Buck experienced diving for the first time at age 15 with a close family friend. He showed him this “magic trick” of breathing underwater and that simple act started a 40 plus year love affair with the underwater world. The ability to dive and breathing underwater has always felt like a superpower. Buck has continued to grow and experience new and exciting things. Little did he know that moment of adventure would turn into a lifelong quest of sharing the underwater those around him. He has the ability to paint a picture and plant a seed that fosters a conducive learning environment for progressive learning. The ability of the instructor to focus on his students and understands how to take that seed, add water and becomes part of the student’s growth is imperative in quality instruction! Buck is a part of the SDI Instructor Ambassador program, with a vast background in public safety. Buck is a United States Marine Veteran with a long career in the fire and emergency medical services, scuba instruction, and commercial diving.

Wally grew up in southwest Vermont, spent his educational career at Berklee College of Music in Boston, followed by Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, then spent the better part of 15 years as a Project Risk Manager and IT Business Consultant. He has spent the last 10 years as an Operations Manager, primarily functioning as a consultant, traveling internationally, for OSHA & US Military projects. During that time, he attended the VT Police Academy and worked for 2 separate agencies as a Law Enforcement Officer. He has been actively diving and training others since 2015. Employed by Divers Alert Network for the 2022 calendar year as the Safety Services Coordinator focusing on risk mitigation and hyperbaric technologies, he is a current NREMT and maintains medical licenses in VT, GA, & FL. Additionally, he is certified by the International Board of Undersea Medicine as a Diver Medical Technician and has trained with the medical staff at the Hyperbaric Medical Center in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt.  Wally is the Vice President and resident Course Director with Project Restoration Foundation (a Veteran & Public Safety focused non-profit) and oversees all aspects of SCUBA training within the program.

Christine is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is where she originally learned to dive. While there, she led a team of dedicated local divers as they explored and documented the history of a decommissioned hydroelectric dam that is resting on the bottom of Raystown Lake. That group is still actively working on that project today. After growing tired of needing to shovel snow or break ice to dive in the winter, she migrated to North Carolina where she found herself at Divers Alert Network. Christine first started as an intern, but was quickly hired as the Risk Mitigation Coordinator where she developed e-learning curriculum, created dive safety resources, and assisted with all things DAN Training. Florida sunshine and manatees pulled her south once again in 2023, and she now lives and teaches full-time out of Crystal River. Christine believes in “time on task”, and she strives to keep students in the water as long as possible during all of her courses. Sidemount and Intro to Tech are her favorite classes to teach due to the challenging, yet fulfilling skillsets that students have the opportunity to learn. In her spare time, Christine is an avid cave diver and earned her Abe Davis Award last year for completing 100 safe cave dives since being certified.

Ketti is a retired U.S. Army officer with over 30 years of experience in military intelligence, planning, and operational design. She holds a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. After decades spent on destructive conflicts overseas, she decided to shift her focus to constructive efforts closer to home by heading up a non-profit dedicated to Disaster Action Research & Training (DART). Ketti loves working with kids and especially the Veterans who come to us looking for neurological and physical pain relief that scuba diving brings to the table. She thrives on teaching the details of Research and Scientific Diver programs, but happiest when searching for shark teeth in Venice, FL or cruising through the stunning cenotes of Mexico!