We have a friendly, experienced team to provide your with an adventurous, yet enjoyable and relaxing time.
Allan Nash - PADI Course Director, Managing Director
Allan, originally from Australia, spent several years in Hong Kong in the construction business before discovering Puerto Galera in 1985. The founding partner of Asia Divers and El Galleon Resort, Allan has one son Arthur. Allan’s other interests include Ultra-Light aircraft and golf.
Andy Norman - PADI Master Instructor, Technical Director
Andy is the other founding partner of Asia Divers. A veteran of the aeronautical industry in Oman, Andy first visited Puerto in 1982. Andy keeps himself busy with the dirty side of the business: compressors, generator and equipment maintenance. Andy walked 520 Kms around the island of Mindoro mid 2000, to raise money for charity. Andy runs all the Equipment Seminars at iDAP College
Tommy Soderstrom - PADI Master Instructor, Director Sales & Travel
Asia Divers’ third partner is Swedish Tommy Soderstrom who started as a Divemaster in 1988. Tommy is married to Lina and has a daughter and son. His passions include motor biking and ‘hash running’, when he’s not exploring new dive destinations.
Allison Manis - PADI IDC Staff Instructor
Allison escaped the icy cold Canadian waters and has been in the Philippines for the last 18 years. Originally, an Art Director/Graphic Designer in Toronto, she moved to Manila and worked for the Canadian Embassy before heading to Puerto Galera. She’s been with Asia Divers since 1997 and exhibits great patience in her teaching - she specializes in the kids diving programs and loves taking her camera out for a spin to look for all the weird and wonderful macro creatures. With over 9000 dives in the local area, she knows all the dive sites intimately! Besides diving, she is responsible for the Monday Newsletter, and also leads marketing for the company. You’ll see Alli at several dives shows. Allison is kept busy in her spare time with her seven-year old daughter, Ariana.
Dave Ross - Partner, Instructor Trainer and Manager of TechAsia
Born in London in 1964. Dave is a Geologist by education. He learned to dive whilst living and working out of Hong Kong, and turned professional, as a Divemaster in 1991 and then a PADI Instructor in 1992. When IANTD came to the Philippines in '95 he was among the first group of Instructors certified, and currently holds the ratings of IANTD Trimix Instructor, plus Normoxic Trimix and Gas Blending Instructor Trainer. A lot of Dave’s current effort is in the area of dive trip organization and trying to find new and interesting opportunities for our divers to enjoy.
Kenneth Svennerlind - Partner, Manager of iDAP College, PADI Course Director, EFRI Trainer and DSAT Tec Deep Instructor Trainer
Kenneth actually took his first breath underwater over 25 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, USA. It was fascination and love at first breath. Kenneth decided to follow his passion and in 1994, made diving a career by becoming a DM and started to work full time around the world. He has a wealth of experience off different diving environments and cultures by having worked in Scandinavia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Far East and Asia. Kenneth has also worked as a PADI employee for 4 years at PADI’s Regional office in Scandinavia. After obtaining Course Director status in 2004, Kenneth moved to Japan where he founded the Tokyo Dive Academy and from this platform forged links with Embassies and International Schools to provide CPR and First Aid education together with Diving courses at various levels for the expatriate community. Kenneth has also been fortunate to dive some of the world's best dive sites in his spare time and these have included Galapagos, Cocos Islands, Palau, Fiji, Tahiti, Maldives and Sipadan Island. Kenneth is currently Manager of iDAP College at Asia Divers. In 2012 he relocated from Japan to the UK where he lives with his long time partner Ali and their two beautiful cats!
Pete Eaton - PADI IDC Staff Instructor and EFRI Trainer
Pete was born in the north of England. A Mechanical Engineer by trade, he has tried his hand at a wide variety of jobs including Market Trading and Plant Operating. He worked in South Africa and Hong Kong before arriving in the Philippines in 1995. Pete arrived as many do, in Puerto Galera and the Philippines, on holiday and just hasn’t left. Pete runs the EFRI and Pre-IDC days together with Jamie. He now has a wife and a son.
Sam Collett - IANTD Trimix and Technical Wreck Instructor Trainer
Another Brit, originally from Brighton, Sam began diving at Asia Divers in 1994. He was at that time living in Sydney and owned a very successful Stone Masonry and Restoration business, which he ultimately sold and moved to full time diving as a career. Sam is an IANTD Instructor Trainer to the levels of full Trimix, Technical Wreck and Gas Blending, and also teaches DPV, Essentials courses, Rebreather, and all of the PADI/DSAT levels to Tec Trimix. Sam's instructional and supervisory skill, patience, and attention to individual’s diver’s particular needs and abilities have made him a tremendously popular and highly respected member of the Tech Asia team, and in the field of Asian technical diving generally. Sam also involves himself actively in dive travel, having put together excursions all over the Philippines, and from Micronesia, South China Sea, Java Sea, Sri Lanka and to the Burma Banks.
