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Apart from qualifications the most important thing to us is your enjoyment. Our instructors are fun, inviting, caring and love what they do. You can read more about us all through the links below but we encourage you to make your own mind up and meet us at one of our Thursday night club nights.

Our crew consists of Divers and Instructors that range in experience from very experienced to ridiculously experienced. At Academy of Scuba we ensure that we have the highest calibre instructors and constantly monitor our staff to ensure that all standards are kept and that you get what you expect from the Course.



Kat Vcelka- Owner, Staff Instructor, Dive junkie

I started diving when I was 16 years old on a venturer camp and was addicted from the first breath. Working in other industries I realised that diving was my calling to life. I became an instructor 6 years ago and never looked back.

Diving to me......more







tc.jpgTravis Wellington-  THE BOSS, Owner and Service technician,

I have only got the pleasure of diving in 2008. Diving has always been Kat's hobby and while Kat was out diving every weekend i have been running the shop and looking after our 2 little monsters. The social aspect of diving is fantastic for me. There are not many places where you can find people from all walks of life coming together with a common goal- to have heaps of fun

I have been servicing gear for.....more





Jimmy Wirtanen- Instructor, Owner

I began diving 3 years ago after a life long love of the ocean and all things related lead me to the underwater world. After growing up surfing, fishing and water skiing I figured the next step would be to check out whats under the waves, and now I am completely lost to the deep.

The Big Blue is my..... more





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Oli, Charli and Izzy.  Kat and Trav's kids, dive shop employees in the making.

These three make up the Academy of Scuba shop entertainment.  They always say if you don't need telly when there are kids and animals around.  It is so true with these three. 







Kate Mc Kay- Instructor and store midget

I learned to dive 20 years ago this year.... wow am I that old? I always loved the ocean and learning to dive was a given for me. Ever since my first Scuba lesson I was hooked and my life has been dictated by diving ever since.

I enjoy teaching or assisting on all of my courses. Seeing students improve their skills in whatever ....More






andy1.jpgAndrew Higgins- Instructor, CDDA and IANTD Instructor

My diving started in 1996 after a holiday to Queensland visiting the Great Barrier Reef. This was soon to become an obsession. Diving in Melbourne was a great introduction to Wreck diving especially having four WW1 J Class Submarines and the Ships' Graveyards to explore. Diving the wrecks also gave me an interest in the history of these ships and with wanting to better my skills as a wreck diver the next step was to take up Cave Diving.

I am now a regular visitor to.... More





Matt Ramke- Meyer- Instructor

Growing up by the ocean in South Africa I have always had a passion for water sports and marine life and having done everything from surfing fishing and heaps of snorkelling, I finally got around to doing my Open Water course in Egypt just over a year ago.  As soon as I got home to South Africa I emailed every dive centre I could find to make the ocean my office, and managed to get a Dive Master Internship at Blue Vision Dive Resort. 6 Months later I was on my way to doing ... More






mick1.jpgMick Whitmore- Instructor, TDI Instructor

I started diving in the 80s and fell in love immediately joining a group of guys who did some pretty out there dives I had a lot of fun but was lacking something so that’s when I went down the professional route wanting to share what I had with others

My favourite day of the week is Wednesday as I get to go for a dive after work it is a great way to break the week and have been doing this since the day I was certified with the same group of people meeting .... More



Andrew Sizeland- Staff  Instructor, TDI Instructor and Diving Doctor

I first dived in the 1970s in Tahiti and was amazed by this whole new world of endless coral reefs, colourful fish and mysterious wrecks. I subsequently spent every holiday over the next 10 years exploring different and in those days remote diving destinations.

A move to the far north east of America resulted in a long break from diving, but my passion has returned with a vengeance over the last couple of years. The diving in and around Melbourne is as incredible as.... More






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Tim Muscat- Instructor

I initially started snorkeling because i wanted to see what was under the water i was swimming in when i went to beaches. I was always scared of deep water and not knowing what i was above! Naturally snorkeling lead to increased curiosity with the ocean and i wanted to go under it, deeper. I practiced freediving in my local.... More





Matt_2.jpgMatt Krummins- Instructor

Back in 2001 I was on a holiday to Green Island in QLD when I tripped and fell into the ocean. Soon after I discovered I was scuba diving the foundation of my diving career was set. I completed my Open Water and Advanced Open Water about a year later on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. After a couple of dry years my love of diving was re-ignited mid 2008 when I joined up with Academy of Scuba on the journey of a lifetime.

After meeting the crew and club members I learnt... More



 
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Mike Steinmann - Instructor and IANTD Instructor

One lucky day my wife gave me a birthday gift of a Scuba diving course. This was something I always wanted to try. I thought it would be useful so I could go up to Queensland every couple of years and dive the Great Barrier Reef. Well, Michelle wasn't ready for the monster of a passion she unleashed in me. Having completed my Open Water training in Victorian waters, I wasn't ready for the incredible amount of great diving in southern Australia. There is so much colour and fish life, it was awe-inspiring...more




             



Me_1.jpgLou Edmonds - Divemaster

I fell in love with the ocean when I was about two years old and Dad biffed me off the back of our little yacht, with only the aid of a life jacket and screamed 'SWIM! SWIM!'. I moved on from Dad's dubious methods of teaching us to swim, and learnt to love the sea and the beach, whether we were boating, surfing, snorkeling or swimming. I grew up in a wee town in the North Island of NZ called Te Aroha, which means 'The Love' and is near a little paradise called the Coromandel Peninsula more...








 normal.JPGMelissa Rouse - Instructor

Naturally adventurous person, optimistic, outgoing and can be a little loud at times (apparently) My diving life started on one of my many backpacking adventures when I was faced with the question, “What is there to do in Borneo?” It seemed as though the obvious answer was scuba diving (thanks internet) so like most things I jumped straight into it. I completed my open water and advanced open water courses and all it took was 1 week diving for me to fall irrevocably in love with the ocean and the beautiful mysteries that are below it. More..




DM_pic3.jpgScott Edwards - Divemaster

I have been Diving for 10 years. I love the water and have never lived far from the beach. My mate, Andy Higgins, bought me a Discover Scuba for my birthday but I procrastinated for 4 years before finally doing my Open Water course at Academy of Scuba. From there I have never looked back as it has become my passion and desire to discover the underwater world and all it has to offer. The diving I do can be categorized into 4 different areas: More..








Dive_profile__2_.jpgSimon De Foe - Divemaster

Coming to the early conclusion that all the good things in life start with „S.; Scuba diving, Snow Skiing, Sickies and of course the best chocolate in world (German) pronounced Schokolade, I started my scuba diving career from an early age. Maybe it had something to do with hmy mother jokingly trying to drown me or perhaps it was my refusal to follow parental direction but I just had to find out what was below the surface: More...