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At Sea Saba, we've assembled a talented and professional staff
in order to ensure your dive vacation runs smoothly from beginning to end. Our
all-instructor crew can
teach you to dive, help you become a better
diver or just enjoy sharing our passion with you. We've
included these brief profiles here as updates for our many repeat customers and for new
customers so that you'll know a bit about us before arriving. Our
team's credentials are top notch--but be assured, the role of being a
great dive guide remains a priority. Below our full time staff, you
will also find some regular
visiting
instructors who assist us during peak periods and a cast of
supporting players. Sea Saba is a
PADI
Gold Palm Resort as well as a PADI National Geographic Dive
Center. Our
Training
and Courses page provides more insight to our diving philosophy as
well as providing loads of information on learning to dive or
improving your diving skills.
The Sea Saba Crew:
John & Lynn,
Tom,
Vivi,
EJ,
Fred & Kelly,
Kat & Troy, Denise,
Mel,
Alex, Nick & Lauren
Visiting Instructors:
Dick & Paula,
Lee and Lea,
Your Drivers:
Garvis
& Peddy
Supporting Players:
Chip,
Raymond,
Kodiak,
Seneca
 John Magor and Lynn Costenaro
met in the mid-80's and have made Saba
their home since 1989. Nearly 30 years ago when spending a winter on St.
Kitts, John looked at Saba on the horizon. He'd heard many a
tale of Saba's dramatic diving but it wasn't until many years and many
dives later that he first stepped foot on Saba. John's thirst for adventure
began as a teenager--leaving his
London family flat to backpacking trips around West Pakistan, Europe and Northern Africa.
With a portable career as a hair stylist he headed to Ottawa, Canada,
where he learned to dive and spent long weekends exploring the Great Lakes, St.
Lawrence Seaway, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. Warm water trips
to Belize, Tobago and the Red Sea resurrected his
itch to travel. He boarded a schooner and after stops in the Azores and Spain
he settled down for a
three-year stint in the Red Sea. Next stop was the famed MV Tropicbird in the British Virgin
Islands where he met Lynn, who was on a dive trip with friends. Only a few months later, Lynn abandoned
her corporate NYC job and a daily commute from Greenwich in 1987 for a
more nomadic lifestyle with John in Sharm El Shiek, Egypt. They donned
drysuits for the next stop in Quadra Island, British Columbia but as winter
set in they decided Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands sounded
more appealing. Lynn was born and raised in the Midwest of the US.
She became an instructor in 1989 just prior to
their departure for Saba which was considered one of the last frontiers of
the Caribbean at that time. John and Lynn have been managing Sea Saba as
minority partners since 1992 and eventually "bought out" Sea Saba's founders, Joan and Lou
Bourque in 1997. If it were up to John, he’d be underwater shooting
photos all day but more often than not you’ll find him
behind the scenes keeping the boats,
vehicles, compressors and other operational necessities in order. Lynn is normally in the Windwardside
office helping to make your trip special from the point of first contact until after you
arrive home. For more insight about John and Lynn and how their
passion for nature effects Sea Saba, spend some time on
the
Saba Images and Beyond
page of this site.
 Tom Petersen
is the tallest and lankiest of the Sea Saba team. Born and raised in
Denmark, Tom spent some time in the Danish military before putting his
economics and marketing degree to work at a human resources posting at a
Danish corporation. A bit
bored with the routine and craving the outdoors, Tom headed to the land of
sun and fun. Knowing the Caribbean was his first
choice to start his diving career, Tom chose Pro Dive in Florida as his
training facility. He took the first job offered to him, hoping to
gain some warm water experience. And what a career starter he got!
Stuart Cove's promotes itself as
"the most popular dive center" with a fleet of boats, scooters and subs,
a staff of 60+. Tom's work experience ranged from cruise ship
introductory diving to underwater work for Hollywood films to submarines
and shark feeds.
