Our Staff and Instructors

BRUCE SAWYER grew up far from the sea in Lexington, KY. A tour of duty with the US Marine Corps ('65-'69) provided a first introduction to the aquatic world, though learning to dive had to wait a few years. After a stint in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin (MA in Mathematics, '73; MS in Computer Sciences, '75), he wound up working for a computer manufacturer in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and that provided the first good opportunity to learn scuba diving. First certified in 1977, he has been diving ever since,  Bruce has completed over 2000 dives and attained the rating of PADI Master Scuba Diver some years ago. His diving career has taken him all over the world in search of the best dive destinations. Now retired from the electronics industry in Silicon Valley, Bruce is co-owner of Aquarius Dive Shop (along with wife Wesley) and primarily enjoys teaching diving.

Bruce is a PADI Course Director, Emergency First Response Instructor Trainer, and holds PADI Specialty Instructor and Specialty Instructor Trainer ratings in almost all of the PADI specialties.  Additionally, Bruce is a DAN (Diver's Alert Network) Instructor for all of the DAN courses.

WESLEY SAWYER is originally from Bronxville, NY, but has lived in California since 1984. Wesley has had a continuing love of the sea since her college days (BS in Geology, with a focus on Oceanography, Yale University, 1978).  She learned to dive in 1982 after meeting Bruce in Florida and has been an avid diver ever since. Wesley is a PADI Master Scuba Diver and a PADI Assistant Instructor.  

Wesley worked for many years in customer support and software development for a large computer company but opted for Early Retirement from the world of Silicon Valley high tech in May 2007.  Wesley enjoys both warm and cold water diving.  As co-owner of Aquarius Dive Shop, Wesley can be found in the ocean assisting with classes or conducting tours, helping customers with equipment questions, or (sometimes) at the computer managing the books.

JAMES VINCENT  is a native of the Monterey Bay region.  James completed his Open Water, his Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certification through Aquarius Dive Shop and has been a PADI Divemaster since 2008.   James works for us part-time during the week and on weekends.  He is an Equipment Specialist and he enjoys taking customers on Guided Tours.  He attends Monterey Peninsula College and also has an evening/night job at one of Monterey’s premier dining establishments.  On his days off, James loves to dive at Monastery and Point Lobos and ... anywhere else! 

CLARA NILSEN is a native of Salinas, CA and lives there today.  Clara completed her Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue Diver certification with Aquarius Dive Shop and is currently looking forward to working on her Divemaster training this spring.  Clara is also a college student working on her AA degree.  In addition to scuba diving, Clara is an avid biker, hiker and camper.

CODY is our Yellow Labrador Retriever. He is very friendly and he thinks that everyone comes to the dive shop to play with him. He loves to meet and greet customers, and especially their dogs, and his favorite game is tug-of-war.