The Akumal Dive Shop Staff

Dear Friends and Web Browsers,

The Akumal Dive Shop would like to take this chance to introduce yo u to our staff. For those of yo u who have visited us in the past, here is a chance to learn a little more about yo ur favorite Divemasters , Instructors and other employees. We pride ourselves on giving personalized service and in order to do this we depend on our excellent staff. As yo u will notice, many of our employees have been with us for a decade or more and we hope the newer employees will stay with us just as long!

Sincerely,

Gonzalo Arcila
Owner/Director

MANAGEMENT and INFORMATION SERVICES

Luis "Condor" Cahuich is another familiar face as he has been with the Akumal dive shop for over 13 years. After 10 years as a Dive master and more than 4500 dives,. Although most of his days are now spent helping out in reception, Luis hasn't retired from diving. Many of his long time clients still request him as their Dive master and he is more than happy to accommodate! When he is not diving with friends or helping out at the dive shop, Luis is studying to become an instructor. He says that diving is still the most interesting part of his job so maybe next year we will see him spending more time in the water teaching! Luis lives in Chemuyil with his wife Lucia and his 2 daughters, Leydy Laura, age 13, and Nayla Lucia, age 5.

Diana Borjas . She was born in Cuernavaca , Mor. She is our cashier. Lives in Akumal, and loves living here. She is constantly visited by her numerous relatives, and she gets an enormous joy from touring them around. She likes scuba diving and sun bathing. Speaks Spanish and English.

Victor Gamboa. Originally from Kantunilkin, Yuc. He handles the accounting department, payroll, suppliers, taxes, etc, Lives in Akumal with his wife Elsi and their two kids Pedro and Jesus.

DIVEMASTERS

Roberto Beltran, known to most of yo u as "Beto", has been with ADS since he was fifteen years old. Now at the ripe old age of 29, Beto is our senior Divemaster and a favorite of many of our repeat clients. Besides his diving duties, Beto coordinates the boat schedules of all the other Divemasters and instructors. He loves diving and all the interesting people he meets.Originally from Ticul, Yucatan, Beto lives in the town of Akumal with his wife Sara and his two children, 6 year old Harold and 3 year old Osiris. In his spare time, Beto is studying other diving specializations in order to become an instructor. Recently he's been appointed as Akumal's Ma yo r, for real .

Moises Ucan has spent most of his 36 years in and around the water. For the last 5 years he has been a Divemaster with ADS and his clients return again and again asking for him on their dives. Recently a large family was here from California and took him to be their DM for some dives in Cozumel , rather than dive with an yo ne else! Moises is a native of Kantunil , Yucatan , but has been in this area for many years. He has the distinction of having the biggest family of any member of our staff--4 brothers and 8 sisters, many of which live and work in this area. Moises sometimes works on our fishing boat and when he's not in or on the water, he is studying to be a cavern guide. It seems that our Moises spends less and less time on dry land!

CAPTAINS

Alfredo Tuz, Freddy, is our senior boat captain. If yo u like great fishing action, Freddy is the man to see. He has been with the Akumal Dive Shop for over 14 years and is now in charge of sport fishing. At 42, Freddy knows more about fishing and boat maintenance just about an yo ne in Akumal. Freddy has clients who come back year after year for fishing season and call weeks in advance to make sure he is available. Freddy is one of the few people here who considers himself a native of Akumal--he can't remember living anywhere else. He lives with his wife Maria Esther and his three daughters, 16 year old Denise, 13 year old Jessica, and baby Joanna. His goals are to "progress in his work, learn more, and do better." An yo ne out there looking to catch a world record? If it's out there, Freddy will be the man to find it.

Jose Emanuel " Chino ". He is one of our yo ungest captains, and after going diving with him, people usually call him "Chino Eagle Eyes", he has an amazing perception of the surroundings. He also takes turns with "Cholo" at the compressor, filling tanks.

THE BACK ROOM

If yo u've ever joined us for a cave or cavern dive or course, yo u'll remember Juan Antonio Moo , or "Cholo" to his friends. Antonio been a member of our staff for over 4 years. He is an important part of the cave and cavern team and spends most of his time in the back helping with equipment and assisting on cenote dives. He has taken several courses on regulator and equipment repair and is becoming more involved in the maintenance of our technical gear. Antonio is also from Sotuta , Yucatan and recently married to his lovely wife, Leydi. Antonio is a definite thrill seeker; he says the thing he likes most about his job is the excitement--deep diving, cavern and cave diving, and all the exotic marine life we see here, especially the turtles, giant manta rays, and whale sharks. Antonio has completed his training through Intro to Cave level and is working on his divemaster.

INSTRUCTORS

Natalie Novak was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She has been diving for just over 12 years and is still passionately addicted. Before deciding to dive full time, she completed an honors degree in theater and a four year degree in psychology. She loves introducing people to the underwater world, and this is why she became a PADI open water scuba instructor. She also enjoys singing with her band in Playa del Carmen.

Luis Rejon, also known as "Rambo", has been working in the dive business for several years. Besides being the only blond-haired, blue-eyed Mexican on the staff, our 29 year old "Rambo" can probably carry more tanks single-handedly than an yo ne in Akumal! Luis is a native of Sotuta , Yucatan , and now lives in Chemuyil. He's dream to become an instructor has finally come true. Luis has a son baby named Alexandro When he's not working, Luis is a common figure on the basketball courts and soccer fields of Akumal.