I started to take my first Scuba class in 1984 but did not finish due to military commitments. In the late 90’s after a friend was certified I decided to jump back on board and took my Open water class with Diveworx at the old Andersons Sporting goods store in Salem. Needless to say I was hooked and returned several more times taking classes and becoming staff as a Divemaster. After Andersons went out of business in 2001 I joined Mark Fischer at Hydrosports Dive and Travel as a Divemaster and continued my education up to Instructor in 2003. After teaching several classes for Mark for about 3 years I decided to take a break from teaching and just go diving. In late 2010 Mark Fischer and myself began talking about the need of a dive shop south of Salem and after several months of planning we formed Albany Scuba LLC in Jan 2011. I have logged several hundred dives from California to Canada and continue to find new places to show people. My goal is to meet new people, teach them to dive and show them cool places that not many can reach. I will do whatever it takes to help people learn to dive.

Itook my very first diving class with Hydrosports in 2002 and discovered that even in just the pool, there is nothing quite like that feeling of weightlessness you get while scuba diving. Soon after open water, I took advanced and then rescue. I then spent many years diving with students as Steve taught a variety of courses for Hydrosports. Recently, we opened our very own dive shop and I decided to continue my education with the Divemaster course. I have enjoyed diving immensely and cannot wait to see so much more of what the underwater world has to offer. It has been fun trying out new equipment and gear and I am ever vigilant for anything that comes in the color purple. I have met so many fun and interesting people since we have opened the shop, and I hope we will meet many more in the years to come. Diving has become a much bigger part of my life since we started this business venture and I’m continually glad that we finally decided to do this.

Jim is a man of many roles- a Husband of 7 years to his wife, Natalie. A Christian, and an Armchair Philosopher. In Diving, the highest compliment given was when someone said "Jims not just the kind of guy to dive a pond, he's the type of guy to dig a hole on a rainy day, call it a pond, and dive that!" Jim enjoy's taking freshly minted divers out to spots that are new to them, and showing them the wonders that the Pacific Northwest has to offer!

Keith a social diver. In 2007 a friend took up diving and Keith figured he'd join the fun. Since then, Keith has shared with many his enthusiasm and excitement for the underwater world, as well as a keen eye for others and thier enjoyment of the sport. Keith is always ready to strike up a conversation and is just the guy to talk to if you need a bit of advice or help. So while Keith got in the water to spend time with friends, he's happy to report a whole new group of friends he's found once he got there!