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 diving. First certified in 1977, he has been diving ever since and has completed over 2000 dives, in addition to attaining the rating of PADI Master Scuba Diver. 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 Master Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor, and holds PADI Specialty Instructor ratings in the following specialties: AED for Divers; Altitude Diver; AWARE Coral Reef Conservation; Boat Diver; Care for Children w/AED; Deep Diver; Digital Underwater Photographer; Diver Propulsion Vehicle; Drift Diver; Dry Suit Diver; Enriched Air Diver; Equipment Specialist; First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries; Fish Identification; Multilevel Diver; Night Diver; Oxygen First Aid for Divers; Peak Performance Buoyancy; Search & Recovery; Underwater Naturalist; Underwater Navigator; Underwater Photographer; Wreck Diver.

Additionally, Bruce is a DAN (Diver's Alert Network) Instructor for the following courses: Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries; Advanced Oxygen First Aid; First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries; AEDs for Scuba Diving; AEDs for Aquatic Emergencies; Remote Emergency Oxygen; On-Site Neurological Assessment; Diving Emergency Management.

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 Oceanography, Yale University, 1978) and has been an avid diver since 1982. Wesley is a PADI Master Scuba Diver and a PADI Divemaster.  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 is now well on his way to becoming a PADI Divemaster.  James works for us part-time during the week and on weekends.  He 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! 

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.