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Meet the Houston Scuba Academy Staff
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Marjorie Young
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Marjorie Young started her diving adventure at Houston Scuba Academy
in 1985 fresh out of college. Marjorie fell in love with
the sport and became a Dive Control Specialist in 1987
and received her instructor's certification in 1990. She
has
worked part time at Houston Scuba Academy since 1987 and
became President in 2002.
She received her certified
Handicap Scuba Association instructor license in 1996 and
enjoys working with physically challenged
students. She is also a certified instructor for the Scuba
Ranger program and is continuing to develop an enriched
Scuba Ranger program with Bill Bailey.
Marjorie has a wide
range of diving experiences and even made the leap into
technical diving
and cold water diving. Next
time you see her ask her about the Wreck of the Princess
Sophia in Alaska, the 205 foot dive in Forty Fathom Grotto
or the
snorkel with 30 adult dolphins, 4 baby dolphins and 5 human
kids.
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Chuck Koziol
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Chuck Koziol became an instructor in 2000. He has been
diving for over 12 years and has experience diving the
South Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Caribbean.
Chuck is also our certified repair technician. Combine
all this experience with Chuck's enthusiasm for diving
and you have a great trip leader.
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Gary Swearingen
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Gary
Swearingen has
been diving since 1982. He has been an instructor with
Houston Scuba Academy since 1986. He owned and lived on
the Turks and Caicos Aggressor for a year working as a
video instructor. He has taught over 2,000 students and
over 6,000 dives. According to his students he is incrediably
fun and very patient.
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Rita Williams
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Whether
it was the influence of too much “Flipper” as
a kid or starting swim lessons at 2, Rita Williams has always
loved the water.
After spending so much time in and on the water it was inevitable
that she ended up under the water. After being certified in
1985 in Oklahoma, Rita did her first ocean dive in Cozumel
with Houston Scuba Academy in 1991. That Cozumel experience
escalated a hobby into a passion and Rita became a Dive Control
Specialist in 1992. In addition to the Caribbean, her diving
experiences include such favorites as Papua New Guinea, Borneo,
Fiji, Indonesia, and the Galapagos. Rita became an Open Water
Instructor in 2004 so she could share her love of diving. Beware
if you dive with Rita, because she comes armed with an underwater
video camera and you may end up in one of her videos.
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Stephen and Patty Harrell had and
continue to have individual hobbies, but finally found something
they both enjoyed when they started diving together in 1992.
Their first trip was to the Philippines and they shall return
to the South Pacific every few years.
After their initial experiences, they continued to dive and,
finding no other hobbies in common, continued dive training,
becoming instructors in 1995. Since then, they have trained
and certified many students and continue active in spite
of Patty’s advanced age (over 30) and Stephen’s warped
sense of humor (he’s certifiable).
Stephen and Patty’s dive experiences include the Red
Sea, the South Pacific, various Caribbean locations including
Cuba and the Gulf of Mexico. They appreciate warm waters and
tropical locations. Their favorite dive location is Cozumel,
where gentle drift diving, the year-round pleasant weather,
close proximity to Houston, the spectacular underwater scenery,
and the congenial local folks all contribute to an ‘all-around’ great
experience
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