Denise Byrne
denise@dayo.com

I was born in a small town called Clonmel, in the midlands of Ireland. Like most small towns of Ireland, it was very green, mountainous and had very little water…..

Bitten by the water bug from beach visits as a kid, I set about becoming scuba certified and trying to spend as much time as I could underwatr (not an easy task to do in Ireland!).

I learned to dive in college as part of my undergraduate degree in Marine Biology, and later worked as an Aquarium Supervisor in a small aquarium on the west coast of Ireland. As soon as started diving, it quickly became my focus in life. I spent my weekends and any other free time diving and helping out at my local dive store. My Divemaster training gave me an insight into how much I loved working with new divers, and showing people the underwater world.

Due to the adverse weather conditions in Ireland (cold, wind, rain, and often sleet!), the dive season is limited from April to September. I planned and went on over seas trips to break the monotony of the long winter season. My favorite was the Florida Keys, and over my many trips, I came in contact with a broader scale of diving enthusiasts and knowledge. I met a fellow Irish diver, who was a "Cave Diver". I had already had an interest in this aspect of diving, but his recounts of hundreds of feet of visibility and gliding effortlessly through water filled passages fascinated me. Back in Ireland cave diving was unheard of, the caves there were deep, inaccessible and cold, why would anyone want to go in there? Training was unavailable; my own instructor shuddered at the thought of it. So I planned a trip to Florida, the mecca of cave diving, and enrolled in a cavern and introductory cave course, by the end of which, I was hooked! I realized instantly that I would be making a lifestyle change again.

I returned home after my vacation, but soon returned to Florida to pursue more cave diving, as I could not get enough of it. I began to intern as a diving instructor, allowing me to spend all my time in the water. Later again, I became a cave and technical instructor, and still diving all the time.

Running a scuba diving business out of Orlando is a lifestyle choice that keeps me busy and always in the water. I train open water divers, technical and cave divers year round. I also help to manage this forum that provides people an option to cyberdive when not in the water. When not training, I dive throughout Florida and beyond. My upcoming plans for foreign travel include Alaska & Galapagos.

I enjoy spending as much time as I can in and around the water, and enjoy getting to and diving in new destinations. As a marine biologist I want to dive and appreciate the coral reefs I haven't seen throughout the rest of the world. I love photography and am constantly striving to take photos to teach others about our beautiful underwater world. My other hobbies include kayaking, hiking and my cats.

SDI & TDI Instructor Trainer & Evaluator (OW, Cave & Technical) #13415

Carol Sugars
carol@dayo.com
Technical and Cave Instructor
SDI Staff Instructor

Originally from an inland industrial town in the UK Carol learned to dive in the Red Sea in 1988 and since then has dived in the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii, multiple locations throughout the Caribbean and of course all around coastal Florida and the Keys as well as many of Floridas inland lakes, rivers, springs and caves. Carol is a Full Cave, Advanced Trimix and Public Safety Diver as well as being a qualified on the rEvo rebreather. As an instructor for Dayo she enjoys teaching all levels of Open Water recreational, Technical and Cave diving and is qualified to teach at the Diver, Divemaster and Instructor level.

Chris Keene
Divemaster, Instructor Candidate

Chris learned to dive in 2012 right here with Dayo Scuba. Currently a Divemaster with Full Cave and mixed gas CCR certifications. His favorite type of diving is caves and deep wrecks.

James Curley
Divemaster Candidate

Hello Dayo Family!  When I moved to Florida I wanted to find a hobby that was unique to this state and area.  After open water class I quickly knew diving was what I wanted to do all the time.  I will happily dive wherever with whoever as long as I'm under the water.  Diving is a release from the stresses of life for me. You can't beat the sense of adventure jumping into the wonderful waters all around Florida.

Buzz Myers
Divemaster Candidate

Demetrios Bechlivanis
Divemaster,
Open Water Refresher Trainer
Altamonte Springs, FL
Hobbies: His bike, collecting scuba gear, diving and arguing over changes at Dayo Scuba!

Thomas L Johnson aka TJ
tj@dayo.com

TJ was the founder of Dayo Scuba. He got his start with diving while stationed in the US Army, in Greece back in 1981 and 1982, but it was later, in the 90s that he really started diving more often. Because of his passion with scuba diving, one thing led to another and he became a scuba instructor. At the same time he pursued his education and experience doing more extreme diving such as technical and cave diving. Years later, he now teaches about anything cave, technical and public safety diving, including instructors. All instructors at Dayo Scuba are his (and Denise's) finest prodegies! His hobbies these days are surveying caves, deep wreck diving, flying, building, gunsmithing, boating and kayaking. You can find him mostly at Dayo Scuba North which is in North Florida and close to the caves he loves to teach in.

Certifications/Agencies: SDI, TDI & ERDI Instructor Trainer & Evaluator (OW, PSD, Cave & Technical) #3297, NSS CDS Sponsor #368, IANTD #6514. He is currently on the SDI/TDI/ERDI Training Advisory Panel.

Chris Leavitt
SDI/TDI Instructor,
Technical and Full Cave Diver
Haines City, FL
Hobbies: Cave diving with DPV (Scooters), ocean diving, and WORK (Aghhhh)...

Jim Franks
SDI & TDI Instructor

Hi my name is Jim. I have always enjoyed being around the water. This dates back to my days as a submariner in the Navy. I love helping people experience this wonderful world under the water. My favorite dive spot is Blue Heron Bridge. I enjoy the diverse sea life of this gem.

Tim Senkevich
SDI & TDI Instructor, Technical,
AP Inspiration CCR Instructor

Robert 'Rob' Andrews
SDI, TDI Instructor, Cave & Tech Diver

Did some diving in the 90s in lakes in Iowa. No training or visibility. Came to Florida in 2010 and got trained as an OW diver and dived almost every weekend. In 2013, I became a professional scuba diver, teaching at Dayo Scuba.

Donald Lee Wuerz, Jr (Chip)
IANTD & TDI Advanced Trimix,
CCR Instructor
Orlando, Florida
Hobbies: CCRs, learning to teach even more CCRs.

Ken Yelvington
Divemaster & Instructor Candidate (almost done!)

I was certified as an open water diver in 2012. After a few open water dives, I found that I wanted to develop more diving skills. Computer Nitrox, Advance Adventure Diver, started me on my way to where I am today...

I completed my Dive Master program through DAYO Scuba in September of 2015 to advance my training. Today, after retiring from my day job, I'm training as an Open Water Diving Instructor to share my passion for diving.

James Kuhn
Divemaster, Technical and Cave Diver

Jamie started diving in North Carolina in 2004.  He was certified as an Advanced Open Water and Nitrox diver through NAUI and TDI.  He also was a rescue diver for the Winston Salem Rescue Squad until his first deployment with the Army National Guard.  Jamie moved to Florida in 2007 to pursue flight training and didn’t dive again until 2014 when he linked up with Dayo Scuba.  Since then Jamie has completed Rescue, Advanced Nitrox/Deco, Intro and Full Cave, and Dive Master through SDI/TDI.  He is slowly working on finishing his Instructor certificate.  Jamie has 22 years in the Army National Guard with three deployments to Iraq, Qatar, and Syria.  He is a Pilot with a large airline and enjoys camping and beach trips with his family.

Kelley and Marc Sejut
Dayo Divers Family!

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