After almost 4 years with Stuart, Tom enjoys the
smaller organization with a honed focus on individual customer attention and the
environment. Tom is also an SSI Instructor Trainer, giving Sea Saba
the ability to accept student referrals from the SSI organization as well
as PADI. His attention to details and Scandinavian efficiency are
augmented with his additional ability to speak and teach scuba diving in
Danish, Norwegian, German and English with an interesting accent.
With more than 5,000 dives and 800 certifications, you never know which
hat Tom is wearing each day: teaching, diving or at the helm of either
Giant Stride or Sea Dragon or in our workshop where he keeps
Sea Saba's rental equipment in top shape.
 Viviane "Vivi" Pimentel is back!
After spending last year taking on the new challenge of working with teens in the Broadreach program from the Bahamas to the Sea of Cortez, Vivi decided
to come back to Saba to pursue her goals in the diving industry.
Vivi holds the title of the youngest female to become a dive
instructor in Brazil--at the ripe old age of 18. As well, she was
the first woman to become a PADI dive instructor in her home city of Rio
de Janeiro. Like Beto, she spent a good part
of her early career diving Brazil's national park: Fernando de
Noronna. Vivi next worked as an instructor, photo pro and
shark feeder @ Stuart Cove's in the Bahamas. With more than 12 years
in the industry, Vivi has more than 6.000 dives and hundreds of certified students.
Her photography skills are to be applauded and were as a winner of
Brazil's 2005 Underwater Photo competition. In addition to many
other professional ratings, Vivi holds two distinctive specialty
instructor ratings of Digital SLR Photograher and Hyperbaric Operational
Trainer. So make a plan to talk diving with this enthusiastic accomplished
diver!
 Elmer "EJ" Rice is Sea Saba's Mr.
Everything. After spending two weeks vacation on Saba this summer
with long-time gal pal Nancy, we realized EJ is not only an experienced
dive instructor but a 'jack of all trades'. Mr. Everything first
worked as a computer programmer in the 80's. It soon became
apparent that his high energy and love for the outdoors was not
compatible with his office job. For the next 15 years, EJ and
Nancy worked around the Caribbean at dive centers, liveaboards and for
quite some time on cruise ships. They also worked on the Caribbean
Explorer, the liveaboard dive boat that frequents Saba--making him
quite an easy train for dive sites.
For the past 5 years, EJ has refocused yet another talent...he has
purchased and restored a number of older homes in the northeast,
allowing him to be his own boss and take winters off. At the end
of his Saba trip this summer, EJ mentioned to Lynn that he was
considering wintering in Saba this year as a volunteer. Look
forward to a great dive with this experienced and caring dive
guide/instructor. Oh, he also plays 5 musical instruments--a modern
Renaissance man for sure!
 Fred Bower and Kelly Hellyer
hail
from Ottawa Canada...but they are not exactly at the defrosting
stage. This dynamic couple arrived on Saba in early December
but have been living in the Caribbean for a number of years, most
recently in the British Virgin Islands. Kelly did her first
dive while on vacation in Martinique. Her entrepreneur parents
regularly bought businesses; improved them and 'flipped them'.
Hence, Kelly is comfortable in any environment and loves meeting new
people. Fred did his first Discover Scuba Dive in the common
Canadian Caribbean playground: Cuba. Soon both Fred and
Kelly were diving regulars at home and met through other divers while
frequenting the clear but cold waters of the north where shipwrecks
abound. They started their own dive shop in the Ottawa area with weekend outings to
the Great Lakes
and St. Lawrence Seaway. After a few years of dry suits and
Canadian short summers, they realized they were meant to be in
warmer waters. You can find both Fred and Kelly at the helms
of our vessels as well as teaching and leading dives. Yes,
real girls can captain boats as well as get their hands dirty to help
maintain them. Hook up
on a dive with Keen-Eyed Kelly to specifically spot small critters,
her favorites being blennies. You may even find Fred on the
boat as a tourist--on his day off, he will often grab his video
equipment and jump in the water. Capturing the movements and
undulations of sea creatures remains Fred's passion, even after
thousands of dives. Fred was even a rodeo star at one point in
his life -- we're working on how we can put that talent to
work at Sea Saba.
