Our Staff
An Instructor Trainer is a qualified dive professional whose role is to coordinate Instructor Institutes and conduct them. They have the ability to train and certify new instructor candidates. Instructor Trainer remains one of the highest levels of SCUBA diving certifications attainable.
Columbus SCUBA, Inc. (CSI) has one Instructor Trainer on staff and one Instructor-Trainer Trainer. This gives us the ability to do our training "in-house" with familiar staff and students rather than contract out Instructor Trainers. CSI is often contracted out to assist other dive centers for their Instructor training. We have many years of experience in the realm of training competent instructors, and have sought out work locally and around the world as Dive Professionals.
Andy Silverman - Instructor Trainer
Andy made his first dive in October of 1987. In 1994, he traveled to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to continue his education as a diver and completed his Divemaster while working on the Trinity, a trimoran running day trips out of the Whitsunday Islands.
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Georges Gawinowski - Instructor Trainer
Georges Gawinowski has been a full time diving professional for 15 years. Georges is a well-accomplished IANTD Instructor Trainer and Technical Instructor. He is member of the IANTD Board of Advisors. Georges is also a Closed Circuit Rebreather cave instructor with NSS/CDS and recreational instructor with CMAS and PADI.
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Bob Stovers - Instructor Trainer
Bob made his first dive in January 1971 in Joplin Missouri. The following January, he dived the waters off San Andros Islands in the Bahamas. In 1978, Bob became a NAUI instructor and taught his first open water class a month after being certified.
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Steve Treinish - PSDA-Instructor Trainer
Steve is currently serving as a firefighter with the Columbus Fire Department, assigned to Ladder Company 2, at one of the busiest stations in the country. Also serving as a NFPA rescue technician and detailed to various heavy rescue assignments.
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The Instructor Development Course (IDC) prepares the candidate for training other divers. Instructor training requires a great deal of commitment. Candidates are required to be taught and tested in all facets of physics, physiology, medical aspects, marine environments, equipment, and supervision as it relates to diving. A strong Assistant Instructor program builds a great foundation for the IDC. Once certified, an Instructor may conduct courses as the lead instructor to the levels in which they are certified to teach. There are a myriad of instructor specialty certifications that can be earned after the IDC is successfully completed. The majority of IANTD instructors through Columbus Scuba, Inc. (CSI) will graduate with a rating of EANx (Nitrox) Instructor or higher. CSI has a dive professional on staff with Instructor Trainer and Instructor-Trainer Trainer (ITT) ratings. IDC’s are scheduled twice a year and upon request.
L.J. Beckman - EANx Instructor
L.J. has been diving since April 07. L.J. took a class through Texas Tech to get his Open Water certification and immediately fell in love with diving and took his Advanced Open Water Course the following month. He did most of his diving in springs in and around Texas and New Mexico before moving to Andros, Bahamas in September 08 where he works as an intern for International Fields Studies (IFS).
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Jude C. Divierte - EANx Instructor
Jude was born in New York and moved to Ohio in 1986 and has been a Buckeye ever since. Being an avid swimmer, Jude always had an interest in SCUBA diving. In 2001, Jude and his wife, Sherrie completed their Open Water Certifications with PADI. Since then he has continued his dive education through multiple agencies up through Open Water Instructor.
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Shane Foglesong - EANx Instructor
Shane was born in Lancaster, OH and has also lived in Texas and New Mexico. He became interested in SCUBA diving after taking a trip to Jamaica and experiencing crystal clear water that was also warm for the first time. Shane completed his Open Water through Instructor at Columbus SCUBA, Inc. (CSI) and enjoys being able to share the fun of SCUBA with others.
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Doug Hyland - EANx Instructor
Doug Hyland is one man you definitely want by your side. Doug started diving as a Public Safety Diver in 2007 and has been hooked on blowing bubbles ever since. Not only is he our resident first responder, he is also a firefighter and paramedic for the Washington Township Fire Department. When he’s not working saving lives or acting as a training coordinator for his firehouse, you could find Doug teaching EFR to our Divemaster Candidates or SCUBA classes to our Open Water students. Doug also serves Fairfield County as a member of their dive rescue team.
Doug teaching experience includes working as a dive master for two years before becoming a PADI Open Water instructor for CSI, in early 2011.
