On August 29, 2005, Atlantis Divers was born. The family team of David W. Hay, David M. Hay and Laura S. Hay joined together and pooled their love of the ocean and diving into the shop they named Atlantis Divers.

They wanted to have a shop where everyone – from families with children to technical and professional divers – could gather together to meet, discuss diving and make new opportunities to dive. And they wanted to offer the very best in instruction, dive and snorkel gear, gear servicing and dive travel.

They have started small and have worked to bring the best quality gear, accurate and honest information, top notch instruction from a professional team, and the right attitude to try to help new divers learn about the fantastic world of scuba diving and to continue to offer adventures to seasoned divers.

Photos of the Shop

David M. Hay
Training Director
NAUI Course Director, PADI, SDI/TDI Instructor, ASHI ALS Instructor
Service Background: Canadian Army, Fire Fighter/EMT

David M. Hay was born in Freeport, Bahamas and has spent most of his life at sea in one way or another, either above or below the water. Dave’s first dive was with his father in Abaco Bahamas. Dave was immediately hooked and has been obsessed with wrecks and the underwater world ever since.

Dave has been diving for over 25+ years, 18 of which have been at the professional level. Dave became a Dive Instructor and Medic First Aid Instructor in 1994 and now holds Instructor ratings with PADI, NAUI, SDI, TDI and ASHI. David is also a NAUI Course Director and Instructor Trainer. Dave's professional services and skills in Search and Recovery have been recognized by the West Virginia State Police, assisting with multiple criminal investigations underwater. He is quickly approaching an impressive 5,500 logged dives.

David has a tremendous amount of experience skippering various sized boats throughout the Caribbean. He received his commercial Boat Masters License # AB 1013 TC January 31, 1996. His log not only includes skippering dive boats of all sizes and classes, but also skippered the rescue boat Reaction. David also worked in the Abacos as a Captain for hire and ran many charters throughout the out island chain.

After David completed his service in the Canadian Army, he joined his local Rescue Squad and was able to advance his emergency medical skills in the Bahamas, where he joined an out island ambulance service called Trauma One as an EMT and Boat Captain. He also volunteered at the local hospital/clinic as a Physician’s Assistant. Upon David’s return to America, he continued as a First Aid-CPR Instructor and now is an Advanced Live Support Instructor and Training Director with ASHI. David is now a member of the Manchester Rescue Squad and South Richmond Rotary.

Dave has been diving around the world and holds citizenships in Canada, Great Britain and the Bahamas. His favorite dives are wreck dives and while his favorite sites are Little Palm Island (his honeymoon site), Cozumel, Bahamas, and Saba, he is always looking for a reason to explore a new dive site. In 2002, while working in a dive shop in Maryland, Laurie wandered into the store looking for a new dive buddy and Dave was happy to oblige by marrying her and taking her all over the world to explore the underwater realm. Their dive buddy relationship is perfect – she’s a biologist and is obsessed with fish, while Dave is the technical resource and is obsessed with planning new adventures.

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Laura S. Hay
Staff Biologist and NAUI/PADI Dive Master

As a little girl, Laura Schild Hay (a.k.a. Laurie) always dreamed of swimming with the fish in the ocean. Growing up on the Jersey shore instilled a love for the sea and all its creatures, most especially sharks. Despite her passion for marine life, she majored in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech and has a doctoral degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Purdue University.

The opportunity to finally learn to scuba dive came in 2000 when she lived in Northern California and she learned to dive in beautiful Monterey Bay. After leaving California to take a position as a scientist in Maryland in 2002, she wandered into a local dive shop asking for opportunities to dive. Here, she met dive instructor Dave Hay, and has become more involved in diving than she could have ever imaged! Her original request to Dave to do more diving has been answered by meeting and marrying her lifetime dive buddy, becoming a Divemaster and together she and Dave founded Atlantis Divers.

