technical diving. He started diving in 1970 and certified as a diving instructor in 1973. Since then Lawrence has been continuously active as a diver and instructor logging over 3,500 dives and certifying more then 5,000 divers. Lawrence is a NAUI Course Director and NAUI Technical Instructor and has directed over fifteen Instructor training courses including programs for the Canadian Armed Forces and the University of Mexico, in Mexico City.
Some of the highlights of Lawrence’s diving career include three terms as president of NAUI Canada, member of the NAUI Worldwide Board of Directors and appointment to the NAUI Board of Advisors in 1994. In 1996 Lawrence became the seventh recipient of the NAUI Canada Medal for “Outstanding contributions to the sport of diving”. As well as teaching diving, Lawrence is an avid Cave diver with extensive experience exploring caves in Mexico and Florida. |
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"Give a man a fish – feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish – feed him for a lifetime". This is a favorite proverb of JAREK WAROW, Advanced Diving Instructor, Basic Nitrox Instructor (ACUC) and TDI Instructor who enjoys teaching diving even more than diving itself (and Jarek has logged over 100 dives this year). He was first certified as a Basic SCUBA Diver 11 years ago, and is now an avid skin diver (breath-hold) and advanced mixed gas and technical diver, enjoying diving anywhere on the planet. He and Master Diver Jenny Howell celebrated their honeymoon this year in Hawaii, and their diving experiences there are written up in the current edition of The Dive Log, the newsletter of the Coral SCUBA diving club.
Jarek is the Treasurer of the Club and can often be found at its regular Monday and Thursday evening training sessions at Etobicoke Olympium Pool. Jarek has a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Polish Literature and Film from University of Toronto, and is currently employed in the freight forwarding business. |
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JOHN ROBB As a young child, John spent each evening glued to the television set as re-runs of Sea Hunt explored the new vista available to divers. A deep wish to be a diver developed and along with a desire to be a Police officer, the years passed.
Very few people can claim that they accomplished all of their childhood wishes, however John succeeded in becoming a Police Sergeant with the Toronto Police Service and as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. Scuba was a way for a big guy to beat gravity and the skills came easily. Days after completing basic certification, John became involved as a course helper, eventually progressing to Dive master and Assistant Instructor. During those years opportunities for commercial diving work became available, with John providing underwater lighting and dive mastering services for episodes of Rescue 911 and a starring (submerged) role in Heart of Courage. John was also involved in the making of a major documentary called “The Marquette Challenge”, where a number of disabled divers performed an archaeological survey of the shipwreck, the Marquette.
John became a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, certifying divers in 14 specialties including underwater photography and video, enriched air and equipment maintenance, DAN and ACUC Oxygen Provider Instructor.
Currently, John is on a sabbatical from teaching. |
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SANDY ROBB Like many of us, Sandy always wanted to give scuba a try, but never quite got around to it. When on a trip to the islands, a friend convinced her to give it a go and she has never looked back. As a certified diver, Sandy joined the (Police) Metropol Dive Club, one of the few females in the sport at the time, continuing her training and experience.
She became an active Divemaster, assisting with numerous courses. Sandy dive mastered the filming of the documentary, the “Marquette Challenge”, assisting in extreme weather conditions with divers with special needs. Sandy's love for underwater life led her to underwater photography as a hobby, and in order to share her passion for the underwater world with others, she became an Open Water Scuba Instructor. Sandy has brought incredible patience and empathy to teaching, able to assist the students having difficulty or needing that little extra confidence boost. After 25 years of diving, she is still in awe of the beauty of the underwater world, and with a focus on conservation, wants to ensure its preservation for future generations. |
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MIKE ELVIDGE, whom you could easily mistake for actor Jeff Daniels, rounds out the Aquarius Instructor roster. Mike is an ACUC-certified Instructor and TDI Instructor (TDI-certified for Decompression Procedures, Extended Range, and Trimix). He is also no doubt the only person at Aquarius who is big enough to lug around twin 125 cubic foot steel Faber tanks!
