Tamara Thomsen, Owner

Tami is a PADI Master Instructor, DAN O2 Instructor, Emergency First Responder Instructor, and teaches up through TDI Advanced Trimix and IANTD Full Cave. She is one of the primary divers on the Piquette Mine Project. If you don't find Tami at Diversions, she is more than likely out diving somewhere. If you would like to contact Tami, contact Diversions Scuba or e-mail her at tami@diversions-scuba.com.

View Tamara's resume here.

Sofia Noguera, Instructor and Manager

Sofia is a PADI Open Water Instructor and the shop manager. She has done just about every water sport imaginable and loves to spend her time on the lakes or in the ocean. You can catch her at the shop at (608)441-2545 or shoot her a message at sofia@diversions-scuba.com

Megan Hiestand Bottcher, Instructor

Megan is a PADI Open Water Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor and PADI Speciality Instructor. She is a West Coast transplant who dove recreationally around the world before settling down and becoming an instructor. Megan loves introducing people to the underwater world as it's her favorite place to be. She even met her spouse on a scuba trip and the two love getting in the water and diving together. Outside of work, you'll find her traveling, hitting the slopes or cooking up something in the kitchen.

Craig Carlson, Instructor and Gear Technician

Craig is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and Emergency First Response Instructor. In addition to teaching, Craig is known around the shop as the “gear guru” and can be found servicing gear in the back room. When he’s not teaching, you can find him shredding on a snowboard, rock climbing, or sipping a margarita from his favorite cantina.

Bob Dankert, Instructor

Bob is a PADI Open Water Instructor and teaches a number of PADI Specialty classes. He has always had a passion for water, be it diving, fishing, ice fishing, keeping saltwater reef tanks, or just hanging out on the water. He dives on average 100 times a year, mostly in the wonderful water we have around Madison (Lake Mendota, Monona, Devils Lake, or any other puddle). Outside of diving, Bob is a partner at a local IT company directing the software development group.

Kim Smith, Instructor

Kim is a PADI Open Water Instructor, and Emergency First Response Instructor. She is a merit badge councilor for Boy Scouts of America and has helped scouts to earn their SCUBA merit badge. Along with other staff, she visits local high school phyics, chemistry and phys ed classes to give students a Discover Scuba experience. Kim is often referred to around the shop as "Scuba Mom."

Montana Benning, Instructor

Montana recently graduated from the University of Maine in Marine Science and Biomedical Engineering. She is a PADI and DAN Instructor and also one of the staff members at the shop. She started diving in 2018 and hasn’t stopped since! She’s always excited to get more people into the water and always eager to make new dive buddies!

Brent Foss, Instructor

Brent is one of our newest instructors and enjoys sharing his passion for diving with students of all levels.

Andrew Thompson, Instructor

Andrew is a PADI Open Water Instructor and has been teaching at Diversions for 15 years. He enjoys diving wherever there is water - whether that be in Madison, the Great Lakes, or tropical. Amongst many other courses, he also teaches Diversions' Underwater Hunter Destinctive Specialty course.

Biz Blasinski, Divemaster

Biz is a PADI Divemaster and an active member of the local dive community. He is an avid technical and cave diver and is a member of the executive board of the UW-Madison Hoofers SCUBA club.

Gayle Orner, DAN Instructor and Divemaster

Gayle is a Divers Alert Network First-Aid Instructor and PADI Divemaster. She was an AAUS Scientific Diver for the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Oregon State University before moving to Madison in 2012. Since arriving in Madison, Gayle has enjoyed learning the local dive sites and taking advantage of the great dive training available from Diversions. She is on the executive board for Hoofer Scuba and the Four Lakes Scuba club, and rarely turns down an opportunity to go for a dive.

Mallory Dragt, Divermaster

Mallory is one of our newest divemasters. She loves diving in warm tropical waters, but local Wisconsin diving will always feel like home!

Rick Krueger, Underwater Search, Recovery, and Salvage

Rick Krueger does our underwater salvage and related work, with his brother-in-law, Dave Deyoe. Rick's wife Ann acts as his "First Mate" on most of the projects. Their biggest project so far has been the search and recovery of the Merry-Lynn, a 31' Chris-Craft which sank at midnight in 60' of water in Lake Mendota in 1997. Rick was certified in 1991 and has since logged over 500 dives in our chain of lakes, and recently completed a mapping project that accurately shows crib locations in all four lakes. Rick is the Mobile Data Technician with the City of Madison Radio Shop.