Laurie always knew she was destined to swim with the fish in the ocean and marine biology has always been one of her passions, an area she loves to discuss with all the new divers that come through the doors of the Atlantis Divers. Some of her favorite dive spots include the Channel Islands of California, the Bahamas and Cozumel.

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David W. Hay
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

An old Scottish banker who was transferred to the Bahamas in 1965. Joined UNEXCO in Freeport as a Charter Member in 1967. Certified in the “good old days” of web belts and when “BC” stood for “Before Christ”

Most memorable dive was the first time I went “over the wall” the place of Grand Bahamas where the reef drops off suddenly into the abyss of Tongue of the Ocean. It was as if I had floated over the edge of a cliff.

Two other memorable dives. The first was when a buddy and I were talked into scrapping the bottom of a friend's steel hulled boat that was too big to bring on shore. The next day we were bright red and swollen round our mouths and where our masks, T-shirts, and shorts met arms, legs, etc. Apparently we were allergic to the anti-fouling paint. I looked like I had been kissing a porcupine!

The second concerned a remora that decided I was the Great White Shark of her dreams (at least I hope it was a her). She would not leave me alone, what is more she decided that up under my shorts was the place to be.

OK, there is a moral to these two stories; there is a reason why people no longer dive in T-shirts and shorts. And oh by the way, we do have a nice line of Henderson Wet suits guaranteed to take care of even the most amorous remora…………

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Jim Byork
NAUI Instructor Trainer, SDI/TDI and ASHI Instructor and Photography Consultant

Jim’s interest in diving dates back to the 1970’s when he lived in Fort Lauderdale. However, he did not become a certified diver until 1992. On his very first open-water dive trip, he met Suzi Swygert, world-renown underwater photographer and Nikonos poster girl, whom he talked into teaching him underwater photography. Suzi was more than patient with his atrocious buoyancy and running out of air on the first dive. She evaluated his photographic skills in 92’by saying that about 10% of any given picture was worthy of publication but the other 90% sucked. They remain close friends and she waits the day when he brings his first class to Bonaire. Jim also has taken lessons from Frank Fennell of the Nikonos School of Photography and spent a week photographing with Paul Humman.

Jim has dove and photographed in the Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cozumel, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, Curacao, and Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. His favorite place is Bonaire where he has traveled on nine separate occasions. In 2003, he decided to share his passion for diving and photography by becoming a NAUI instructor. In 2005, he did a crossover program to become a SDI & TDI instructor. Jim has been ordained minister for 35 years in the Lutheran Church and presently Senior Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church on Arch Rd.

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Jeff Berchtold
NAUI, SDI/TDI, and ASHI Instructor, Service Tech and Sales Associate
Service Background: U.S. Navy

Jeff Berchtold, a native of Pekin, Illinois, began diving in December 1994, where he discovered the great wreck dives off Virginia Beach. As a thrill seeker, Jeff was immediately attracted to the world of diving. Within that first year, Jeff completed over 100 dives and became a Divemaster in December of 1995. Jeff achieved his SDI Instructor rating in March 2002 and is now a NAUI and ASHI Instructor. He is also one of the Atlantis Divers Service Technicians.

While Jeff claims that his favorite place to dive is anywhere the water is deep enough, the top of his favorite dive list is Puerto Rico. Diving with manatees in the ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico is Jeff’s favorite dive memory.

Jeff believes the most important thing in diving is to have fun and his students can attest to that fact. When he’s not diving, Jeff can be found working as a Real Estate Investor, spending time with his wife and two children at their incredible timeshare in Freeport or acting as a Cub Scout Tiger Den Leader.

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Zane Frye
NAUI Instructor Trainer, SDI/TDI and ASHI Instructor, and Shop Manager
Service Background: U.S. Army

I began scuba diving with my Open Water Certification in May, 1999, quickly followed with an Advanced certification the following weekend. To date I’ve logged over 250 dives at various sites around the United States and Caribbean, most notably the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Florida springs and Key West, as well as Nassau, Freeport, Puerto Rico and Aruba.