Mike wrote about his experience in passing the final exam to becoming an Instructor in The Dive Log, and his description of the rigorous process (The Drill) makes for necessary reading by any aspiring SCUBA diving leader. A Professional Engineer with an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering, Mike works full-time in the aerospace industry. His early memories of his father diving in Hawaii led young Mike to practice breath-holding exercises in the bathtub until his face would turn red. He has been SCUBA diving since 1994, and has already completed over 150 dives, including 10 dives to over 200 feet of depth. Mike exemplifies the cool-headed, well-trained, methodical approach required to safely dive beyond the normal recreational depth limit of 130 feet. |
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MARGARET PASZYN learned to SCUBA dive at the earliest age possible (12 years old), earning her NAUI Junior Open Water Diver Certification. She loved the feeling of being below the water surface, and couldn't wait to become more involved in diving and achieve higher certifications.
She is an excellent swimmer and competed for the PEPSI Swim Club at the Etobicoke Olympium Pool. She is also an NLS (National Lifeguard Service) Instructor. Now age twenty, Margaret is a PADI Assistant Instructor and serves Aquarius as a Salesperson during her spare time. |
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EDITE PONTES has been actively diving and teaching for the Toronto Police Recreational Dive Club - Metropol for many years. Not a member of the Police Service, she was invited to join by a member and became a certified diver with the club. Never satisfied with half measures, Edite rose to the level of Dive Master, assisting the the certification of many divers and finally to the level of PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer Instructor. Acting in concert with John and Sandy Robb, Edite has trained a multitude of new divers in the joys of scuba. A recent addition to the Aquarius Training Staff, Edite is enthusiastically participating in the Open Water and other Scuba Courses offered at the store. Her talent at dealing with those who may have the odd difficulty in the pool makes her a great asset to the store and to the students she will teach. |
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NATALIE HUNTpursued her career in scuba diving when she initially left Australia to travel the world. Her first step into depths of the underwater world began in Hurghada - Egypt and expanded to islands such as Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Phuket, Thailand, where she furthered her diving knowledge and became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. Natalie continued her PADI diving education, and is now recognized as a Master Instructor having taught over 1500 students from Open Water through to Instructor level courses over the past ten years.
Her passion for diving derived from her extensive interaction with aquatic marine life both in Cairns – Australian, and Grand Cayman Island, where her duties included feeding sharks and southern stingrays. Natalie’s diving experiences have taken her to tropical destinations as
Moore –Tahiti, Maui – Hawaii and now into the lakes of cold water diving in Ontario, Canada. |
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TOM WATSON was a late starter is SCUBA due to his occupation in the North West Territory, where no instruction was available. Always fascinated by the underwater world, in 1999 Tom completed his Basic Open water training. After completing his Advanced, Master Diver and Dive Master training, Tom directed his efforts to becoming a NAUI and ACUC certified Assistant Instructor and a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor in early 2001.
Assisting other Aquarius Scuba Centre Instructional Staff, Tom gained practical teaching experience with the goal for becoming a full Instructor. In August 2002, Tom realized his dream and became a certified PADI IDC Staff Instructor and ACUC Scuba Instructor and has been actively teaching for Aquarius Scuba since that time. Tom provides Aquarius with his enthusiasm, teaching ability and understanding of the retail merchandise available at the store. |
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SANDRA MIFSUD, has been diving since the winter of 2000 when an idle vacation in Florida turned into a certification trip where she got her PADI Basic Open Water. A year later she felt the need to take the plunge to a deeper level while backpacking through Mexico and Cuba, and got her Dive Master Certification. She is currently working towards her Instructor, and works as a part time salesperson at Aquarius. |
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JOHN HARPER learned to dive when he lived in the in the Bahamas in 1981. During his internship for his Dive master qualification he enjoyed assisting with courses and guiding certified divers so much that it extended into an every weekend activity. On returning to Canada, the colder waters did not cool John's passion for helping others to explore the wonderful world below the surface. In 1996 John qualified a PADI water instructor, today he is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, qualified to teach 18 PADI specialties. John's motto is "life is not a dress rehearsal" and he has many other activies other than scuba diving, but he still finds his greatest satisfaction in the happy smiles of his newly certified divers. |
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DOUGLAS MCTAVISH and KATE MCTAVISH are father and daughter. Both attained the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer status in 1999. They completed the IDC and IE together and argue about who helped who the most through the experience. The father concedes the daughter probably has the better side of that point! Together, they operated Exeter Diveco, and certified students at Stony Lake (near Lakefield) where the family cottages are located. Each of them has certified hundreds of new divers, and Advanced and Rescue Divers. From 1991 onwards, they have traveled extensively to many dive sites in the Caribbean. Cozumel is a favourite as is Ambergis Caye in Belize.
