Dive N Trips' Staff

Gene Battaglia, Dive N Trips Owner:
Gene has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Recreation Administration from Cal State Sacramento, as well as completing a certificate program from UC Berkeley in Training and Human Development.

He has been a diving professional since 1987, an instructor since 1988 and a PADI Course Director (Instructor Trainer) since 1994. He has certified over 2,000+ students in that time period.

During the latter half of the 1990’s Gene designed, developed and implemented a dive instruction program at a new university, Cal State University, Monterey Bay. He was able to expand the program so it could function as a feeding program into their new scientific diving programs. Also during the 1990’s, Gene became the Senior Instructor for the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey. This base is run by the US Army and has a large inventory of scuba equipment and no instructional program. Gene was able to design, develop and implement a new scuba instructional program for the base which is in current use.

Since 1994, Gene and Dorothy have operated the Institute of Diving Technology, which offers a full range of scuba instructional programs. Through Institute of Diving Technology, Gene was able to develop strategic partnerships with other PADI Instructor Development Centers throughout the State of California. With these partnerships, the IDC Centers can offer Instructor training programs with Gene acting as their instructor trainer. These have proven very profitable, for both the dive centers, as well as IDT.

Over the last couple of years, Gene has been working on his knowledge and skills in the area of technical diving. He can now offer a full range of programs for both Dive N Trips and the dive centers involved in our strategic partnerships.

Gene has been involved in Public Safety Dive training for over 20 years and is currently the Training Coordinator for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team.

As the owner of Dive N Trips, Gene is looking forward to working and traveling with you so we can enjoy the Underwater World together!

Dorothy Battaglia, Dive N Trips Owner:
One of the reasons I like what I do, is the enjoyment I get from watching people succeed in learning about, and exploring what the Oceans and Waterways have to offer in this big world of ours.  From the 8 year old that enters our Kids Camps not feeling comfortable, but by the end of the week, dives down to the bottom of the deep end of the pool, to retrieve a toy and comes out smiling!  To the 87 year old that was given his Open Water patch underwater and he comes out of the water with it in his teeth, grinning from ear to ear!

I do dive and yes, most people who know me and know me well, know that I am a a warm water wimp.  But I have seen the underwater sights in Monterey and can only say that they are AWESOME!

Please come join us and explore!  Imagine the Possibilities!

John Day, PADI IDC Staff Instructor:
John started diving with the Military.  He has been diving as a professional with PADI for the last 5 years.

John has experience diving in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary. As an Instructor, John is able to teach quite a few specialties and looks forward to Altitude diving.

John’s favorite diving is Night Diving and altitude. He loves to hoover and listen to the shrimp when they are chatting. He also likes Dry Suit Diving because he enjoys staying nice and warm and dry!

John enjoy’s teaching EFR and Hazardous marine life classes.

Kristina Irwin, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor:
Kristina began diving in California in 2004. Since then she has logged dives all over the world including the Bahamas, Mexico, Malaysia and Thailand. Kristina has been diving professionally since 2005 and became an instructor in 2008. She enjoys teaching the open water classes and watching the student's first experience of sea life. Kristina's favorite spot is still Monterey but still has many places to see on her scuba travel list.

Scott Samuelson, PADI IDC Staff Instructor:
Scott started diving in California in the mid 70’s, and spent years playing in the water up and down the coast and in Mexico.

In the late 80’s, he started to travel more, and decided it was time to upgrade his certification. Scott became an instructor in 1991, and enjoys teaching classes at every level. He really enjoys helping people be comfortable in and under the water.

Scott’s current passion is digital u/w photography and diving in new places around the world! He hopes to share both his photos and his travels with you.

Rick Seifert, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer:
Rick started diving back in 1967 and still owns his original Clasps J regulator and Healthways backpack. Rick’s first dive was at Silver Lake which was a mountain lake on Highway 88 at about 7300 feet. This was before BCD's and SPGs. Rick finally became certified as a PADI Open Water Diver in 1976.

Rick enjoys interacting with the local sea life when he is diving. He really enjoys interacting with various seagoing mammals.

Teaching students and broadening their experiences is a close second. Rick enjoys teaching because it all about sharing experiences and increasing perspective, both for the student, and the teacher. He really enjoys assisting someone in developing their skills and cognitive thinking processes.

Rick really enjoys diving in Mexico. His favorite place to dive is in and around Cabo. The sea life is plentiful, the visibility is good, the people are friendly, and the beer is reasonable. It’s also a change of pace to dive in swim trunks and a tee shirt. During Rick’s, last dive in Cabo, he had the good fortune to swim with over a 1000 plus rays that were in a school about 500 yards from the Cabo arch.

Rick would like you to remember that all of your dives are a learning experience and are something very special that cannot be replicated on land. During any dive remember to relax and leave the 8 to 5 world behind. Those who don’t dive are missing 2/3rds of what the world has to offer!

Dale Stone, PADI IDC Staff Instructor:
Dale has been diving for 12 years and teaching for 11. He has logged over 1000 dives, with the overwhelming majority in the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.

As an IDC Staff Instructor, Dale is able to teach Open Water through preparation for the Open Water Instructor Course.

Dale’s favorite diving is Night Diving. He loves to find octopus and put it on his student’s mask. He also likes Dry Suit Diving because he enjoys staying nice and warm and dry!

Greg Varvell, PADI IDC Staff Instructor:

Greg started diving in 1992 and became an PADI Instructor in 1994. He says”it was a good excuse to go diving every weekend!”
 
In those 16 years he has taught for two dive shops in the East Bay and held classes in Hawaii, Mexico and Bonaire. Greg can teach most of PADI’s specialties classes. Greg has managed one dive shop and was part owner of another in the Bay Area for several years.

Greg loves to dive in the Caribbean and has lead several dive trips to many Caribbean dive locations. Greg also loves to dive the Channel Island in southern California and for the past 5 years has chartered the Conception for a yearly 3 day Live aboard trip.

One of Greg’s passions is Equipment repair. Greg is certified to repair most brands of SCUBA equipment and enjoys teaching the PADI Equipment Specialist class whenever possible.

Greg’s favorite in water dives are Search and Recovery. “Not only is it a fun class to teach, I always seem to find thing other dives lose”.

“Teaching Open Water to new student is by far my favorite class. Introducing people to the wonders the oceans holds, and ensuring that new students learn to dive safely and responsibly is extremely rewarding for me. I just love to teach SCUBA.”