So I know I usually just talk about and share photos of the critters we see on our dives, but let's take a few minutes and talk about Mike and Brigette Nadler - our dive instructors, divemasters, trip planners, friends!

We started our scuba class at the old CCAC North Shore campus pool in early 2011. To be honest, I had a really rough time starting out with scuba... my brain just did not want to accept the idea of breathing underwater, I was not a strong swimmer, and I just all around had a difficult time getting started. Both Brigette and Mike worked with me to help me to get comfortable and figure out what was being a sticking point for me, and I did indeed eventually finish the course. We then got our open water certifications in Summersville, WV that summer.

Since then we've been on six different trips with them and they continue to help us with instruction and guidance. Both of them are constantly paying attention to their divers and are able to help improve your diving by providing insight and suggestions on things to improve. For me specifically, this has ranged from simple things like noticing that I easily get cold in the water and recommending additional layers, to more subtle things like that I do not hover level in the water and suggesting I use trim weights to help keep myself more level (which reduces the effort it takes to move through the water and thus reduce air consumption). The cool part about it though is that they never make it feel like they're lecturing you or belittling your diving abilities - all of their observations and how they present them to you are done in a constructive and helpful manner that you almost don't even notice that they're still giving you additional diving instruction well after you've "completed" their scuba class.

It seems like every trip I end up with at least one photo of Brigette underwater. I think this is probably because when we're diving, Brig seems to be almost one with the water and just fits into the landscape. I think almost all of those photos I have of her are of the reef with Brig just floating nearby (and this one is no different). Brigette's air consumption (or lack thereof) is pretty well legendary within our group (actually, this last trip we literally witnessed her complete two hour long dives on a single tank of air!). I think that air consumption is due in part to how Brigette seems to dive - effortless, smooth, streamlined... completely calm. That's exactly how Brig's instructing style works too.

Mike is probably the polar opposite... in a good way of course. With who knows how many thousands of dives in his log book, Mike is still excited to hit the water every single time. That excitement is evident on land too as Mike is boisterous and constantly having fun. As he puts it, he is an "equal opportunity antagonizer" which translates to the fact that he is constantly making sure that everyone is involved in the group and no one gets overlooked. Back in the water, Mike is constantly zipping around, and I think on any given dive he visits with each and every diver at least once. Not in the sense that he is taking roll-call and checking on everyone, but more that he is excited to interact with everyone and see everything that is going on. But that whole time, he definitely is paying attention to each and every one of his divers. I think it might be because of that zipping around that I didn't seem to have many photos of Mike, but this trip I did manage to several including this pretty cool one...

Honestly, I think Brig looks a little awkward with that underwater vehicle/scooter, but that's probably just a case of bad timing on my part.

Together, Mike and Brigette make the perfect combination. As dive instructors, they are incredibly thorough and patient - making sure that their students understand the material and are completely prepared to dive. As divemasters, they continue their instruction, constantly making sure their divers are learning and having a safe experience underwater. As trip planners, they constantly try to find new experiences for the group, exploring new places, and returning to old tried-and-true favorites.

If you're looking to get into scuba diving, there isn't a better set of people you'd want leading the way for you!

- Bill