Staff profiles
Dive Otago staff are highly trained diving professionals, dedicated to providing you with the knowledge, skills and equipment needed to explore the underwater world.
Dive Otago staff make diving FUN! They have been selected for their personal teaching qualities and diverse skills in such areas as Photography, Marine Search and Rescue, Marine Biology, Freediving and Spearfishing. They have dived around the world and love to share their diving passion with you!
Dave and Mary Watson
Dave — a well known New Zealand diving identity — services equipment at Dive Otago, drives charter boats and oversee company progress. As a PADI Course Director with over 25 years in the industry Dave has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of Diver training and company management.
After many years involvement as Instructors and Dive business owners in Otago Dave and Mary are now stepping back from the day to day management of Dive Otago.
Jen Clent
Tertiary Programmes Manager: Responsible for management of tertiary training programmes
- IDC Staff Instructor
- Technical diver: Nitrox, Cave, Extended deep
- Started Diving in: 1996
- Fav dive sites: Cenote Diving, Mexico: Thistlegorm Wreck, Red Sea
- Fav Uw critter: Turtle
- Places dived: Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Belize, Canada, Red Sea, Fiji, Tonga, Turkey, Otago Coast, Stewart Island, Milford Sound, Lake Alta (Ice), Poor Knights
- Specialty Instructor: Naturalist, Navigation, Multilevel, Drift, Wreck
Euan Denniston
- IDC Staff Instructor
- EMP Instructor
- Tertiary course manager
- MSCDB skipper
- Specialty Instructor: Naturalist, Navigation, Multilevel, Drift, Wreck, Deep
- Started Diving in: 2002
- Fav dive site: HMNZS Waikato
- Fav Uw critter: Leather Jackets
- Places dived: Otago Coast, Stewart Island, Milford Sound, Poor Knights, Lake Alta (Ice)
Simon Wharerau
- Si is busy teaching all levels of diving and snorkeling. Si has a bit of a love of catching stuff – paua, spearfishing, and crays
- Open Water Scuba Instructor
- Specialities: Night, Deep, Search & Recovery, Drysuit, Boat
- Started diving 2008
- Fav dive sites: Akatore Reef
- Fav underwater critter: Octopus
- Places dives: Otago Coast
Tracey Channon
Recreational Manager: Responsible for all aspects of Recreational training for Discover scubas to Open Water course to Project AWARE and Charter trips both local and International.
- Open Water Scuba Instructor
- Qualified research diver
- BSc Zoology and Statistics from Otago University
- PG Dip Sci (Marine Science Otago University
- Started Diving in: 2006
- Fav dive sites: White Island
- Fav Uw critter: Slipper lobster (underwater giant cockroach!)
- Places dived: Fiji, Otago Coast, Stewart Island, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, White Island
- Specialty Instructor: Deep, Digital Photography, Navigation, Search & Recovery, Night