I received my instructor’s certification in September of 2003 and have taught a wide array of our courses since. My favorite course is still our Open Water training, teaching new divers how to dive. I look forward to helping you make your diving experiences safe and memorable, and hope you’ll stop by our shop soon to see our great variety of merchandise and dive trips. Thank you for visiting our website!

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Max Inman
NAUI Instructor Trainer, SDI/TDI and ASHI Instructor, and Sales Associate
Service Background: U.S. Navy, CQB Consultant

Max Inman is a native of Richmond who has had a lot of hobbies. He started diving and shooting in the early 60’s. In the 70’s he became a Flight Instructor. In the early 80’s Max became a Competition Shooter. In the early 90’s he dabbled with building Hot Rods and Harleys. He came full circle and got back into shooting and diving in 1996 and became a Dive Master in 1997 and SDI/TDI Instructor in 2001. Max has since become a NAUI and ASHI Instructor and also enjoys using his rebreather. Max likes teaching others how to safely enjoy the fun of diving. He enjoys wreck diving anywhere but has had many enjoyable dives in the warmer waters of the Caribbean.

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Joe Anderson
NAUI , SDI/TDI and ASHI Instructor and PADI Divemaster
Service Background: Police Officer


When I began diving I fell in love with the sport on the first dive. My first dive after certification was in Grand Cayman and I knew I wanted to know as much as I could about the wonderful world of SCUBA. I kept taking courses and became a PADI and NAUI Dive Master. I dove in the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean, Hawaii, North Carolina Coast, and the Red Sea in both Israel and Egypt. I am planning a trip to dive the Greek Isles soon.

I had a great time Dive Mastering for the instructors at Atlantis Divers and enjoyed working with the students. I would have stopped there except David suggested that I become an instructor. I considered it for several months and then decided to give it a try and became a NAUI instructor, then an SDI and TDI instructor. My deciding factor was the respect I had for the instructors at Atlantis Divers and I wanted to join the Dive Shop family. I am looking forward to a great time serving people who are interested in joining the Dive Family at Atlantis Divers. My real job is being the pastor of Messiah Christian Church and I have been in the ministry for 32 years.

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Carter Hill
NAUI and ASHI Instructor and PADI Assistant Instuctor

Carter L. Hill, Sr. was born in Mansfield, OH, but grew up in Sandston, VA. He began diving in the local quarry in the 1970s as an adventure. Carter became a PADI Divemaster in 1990 and earned a PADI Assistant Instructor rating in 1993. Now you can find him teaching with Atlantis Divers as a NAUI Instructor. Carter’s favorite dive site is Nags Head, NC, but loves to dive anywhere in the ocean. He is the owner of C.L. Hill Properties and also founded the Chance Youth Foundation in 1997. Chance’s goals are to let our youth know that they have a safe harbor to come to and the volunteers work to help provide programs and activities to deter teens from alcohol and substance abuse. Carter has also been active with MADD for the past 10 years as well as a member of the South Richmond Rotary.

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Nathan Kissner
PADI Instructor/DAN DEMP Instructor/EFR Instructor

Nathan began diving at age 16, following in his father’s footsteps. The sport quickly became a hobby and a fascination for Nathan; he was Advanced Open Water certified in 2003, became a Rescue Diver in 2006, immediately followed by a Divemaster internship in Roatan, Honduras, and finally became a PADI Instructor after completing his IDC and IE in Key Largo, FL in November 2007.

Nathan’s passion for diving and the underwater world motivated him to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Christopher Newport University. Following graduation in December 2006, Nathan sought a career in diving. Nathan started his career as a professional diver at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. He spent a year working as a Husbandry Diver, but began to miss Virginia.

Now his career in diving has brought him to Atlantis Divers. Nathan is an avid learner, and is very interested in underwater photography, wreck diving, and rebreather and technical diving. Nathan has logged dives in several locations, including Grand Cayman, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Bahamas, and Puerto Vallarta; although, his favorite place to dive is Roatan, Honduras. He is excited to be a part of the Atlantis Divers team, and along with his new position here, Nathan will begin a teaching career in Dinwiddie County Schools as a science teacher.