Favorite Piece of Equipment: Zeagle ZX Flathead 7
Favorite Dive: any and all but especially love night diving
Certifications:
• Open Water (IDEA)
• Advanced Open Water (IDEA)
• Drysuit Diver
• Ice Diver
• Rescue Diver (IDEA)
• Divemaster (IANTD/IDEA)
• Public Safety Diver – Level 1
• Advanced Oxygen Provider -Instructor-(DAN)
• Advanced Oxygen Administrator-(DAN)
• Advanced Oxygen Provider -Instructor-(DAN)
• AED's for Scuba Diving -Instructor - (DAN)
• BLSPRO Instructor - (DAN)
• American Heart Association - BLS Instructor
• Emergency First Response - Instructor
• OW Instructor (PADI)
• Swift Water Rescue Instructor
• Rope Rescue Instructor
• Rescue Training Instructor (Bowling Green University / Washington Township)
Austin Lindsay - EANx Instructor
Austin was born in Virginia, but moved to Ohio when he was 12 years old. He learned to SCUBA dive through the Buckeye Scuba Club at The Ohio State University. Austin loves diving all the Ohio Quarries, but after graduating moved west to Bremerton, Washington where he works for the United States Navy at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
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Michael Stahlman - EANx Instructor
Michael earned his Divemaster while working on the island of Andros for International Field Studies (IFS). He continued to work on his professional certifications in scuba and the medical field while finishing college operating as an EMT in Morgantown WV. After completing his degrees, Michael worked at Forfar Field Station and Kamalame Cay Private Island and Residence on Andros Island before returning home. You can find Michael now holding down the fort at our dive shop, Columbus Scuba, teaching diving and EFR courses.
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Tom Woodruff - Master Scuba Diver Trainer
The Assistant Instructor role is an integral role for developing leadership and teaching fundamentals. All Columbus SCUBA, Inc. (CSI) Instructors must spend a minimum of one dive season working under the tutelage of a qualified Instructor. This allows the candidate to work in a practical environment with real students under the direct supervision of a certified instructor. Assistant Instructors may be used in all aspects of Academic, Confined Water and Open Water training, provided they are under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor. The Assistant Instructor Program is incredibly rewarding and prepares the candidate for the responsibilities of a CSI Instructor.
Benjamin Hoffman - Assistant Instructor
Ben became Advanced Open Water certified in 2003 and received his Divemaster certification through PADI on Andros Island, Bahamas in 2005. Soon after, Ben spent a season in the cold waters of Ketchikan, Alaska as a snorkel guide/Divemaster and then returned to the Bahamas for his IANTD Assistant Instructor and IANTD Instructor development course in 2009.
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A certified and insured Divemaster provides on-site leadership of both students and certified divers during diving activity. Divemasters lead tour portions for SCUBA divers in unfamiliar environments. Columbus SCUBA, Inc. (CSI) Divemasters go through an extensive training program as opposed to a quick course. All of the CSI Divemasters are taught and tested in great detail on the physics, physiology, and advanced medical aspects of diving. They are certified to the level in which they are trained. For example, a Cavern Divemaster is an additional certification that must be learned. CSI Divemasters have worked for extended periods of time in places such as Australia, Belize, Andros, and Mexico. We appoint our Divemasters to areas in which they have experience. CSI also offers job assistance through its extended network of IANTD, PADI and SEI dive professionals and shops around the globe.
Chris Morgan - Dive Master
Chris is a U.S. Army Veteran and traveled extensively around the world. His first diving experience was a resort dive in Cozumel where he dived along Palancar reef. He remained interested in SCUBA, but the diving bug really took off when his son Gage became old enough to become junior-certified. Chris became Open Water certified through Columbus Scuba, Inc. (CSI) and quickly pursued his Advanced Open Water certification. The professionalism and enthusiasm shown by the Columbus Scuba staff has convinced Chris to pursue his Dive Master certification.
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Amanda Shope - IANTD/PADI Divemaster
Amanda has spent the fall and winter of 2008/2009 earning her IANTD and PADI Divemaster rating. She has logged more than 60 dives on the Andros, Bahamas reef and inland Blue Holes. Her favorite dive location is The Ampetheatre in Andros. She hopes to some day make it to Micronesia and dive the reefs and wrecks in the South Pacific.
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Chelsea Robb - Dive Master
Chelsea has been diving since she was 15 years old. She completed her PADI Divemaster course in 2006 in Caye Caulker, Belize where her uncle owns a dive outfit. She has visited the Bahamas, Central America, Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
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Tyler Bonner - PADI Divemaster
Tyler has been certified in sea kayaking and white water canoeing. He traveled several times to Andros, Bahamas for SCUBA diving training and adventure travel. He is currently a student at Hocking College, studying Ecotourism.
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Tom Chapin - Dive Master in Training
Tom’s diving career started while he was living in Wisconsin in 2001 where he first got his Open Water Certification. He continued on to get his Advance Open Water shortly afterwards with a dive at Lake Superior at one of their famous ship wreck sites. After a few years, he got back into diving with one of his buddy’s from his reserve unit .
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Ron Magee - Dive Master in Training
Ron's Scuba career took off in '00 from credit courses at Sinclair College in Dayton, OH. He got his Open Water, Advanced, and Rescue certifications through Southern Ohio Diving Academy and all of his dives were limited to the local quarries. Following a short hiatus, in 2009 he jumped back into diving and has been pursuing his Dive Master.
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