 Katherine
"Kat" DeStefano and Troy Hooper met on a dive vacation, but
not the proverbial "girl on vacation meets diver". Troy was
leading dive groups from the shop he managed in North Carolina to
The
Juliet, where Kat was first mate, dive master, and naturalist. Saba marks
their first tropical dive destination of cohabitation but their diving
backgrounds run deep. Growing up in Miami, Troy learned to dive at
the age of 9. Weekend and summer jobs saw him on a many a boat
until completing a business degree. Troy quickly climbed the
ladder in corporate sales with Proctor & Gamble until his work with IAMS
allowed him to pursue his passions. He next chaired a non-profit animal
welfare program that revitalized his love for nature and the
animal world. Off with the blazer and on with the wetsuit!
Troy brought new energy to Open Water Adventures
dive center, well known for its quality group adventure trips.
The stateside dry times were offset by leading groups to the Caribbean,
Galapagos and Guadeloupe Island (white sharks). Then
along came a stray Kat...born and raised near the shores with a
"you can do whatever you want to" upbringing. A college credit
course in scuba diving has kept her hair wet since. Majoring in
behavioral psychology, Kat spent 3 summers interning on the island of Bimini
in the Bahamas. Here she helped set up an internship program with the
Dolphin Communication Project and Mystic Aquarium & Institute for
Exploration that cataloged wild dolphin behavior. She next
landed on various liveaboard
dive boats throughout the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, eventually
earning a 100 ton USCG Captain's license. Her amazing ability to remember useless critter trivia
is just another asset she brings to Sea Saba. She is already
captaining both Giant Stride & Sea Dragon and hopes to one day not have
it be considered something special that "a girl" is doing!
 Denise Chotoo felt a calling to get back
to her tropical roots. Born in Suriname, her family immigrated to
Holland on Denise's first birthday. Always at the top of her class
and often times tutoring others, Denise studied microbiology and did an
internship at Erasmus
University in Rotterdam. Holding a Bachelor of Science in
Biological Laboratory Techniques, she took a next direction in the information securities industry.
Her organizational skills and analytical mind put her on the fast rack to
become a business consultant and next the manager and trainer for a
private investigation firm specializing in small business fraud.
Her zest for travel and interest in nature lured her first to our sister
island of Statia with the next stop to be an Eco-teer at Saba's
Ecolodge.
As a new diver, Denise looks forward to meeting you in the afternoon
taxi to hear of today's diving experiences. Her broad smile and bright eyes
assure you of her eagerness to help you with dinner
ideas, advice on hiking trails or schedule you for more diving. And,
feel free to practice your Dutch with her!
 Alex Ratley came to Saba as
the result of
his elopement with his wife, Lisa. Alex was born and raised in
California--but don't expect to meet a surfer dude. Instead, he is
easily recognized wearing his white cowboy hat, testimonial to his
heritage of 3 generations of farmers in the Central Valley area of California.
Both gamers, Alex and Lisa met on-line and after months of corresponding set up a
meeting...a week later, they were on Saba where Lisa already had plans
in place to attend Saba University School of Medicine. Once we
introduced Alex to diving, he was hooked. Working part-time in Sea Saba's office affords Alex the ability to enjoy the island, be a good
house-husband and, of course, go diving! This summer,
Lee and Lea
completed Alex's divemaster training in pursuit of his longer term goal
to become a dive instructor. His calm voice and sincere demeanor
make him a joy to be around whether he's assisting you at our office or
sharing a great diving experience.
 Nick Oeming is also a med student
spouse, but one who is well familiar with Saba. Nick's wife Andrea
was actually born on Saba as her grandparents (renowned orchid
enthusiasts) owned a home here since the 70's. Andrea's mother has
the legacy of being 'that crazy woman' who hiked Mt. Scenery on her due
date (Andrea wasn't born for another 3 days). To keep the family
trait active, Nick and Andrea timed their move to Saba to attend Saba
University School of Medicine with the birth of their son Lucas,
delivered in St. Maarten. Nick volunteered as a
Sea & Learn intern for the
October 2007 program, thereby introducing himself to diving and the Sea
Saba Team. He now enjoys working in our office giving information
to travelers about Saba's hiking trails, dive sites and of course,
helping out with a sale. Once you talk to Nick, you'll know how
much he loves diving as it's the only thing that rivals his
conversations about food--an amateur chef, he can give you a great
critique of any restaurant on the island or what grocery store has the
best price on any item!