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Greg Martin
NAUI Instructor, PADI Divemaster/Instructor in Training

Greg was born in Pennsylvania but he grew up in Richmond and was raised as a true southern gentleman.

His dad was a diver when he was young and even recovered a few civil war era artifacts from local waters, so Greg grew up listening to dive stories and tagging along on trips to the dive shop. He always knew that one day he would dive too.

Greg was certified at Atlantis Divers in March of 2006 and seemingly has been in a class ever since. He immediately progressed to Advanced then Rescue and was a PADI Divemaster by October of 2007. He also took several specialty courses along the way. Greg is currently training to be an Instructor so he can share his love of diving with others. Greg has also managed to include his family in his love of diving with his wife, son, brother, and sister-in-law.

Greg will dive anywhere any time but his favorite spot to dive is Boca Raton, Florida. The water is as blue and as warm as anywhere in the world and you don’t need a passport to get there!

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Tom Foard
Assistant Instructor and Service Technician
Service Background: U.S. Air Force

A true native Richmonder, Tom Foard has lived his entire life in Richmond, VA except for the 4 years when the US Air Force sent him to Minnesota and North Dakota. Tom always wanted to scuba dive (remember “Sea Hunt?), but it wasn’t until December 2000 that he finally took the plunge and learned to dive in the beautiful waters of Curaçao.

His first year of diving, he completed both his Open Water and Advanced courses, followed by Nitrox (2001), Rescue (2003) and became a certified SDI Divemaster and Assistant Instructor in 2006.

Tom loves any kind of diving as long as the water is warm and has good visibility, but Bonaire tops his list of favorite dive sites. When he’s not diving in that warm, clear water, you can find Tom hard at work in the Atlantis Divers Service Department.

Now that Tom is retired from the VA Air National Guard (F-16 Avionics), Tom enjoys flying, sailing and skiing in addition to scuba diving.

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Mike Kennedy
NAUI Instructor, SDI Assistant Instructor and Sales Associate
Service Background: U.S. Navy

Mike grew up in the mountains of Colorado and became fascinated with the 'far away' ocean watching Sea Hunt and reading everything he could find on the subject. Bob Marx became a boyhood hero. His first exposure to diving came while stationed in San Diego and he was hooked. Moving to Virginia Beach in 1980 gave him the opportunity to indulge his passion and he has been diving since. Mike's favorite activity is wreck diving and he has been lucky enough to dive many of the offshore wrecks of Virginia, North Carolina, and the Florida Keys. A long time "Richmonder' and graduate from the University of Richmond, Mike hopes to become involved in the sport full time upon his retirement from Verizon. Toward that end, he is presently working on his NAUI instructor certificate. He is thrilled to be associated with the professionalism and energy Atlantis Divers has brought to the Richmond area and looks forward to helping others to enjoy his fascination with diving.

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Jud Dauray
Divemaster

Jud was born in Rhode Island, but moved to Virginia via Florida. He is one of the original Divemasters with Atlantis Divers, and began diving in 2004. His favorite place is underwater, and he can usually be found assisting one of his students, training them in the finer points of scuba diving techniques.

Jud is known as a “ghost” underwater, often showing his well developed ability of descending in front of a class to supervise while the instructor is working with another student. “He just appears from no where” students often say of him. “I didn’t even realize that he was there until after he’d fixed my problem and moved on” said another.

In addition to assisting with classes, Jud also enjoys wreck diving and spending time with his family. His favorite dive memory is finally being served dinner on the Florida Springs trip. His most memorable quote to students is “It’s not a magic coat” as they work together to master the BCD and buoyancy. When he’s not in the water, Jud is also the best auto mechanic in Richmond.