Troy Murray - PADI Instructor
Troy Murray has been in Puerto Galera for several years working on a part-time basis and now has become a valuable member of the team. Troy is from Melbourne Australia and has worked in the construction industry for twenty five years in Melbourne and three years in various parts of UK and Europe. He washed up on the shores of P.G. in 2006 and decided to take on a Divemaster course which he completed in Feb 2009 and has been working for several dive centers ever since, mainly at Asia Divers. He does his best to keep up with Aussie rules football whenever possible.
Kjell Söderström - PADI Instructor
Kjell was born in Sweden. He found it far too cold in Sweden so he retired from his work as a municipal commissioner and moved to Philippines 2004. Kjell is married to Rhuby, our assistant manager and became a dive instructor 2006. When he is not diving, you can find him on golf courses around Manila and you can also find him in the Point Bar together with the other instructors. Kjell is a great additon to our team in many ways including being able to teach courses in Swedish
Jamie Gladwin - PADI Master Instructor and EFRI Trainer
Jamie started diving in the dark cold waters of the English Channel back in 2002. He quickly realized that this is what he wanted to do for the rest of his life and concentrated on getting the experience needed to become a PADI Scuba Instructor, which he successfully completed in 2004 right here with Asia Divers and IDAP College. Since this time Jamie has worked in Puerto Galera in a variety of dive shops around the beach, gaining a large amount of local knowledge. In 2008 he spent a small amount of time working in Thailand but soon returned to Puerto Galera. During his time with Asia Divers Jamie has furthered his own training by completing his IDC Staff Instructor course and just recently becoming a Master Instructor and EFR Instructor Trainer. Jamie runs the EFRI and Pre-IDC days together with Pete. He now has a wife and a daughter.
Ruben Maranan - PADI Divemaster
Ruben has worked for Asia Divers since 1998 carrying tanks, assisting in the shop, driving boats and fixing regulators. He worked his way up through the ranks to become a PADI Divemaster. Ruben is a valuable member of our team and is very experienced in the local area. He is a great spotter for all you photographers out there. Recently he has been keeping smiles on everyone’s face with dives to see the mandarin fish. Ruben is from here, married with two daughters.
Eric Paul Marquez - PADI Divemaster
Eric is from the Calapan City which is the capital of Mindoro. His family had a rice farm...but he felt he needed a new challenge so he came to Asia Divers. Eric started off here many years ago as a boatman, compressor operator and service technician and learned the ins and outs of the diving business. After a year here he decided to take his Open Water course and then realized that the underwater world was full of adventure and beauty. He decided then that he would like to become a Divemaster and be able to show people from all over the world how beautiful the waters of Puerto Galera are. Eric now has over 2000 dives and is married with three children.
Ferg Peoples - IANTD Trimix and Technical Wreck Instructor
Ferg, who comes from Ireland, got upset with the weather one day and decided the tropics were worth investigating. He began diving in 2000 and quickly realised that sand and sun can even beat a good pint of Guiness. Arriving in the Philippines in 2005, the passion he developed for Technical Diving sabotaged his savings and back to Europe it was for the poor fellow. An email about a tech liveaboard in the South China Sea lured him back in ‘08 and he hasn’t left the diving business since. Now an IANTD Trimix , Technical Wreck Instructor with GUE training to Tech 2 level, and through IANTD on KISS Rebreathers. He enthusiastically and capably jumps in to deal with anything and everything that needs doing. He intends to be a part of the Philippine Tech Diving community for a long time to come.
Anders Kristensen - GUE Fundamentals, IANTD Advanced Recreational Trimix, KISS, and Inspiration Rebreather Instructor
Anders hails from Denmark but has been diving here in the Philippines on and off for around five years. He holds a broad range of qualifications, certified to Tech 2 Diver level through GUE and since July 2011, a GUE Fundamentals and Rec 1 Instructor. His goal is to encourage the highest level of standards and diving procedures possible within the Philippine diving community and has helped us to establish Tech Asia as a GUE Training Facility. Anders is also in active status with IANTD, being a Trimix Diver both Open Circuit and CCR, and an Advanced Recreational Trimix, KISS, and Inspiration Rebreather Instructor.