Rick is owner of Sub-Aquatic Sports & Service (SASS get it?). He started the store in 1980 with $4000 in cash and a maxed out credit card. What he lacked in startup capital, he made up for in enthusiasm. Today, Sub-Aquatic Sports has grown into one of the Michigan’s largest dive stores. Rick was hooked on scuba as a teen. A friend's father threw a tank on his back, said 'don't hold your breath.’ and ‘Have a great time.’ Needless-to-say, he loved the experience and has since learned quite a bit more about diving. Rick is both an Instructor Course Director and Technical Dive Instructor through NAUI.

With over 35 years of dive experience, he has explored many of this world’s great dive destinations. Without a doubt, his passion of diving leans toward photography and shipwrecks. The historical wrecks of Truk Lagoon (15+ trips) and Bikini Atoll (5 trips) are top on his list. However, Rick firmly believes that some of the best shipwreck can be found right here in our own backyard of Michigan. During the summer, he tries to dive the wrecks of the Great Lakes as much as possible.

Occasionally, you will find Rick’s photographs published in various travel brochures, although it isn’t something he pursues. In early 2000, the Marshall Islands commissioned their stamp based on an artist rendition of Rick’s photographs.

When he’s not diving, Rick’s flying. He also holds positions for our local city government and for the Civil Air Patrol.

Twenty-five years ago, Kim took a summer break from her "real job" at a local hospital to help out at Sub-Aquatic Sports. No one is more surprised than she is that this hiatus has become a permanent career change.

As an avid traveler, working at Sub-Aquatic Sports is a dream job. She organizes most of the dive excursions for the store and often leads our group trips.

It’s impossible to name a favorite destination but in the Caribbean, Dominica (not Dominican Republic) scores very high for both healthy reef and hiking opportunities. Papua New Guinea made a huge impression on Kim. It’s an amazing combination of cultural tours and diverse dives. Land excursions to sand-floored schools, "skull caves" and WWII relics were interspersed with dives that featured strange macro creatures, captured nautilus and mantas. Internationally, her logbook includes Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Kenya (safari and Indian Ocean diving), Galapagos, Australia, Palau, Yap, Truk Lagoon, Saipan, Pohnpei, Egypt, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Tortola, Saba, Roatan, Utilia, Bahamas, Curacao, Bonaire, Belize, and Indonesia. So, you would think this list, Kim would be about done. Not a chance. Every time one location is crossed off her list, two more are added.

Shane is a graduate of WMU with a degree in French language (Regulator = Detendeur) and World History. Working (playing) with computers has always been a hobby and now he makes a living working with them at Perrigo. He loves working with new technology and being a SCUBA diver/instructor allows me to use the latest and greatest diving technology.

He has always wanted to dive. James Bond movies were a huge influence in giving him the diving bug. (The underwater fight seen in “Thunderball” really did it for him!) It wasn’t until he was living in France that the chance came his way to learn how to dive. He was first certified to dive while studying abroad in France in 1996. He dove a few times after returning to the United States, but it wasn’t until 1998 when traveling to the Bahamas that he realized how much he loved the sport and that he wanted to teach SCUBA to others. He became an instructor in June, 2000 (NAUI #35199).

Shane has been divining in Inland lakes in France & Switzerland; French Rivera (the Med); the Bahamas; West Palm Beach; the Keys; Cozumel; Yucatan centotes; the Straits of Mac; Tobermory, Canada; Bordman and St. Claire rivers.

He enjoys all types of diving; from jumping in a pool to jumping into the ocean. He just enjoys being under the water. But if he had to choose what he liked the most about diving; it would be the shipwrecks. Being a student of history, what better way to study it than to see it and touch it in person. Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes have such a tremendous history and Shane feels a part of that each time he dives them. Tobermory has a great collection of wrecks, but Whitefish Point is even better. Whitefish is at the top of Shane’s list of “undiscovered” dive sites that he must dive.

Tim was initially certified (YMCA) in the early 80’s while stationed at the Submarine Base in Groton Connecticut. While Tim was attending his dive classes, the owner of the sponsoring dive center asked him if he wanted a part time job working at the store. Tim said yes and very quickly found himself doing all the visuals, hydros, and tank cleanings, (then done by sandblasting the inside of the tanks, not a fun job) that came through the shop. He was also allowed to work the floor selling equipment when not covered by sandblasting grit. After his Navy service had ended, Tim came back to Battle Creek with the errant thought that there wasn’t much of interest to dive locally. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Jumping forward to 2007, Tim found himself attending Grand Valley State University—after being downsized from the Kellogg’s company—and playing a lot of paintball. In need of compressed air, Tim was brought back into contact with Rick and the wonder and excitement of diving was rekindled.

As to favorite dive destinations, Tim has yet to enjoy warm water diving so his interests lie in the cold waters of the Great Lakes. “Diving the Straits of Mackinaw is a great trip. The amount of wrecks and the historical significance of the area make it a very interesting weekend trip.” The Eberward and Sandusky are high on Tim’s list of favorites.

Rob has been in or around water his entire life. His family always had a small cottage on a local lake as he was growing up and he was also fortunate enough to travel with his parents to Florida several times and to the Caribbean once before he became a certified diver. He has been "free diving" or snorkeling for over 30 years and has been SCUBA diving for 20 years.

He studied Biology at Western Michigan University and also at the University of San Juan in Puerto Rico with specific studies in Tropical Ecology and Marine Biology. He became a NAUI Instructor through Sub Aquatic Sports & Service in 1997 and instructed for SASS until 2001.

Like it happens so often to many of us, Rob's "real job" as a Supervisor of Pre Press Operations at the Kalamazoo Gazette took most of his time over the next several years but he continued to dive recreationally. The newspaper business is not what it once was and Rob took a buyout from the Gazette in 2008. In the fall of 2010 Rob came back to SASS and began teaching again. Rob started working in the store in the spring of 2011 and also continues to teach.

His travels have included: Saba, St. Kitts, St. Marteen, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Bahamas, Jamacia, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Tahiti, Rangiroa, The Florida Keys and several spots in Florida including, Key West, Looe, Key, W. Palm Beach, St. Augustine, Melbourne, Naples, Ft. Myers, Sanibel, Clearwater and Tampa, Alabama's Gulf Coast, California, Cape Breton Island, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Gilboa Quarry, just to name a few.

Rob also did a breath hold dive at 300 feet below sea level. He stuck his face in a mud puddle in death valley California (really). Rob enjoys all types of diving including reefs, wrecks, fresh or salt water and even muck. One of his favorite dives is digging through the bottom in search of old bottles or other artifacts.