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Sean Wilcoxson
Divemaster
Service Background: U.S. Navy

Sean Wilcoxson was born in Lincoln, IL and grew up in Mason City, IL. Sean snorkeled and started an interest in free diving in Okinawa, Japan while in the Navy in 1994-1995. After a short break from recreational water fun, Sean took a Resort scuba diving course in Jamaica in April 2006 and finally took his Open Water class with Atlantis in July 2006.

Once scuba fever was firmly established, Sean quickly took his Advanced, Rescue and Nitrox classes. Sean completed his Divemaster class in June 2007 and you can find him working at many of our Atlantis Divers check out dives and with many types of scuba classes.

Sean is happy to dive anywhere there is water with at least 2-3 feet of visibility, but if he had a choice, he would be exploring a wreck. He loves going to the Bahamas for easy comfortable diving. When he’s not exploring the sea, he can be found working in the medical field.

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Gerald Craver
PADI Divemaster
Service Background: U.S. Army

Gerald Craver was born in Columbus, GA, but grew up in Richmond, VA. He loved being in the water and was always interested in diving since an early age. He began diving in 1998 with his wife, April. Gerald is certified in Basic and Advanced Nitrox, Stress and Rescue, and Decompression Procedures. Gerald will dive anywhere there’s water, but he especially likes diving in Morehead City, NC, and Grand Cayman. His favorite is wreck diving, both recreational and technical. Gerald and his wife have dived on numerous wrecks and reefs off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts as well as Grand Cayman and St. Croix. They love diving and do it whenever they have the chance. When he’s not diving, Gerald is a Policy Analyst in State Government and PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University. In June 2008, Gerald became a PADI Divemaster at Atlantis Divers and looks forward to working with individuals who are interested in becoming a diver!

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Brenda Neckvatal
eCommerce Internet Sales and PADI Divemaster

Brenda hails from both Fairview, PA and Kailua, HI. She was certified in Grand Cayman at the age of 14 and knew she wanted to be a Divemaster before he second dive. She has enjoyed diving the tropical waters of Grand Cayman, Curacau, Bonaire and Hawaii. She has also ventured to the wrecks of Lake Erie and Tobomorry, Canada. After a 10 year hiatus from diving while living in the Midwest, she jumped in and started diving again when she moved to Richmond.

Brenda manages our online store and is seen working with Open Water, Advanced and Rescue classes. She’s a busy lady. In May 2009, she will receive her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond. The following October, she will begin her Master’s program with Capella University.

When Brenda’s not hard at work tinkering with the online store, finding new projects or studying for a test, she can be found at Atlantis visiting with her buddies or helping out on the sales floor. She’s always looking for her next adventure and meeting new friends.

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Wayne Hackett
Service Technician
Service Background: U.S Air Force

Wayne Hackett was born in Louisville Ky. Moved to Richmond, VA in 1958. Joined Va Air Nation Guard in 1970 as a Life Support Tech Until 2005. December 2000 finally took the plunge and learned to dive in the beautiful waters of Curaçao. Open Water (2000), Advanced courses in St Lucia (2002), followed by Rescue (2003), Nitrox (2007). Retired from the VA Air National Guard (F-16 Life Support/Parachute Superintendant), Wayne enjoys sailing, skiing, and fishing, in addition to scuba diving.

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Cory Wheeler
Service Tech and Divemaster
Service Background: U.S. Army (Currently Serving)

Cory Wheeler was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He has also lived in Chesterfield, VA, Parkersburg, WV, Morgantown, WV, and now lives in Powhatan, VA. He is also well traveled; going to places such as Germany, France, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Italy, Guadeloupe, Mexico, and Nassau.

He wants to also visit Spain, Greece, Egypt, Australia, and New Zealand. He joined the VA National Guard 10 March 2008 and he plans on making his way to being a UH-60 "Blackhawk" pilot.

Cory started diving in June 2006 with his open water and quickly progressed through Advanced, Equipment Specialty, Wreck, Rescue, Nitrox, and finally finished his Divemaster in January 2008. He also works in the shop as a sales associate and a service tech. When not found in the shop or diving he works for UPS as an inside service supervisor.

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