Captain Bill Hardman has been teaching all levels of Skin and Scuba diving for over 35 years. He owns Aquatic Obsessions scuba shop and is the Treasurer and past President and Vice-President of the Florida Skin Divers Association (Est. 1952) and the current President of the Professional Association of Dive Operators. He holds ratings as Instructor and Instructor Trainer for Scuba Diving International (SDI), Technical Diving International (TDI), Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PDIC) and Handicap Scuba Association (HSA). He is a former Florida and World Spearfishing Champion and is a current spearfishing World Record holder. Captain Hardman joined the USCG Reserves in 1977. His enlisted rate was Machinery Technician and he left the service seven years later as an Ensign. He currently writes a bi-weekly column for the Tampa Bay Times and is a contributing writer for many national and international Skin and Scuba industry periodicals and on-line magazines.

Dean has been scuba certified since 1985. His current certifications include being a Dive Master with PDIC and SDI and Dive Master in Scubility by SDI. He served as Captain in the United States Air Force, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, Eastern Space and Missile Center, Patrick Air Force Base Florida from 1984-1988. He is a member of the American Legion at the Andy Anderson Post 125, BPOE, as well as Lifetime Guild member of Abilities of Florida. He is also a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Professionally, Dean practices personal injury law as a partner of Karikas and Kasaris, P, A, in St. Petersburg, FL.

A proud native of St. Petersburg, Jay was born at Mound Park Hospital (now Bayfront Health) and grew up on beautiful Pass-A-Grille Beach. He loved swimming as a child and spent more time underwater than on the surface. He enjoyed snorkeling at numerous islands around the Caribbean, but it wasn’t until 2017 when he finally became addicted to diving. Various certifications have followed including Dive Master, CPR, Oxygen Administration, Underwater Hunter, Advanced, Rescue, Fossil, and Deep Diver. Jay and his dive buddy daughter Liz have enjoyed diving in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, West Palm, the Florida Keys, and the most memorable trip so far – a week-long dive live aboard in the Bahamas. He volunteered for over a decade with the Azalea Little League Miracle League and Challenger Programs, adaptive baseball programs assisting children and teens with physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. Jay graduated from USF with a Bachelors in Marketing, and went on to get an MBA in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. Since 1992, Jay has been a Senior Conversion Analyst with Fiserv, a Fortune 500 Financial Data Processor, leading the data conversion of Commercial Loans for hundreds of banks and credit unions.

I started my medicine career in the U.S Navy at 20 years old. I joined the Navy as a hospital corpsman recruit in 2006. I wanted to do my part to help our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan following the “9-11” event. I was trained in a wide variety of specialties search as phlebotomy, surgery, emergency medicine, and urology to name a few. Although like most corpsmen, I did not specialize in any particular field. After graduating 3rd in my class, My first duty station was in Guam. At Guam Naval hospital, I worked in the MSU before moving to the ICU where I was eventually put in charge of the unit.

Trey was born and raised in St.Petersburg Florida where he spent most of his free time on the water fishing. In 1992, he got his scuba certification and was hooked on all things ‘in’ water not just ‘on top of’ the water. He has NAUI certifications in Helitrox, Skin Diver, and First Aid. He has been an active member of the Florida Skin Divers Association and the St. Pete Underwater Club, and has been participating in freediving and scuba diving spearfishing tournaments held throughout Florida since the early 2000’s.

Trey is a Sr. Ops Consultant at Raymond James & Associates, a St.Petersburg-based investment firm where he started his career in 1996. Raymond James has a culture of giving back in their community, and Trey has supported many related activities the firm has championed such as United Way and Habitat for Humanity. Trey’s father, Clifton Lloyd Stickland, Jr. served in Vietnam from ‘66 to ‘68 in the 25th infantry division over 3 tours. Trey’s grandfathers both served in the Army in WW2, as well several cousins that currently serve. Trey believes it’s important to provide ongoing support to those who served, and others.

Leo graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1985 with a B.S. in Zoology, along with completing ROTC. He was a Combat Engineer officer in the U.S. Army for 6 years. In 1996, he received a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from South Dakota State University, and then in 1998 he earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. He moved from his native New Hampshire to Florida in 2008 to enjoy the beaches. After a career in pharmacy, Leo retired in 2019. Leo started scuba diving in 2018, earning various certifications including Scubility Dive Buddy, Dive Master, Fossil Diver, Underwater Hunter, and Helitrox. He currently is a member of the Tampa Bay Spearfishing Club