They have dived extensively in Ontario but readily confess a preference for the warm water and warmer hospitality! Kate taught for six months as an Instructor for Resort Sports International in Grand Cayman. She is presently a Videographer for Rogers Television in Owen Sound and has taught diving at Tobermory and Wiarton. She has a degree from York University and a Diploma from Sheridan College. Douglas is a lawyer by trade in private practice in Toronto. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. Both of them love diving and teaching and both are recent additions to the Aquarius professional staff. |
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PETER MIKHAIL has recently joined the team at Aquarius Scuba as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer Instructor. After leaving the UK last year, Peter has been travelling the world Instructing and enjoying the warm water diving in the Cayman Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora and Fiji before moving to Canada, and being a Brit certified in England, he is of course used to the cold water.
Peter is an Instructor with Emergency First Response in CPR/First Aid/AED and also an Instructor with Emergency First Response Care For Children AED.
Peter is an Oxygen and Advanced Oxygen Instructor and also an Instructor in 8 Padi Specialties including Nitrox, Underwater Photography and Night Diving. |
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CORNEL's love and admiration for the oceans started as a child, on the beaches of the south of France where his family spent the summer months. He has explored the world's oceans, wrecks and caverns from Africa to Australia. A protector of the underwater environment and an accomplished photographer Cornel is passionate about protecting the oceans sharks.
On the recreational side Cornel is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and teaches all of PADI's specialties including Emergency First Response and Field Neurological Exam. He is a DAN oxygen provider Instructor and an SDI Solo Diver Instructor. Cornel is an instructor for HSA, Handicapped Scuba Association.
On the technical side Cornel teaches for both TDI and IANTD. He is an Advanced Gas Blender Instructor, Advanced Nitrox, Deep Air and Decompression Procedures Instructor, and Advanced Recreational Trimix & Trimix Instructor. Cornel is an instructor for the “Dive Rite O2ptima eCCR” Closed Circuit Rebreather. Cornel is a licensed airplane pilot, enjoys horse back riding and show jumping, mountain biking, has done 350 parachute jumps, and when he finds time, gets on a pair of skis, as well as occasionally climbs the side of a tall rock face. |
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NIELS CHRISTENSEN learned to dive at 17 and has been certified since 1976. He holds diving certifications under ACUC, NAUI and PADI and is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer Instructor, an Emergency First Response Instructor in Primary & Secondary care, CPR Instructor, and an Instructor with Emergency First Response Care for Children. He holds Specialties in Enriched Air, Oxygen First Aid Provider, Wreck Diver, Deep Diver, Underwater Naturalist, Night Diver, Drift Diver and Digital Underwater Photographer.
A former police diver, he brings over 30 years of practical diving and rescue experience to Aquarius teaching staff. |
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JEFF SHAW - A scuba fanatic from the very first time he experienced scuba diving while on his honeymoon in Southern California at Catalina Island in 1995. Soon after he came into Aquarius to become and open water diver. Since then, Jeff has worked his way up the diving ranks and has taken full advantage of all the diving the Great Lakes has to offer. Today, Jeff holds the MSDT instructor rating and is also an Emergency First Response Instructor teaching CPR/First Aid/AED and Care For Children CPR/First Aid/AED. Jeff holds 7 PADI instructor specialties including: peak performance buoyancy, wreck, deep, night, underwater photography, digital underwater photography and underwater videography.
He says his favorite wreck is the Niagara II in Tobermory: “This wreck is a diver’s playground! There is always something to see on this beautiful ship.” Never one to stray too far from his video camera Jeff shares his topside photography and videography experience with excited divers that want to capture images of their own underwater adventures.
As an advocate of all things aquatic, Jeff spends much of his time promoting safe responsible diving practices. He is also involved in spearheading movements to protect endangered species in our oceans though many internet awareness initiatives.
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