 Dick and Paula Litzel can only be categorized as a role models for all of us here at Sea
Saba. Putting life into perspective, Dick sold his business eight years ago and hasn't regretted
it once. For 16 years, Dick and Paula spend the winter months on Saba, escaping the harsh
winter of upstate New York. Starting off as Sea Saba customers, they
gradually increased their
vacation time to Saba with each visit. Each trip back to Saba brought a new badge of diving
accomplishment and 7 years ago both became full-fledged instructors. Dick's natural hard work
ethic and many Saba experiences make him a great asset we regularly tap into during our
peak season. Retired? Yes. Couch potatoes? Absolutely not--since in addition to their
active diving careers, they are nationally ranked triathletes. Sea Saba is
proud to say we have a world-ranked athlete on our staff--Dick finished #8
in the world in his age category in 2000, 2001 and again in 2005 and 2006 in the World Ironman competition held in Hawaii. Obviously age improves
Dick's speed and endurance. Dick finished #1 in his age class at the 2003, 2005, 2006
and 2007 Lake
Placid Ironman as well as several other ironman competitions this summer.
Dick and Paula were back in Hawaii in October 2007 where Dick had a great
race, finishing #6 in the world in his age group! Too bad the hills of Saba are not the ideal training ground for Dick and
Paula or we'd love to have them down here for the other 8 months of the year....
Lee and Lea Fulmer met while Lee was stationed in Germany and
Lea was traveling. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel while
Mrs. Lea purchased a small flower shop in Texas which they eventually
developed in to a large-scale landscaping business. In 1998
they sold it all and purchased a 40' motor coach and ran away with their
cats. They now winter as ski bums (and Patrol) at the Taos Ski
Valley Resort in New Mexico and summer in Saba! Mr. Lee made his
first dive in 1959 on an Aqua Lung and is now a PADI Master Scuba Diver
Trainer. He and Mrs. Lea, also a PADI instructor, team teach open
water, specialty and advanced training courses for Sea Saba in their
"off season"--June through October. Mrs. Lea is an
accomplished photographer both above and below and Mr. Lee yearns to
perfect videography with a whole new set of toys. When not in the training
mode, they can't sit still. They built, upgraded and landscaped and
resold the popular
"Cat's
Eye Cottage". Cat's Eye (circa 1876 Saban cottage) is
Saba's most affordable rental in Windwardside. Enjoy Lee and Lea's
company on our boats just diving, or spicing up a surface interval with a
famous cliff dive at Torens Point.
 James
'Garvis' Hassell will be among the first to greet you when you arrive at
Saba's Jauncho Yrasquin airport. Whether you've booked your trip for a day or a month, let us
know your arrival time and Ambassador Hassell will be there to
"steer" you in the right direction. Garvis' stands out above the
crowd at 6'4" but more often than not he'll spot you first with his
uncanny knack of identifying expected visitors. His white van will be close
by and at the ready for your dive gear and luggage. Garvis' roots date back to
Saba's earliest European settlers. You can arrange an island tour with him
where you'll meet his aunt who'll introduce you to Saban lace, visit his
family farmland and receive a quick history lesson about Saba's Fort Bay
harbor that he helped build. When your trip is finished, Garvis will
reliably pick you up at your hotel or cottage an hour before your departure flight
for the short 15 minute trip down the mountain.
 James "Peddy" Johnson,
is now referred to as "Steady Peddy" by Sea Saba and our clients. Like Garvis,
Peddy is a descendant of Saba's first European colonists. Peddy is a 7th
generation Saban; his family having traveled to Saba from Ireland in the
17th century. Both sides of Peddy's family settled in the village of
Mary's Point. ln the 1920's Saba's government became increasingly concerned
that the increased erosion at Mary's Point might
render the area to become unstable. Averting a potential disaster in
this area, the government assisted more than 100
villagers to physically take their homes apart and move them
piece-by-piece to other more stable areas on the island. Peddy was
born at his
grandmother's house in Hell's Gate, one of the homes from this era. Like
many Sabans, Peddy's father worked at the Aruba Oil Refinery until the
1940's when it ceased operation. Peddy is retired as a foreman from
Saba's Public Works Department as well as Saba Airport Security. He
now proudly drives his new silver van to the delight of our guests.
Known for his calm manner and politeness, don't be shy to ask Peddy some
Saba stories--he has plenty!
 William
"Chip" D'Angelo is a face seen only a few weeks per
year on Saba. He has over twenty-two years of experience managing
specialty service, engineering and contracting businesses. Chip
learned to dive as part of an Environmental Science program at Montclair
State College in 1975. His first project as an environmental
consultant took him to Puerto Rico for nearly two years during which time
he dove the region from Vieques to the British Virgin Islands. Over
the years he diversified his business interests from founding a marine search
and survey company which introduced the first commercial Benthos ROV to
owning a dive shop in New Jersey. Chip enjoyed a number of Caribbean
dive trips from the Bahamas to Mexico during which time he even became a
PADI divemaster. On a trip to St. Maarten in
the late '80's, Chip met
Wilson McQueen, the
first to scuba dive Saba's waters. Chip and Wilson became friends
and eventually Chip became an investment partner in Wilson's ferryboat business
which took 'daytrippers' from St. Maarten to Saba. Chip's 10-year
history with Saba is now scaled down to his investment interests with Sea
Saba and coming down to enjoy the island.
 Raymond Francis
is one of Saba's newest divers. After too many years, we were finally able
to convince him to get certified and start exploring the waters of the
Saba Marine Park. Born and raised in Curacao, Raymond is a certified
electrician, mechanic and all around handyman who we've come to rely upon in tight
situations. He's always been our "behind the scenes guy"
assisting John with boat repairs or lending an opinion when necessary. As such, we feel he deserves some recognition
here. During our recovery period in the wake of Hurricane Lenny (1999), Raymond's assistance
during John's absence (finding and preparing Giant Stride and
Sea Dragon) was priceless. Trust us when we say this is one
guy you can truly rely upon in hard times. Now that we've finally thrown
him to the guys in grey suits at Shark Shoals, you might have the good fortune of a
Third Encounter of the best kind with Raymond when he finds time to break
away from his busy land-based schedule in favor of his new appreciation of
Saba underwater.
 Seneca
is Sea Saba's mascot...with her very own webpage:
Watch
Seneca Grow... She and her siblings were born in and eventually
rescued from a drainpipe in a small town in Illinois. If you look at
her puppy photos you can almost believe the animal shelter (as we did)
that her mother was a yellow lab...She's certainly 100% mutt with a mind
of her own. Seneca has adapted well to her new Caribbean lifestyle with
fun-filled days of hiking, swimming lessons,,,and often times just 'coolin' out'
on the floor begging for even more attention and adoration. Her extra long snout seems to make her extra skilled
at finding puppy treats in your pocket, be
prepared! Ask for a paw and she'll trade you a treat for a
kiss...She sports her diving collar and matching leash and is available to
assist you in sizing for your friend at home.
  Kodiak
will also be remembered by Saba's long time clients.
He was born and raised on Saba, a pure-bred Coconut Retriever and quite
popular islander. Never crazy about swimming or the
water, he was regularly found in the back of the work truck or
handing tools to John while supervising the maintenance tasks. Kodiak
died on Christmas
Day 2001 but his memories live on. He was part of the Sea Saba team, John's shadow and a Saba
icon. Mr. K loved thinking he was the driver but many a visitor
chuckled to see him ride the tailgate.
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