Meet Our Dive Crew

ashley and dave
Meet The Owners!

Ashley and Dave

Ashley grew up in Stephenville, Texas. She was raised with horses, cows, pigs, FFA, and 4H but was always a lover of the water. She got her open water certification when she was in college as an elective course, and the instructor allowed her mom to come and get certified with her. Ashley worked in geriatric healthcare from 2003-2022 before taking the giant stride into the dive industry with CRD.

Dave was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, but made it to Belton, Texas, in the mid-70s. He got his instructor certification in 1984 at the age of 18 and instantly knew diving was his passion. He has worked in commercial, professional, and recreational diving ever since and has well over 15,000 logged dives under his belt. He also earned his 100T Captains License in 2013. He's owned 3 dive shops prior to CRD in Central Texas, but I-35 (the interstate expansion) took his shop out in 2013, and he began to focus more on diving charters and real estate.

In 2021, after 5 weeks in the French Polynesian Islands (diving almost daily), they realized building a life on the water and diving was their calling. In March of 2022, they decided to start looking to open a dive shop. Memorial Day weekend, Dave got an e-mail about CRD being for sale; sitting at home in Texas, everything made sense. They came down the first weekend in June and instantly knew this was right. Their journey with Conch Republic officially started July 1st.

We are so excited to share our love and passion for the ocean with those who want to see what's under the sea!!!

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

Conch Republic Divers Staff

jasen-crew-pic-
Captain, PADI & SSI Instructor

Jasen Murray

Jasen, who is highly skilled in every aspect of diving, has been diving since he was in his teens. He has over 20 years in the dive business in the upper Keys – Jasen has been with Conch Republic Divers since 2008 . Besides being a licensed boat captain, Jasen is a PADI Master Instructor. When it comes to equipment repair, there is none better. His professional attitude and diving skills make him a good pick for getting certified or as a guide who know the reefs like the back of his hand.

MarkCrewTip
Captain, PADI & SSI Instructor

Mark Birk

Capt Mark, a retired Marine officer who rose up through the ranks, brings his enthusiasm and dedication to the dive industry. Mark, a licensed boat captain PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer, is known for his excellent customer service and safety when scuba diving the Florida Keys. Mark has been with CRD since 2016.

Greig Martin
Captain & PADI Instructor

Greig Martin

Captain Greig retired from real life in 2016 to pursue his dreams of living and working in the Keys. He's a Master PADI Instructor with over 23 years experience and holds a 100 Ton Master Captains license. He has enjoyed working here at CRD since 2017. He enjoys meeting our divers from all over the world, as well as visiting with the many divers who return to dive with us year after year.

Kyle
General Manager, Captain, SSI & PADI Instructor

Kyle Faunce

Kyle, a former professional football player, whose love has always been for the seas! Kyle has been diving for since 2010 and a Master Scuba Diver Trainer for since 2019. He teaches both PADI and SSI scuba courses and is a [self-proclaimed] legendary spearfisherman here in the Florida Keys. Kyle lives for deep, wreck dives and sharks... lots of sharks!  

christan diving
Shop Manager, Technician, SDI Instructor, & The Facilitator

Christian Owens

Christian grew up diving, fishing and surfing the waters of Florida. He is a native to Tavernier and the Florida keys and has worked on and off for Conch republic divers since 2012. He is a active technical diver both on open circuit and closed circuit rebreathers, certified equipment repair technician, a PSI Visual inspector and has been a PADI/ TDI professional since 2013. You will find him these days behind the desk, working on gear, or filling tanks! While also facilitating all the things.

JAke
Conservation Care Coordinator; SDI & NAUI Instructor

Jake Sprague

Jake graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2017 with a degree in Marine Science. He made his way to the Keys in 2022 to begin his professional dive career. He came to Conch Republic Divers originally as a Divemaster with a passion for cleaning up our oceans in every way! After getting his Instructor rating, he has helped bring a whole another level to CRD's conservation efforts!! Thanks to Jake we will be running trips with Operation: Goal Clean, Coral Restoration Foundation, and he also assisting with Supervising iCare trips as well! Jake is also a NAUI & SDI instructor! He loves teaching and spreading his love for the ocean to new divers!

back on b
PADI IDC Staff Instructor

Bob Koenigsberg

Bob has been diving since 1999 and and went pro in 2008. He is currently a PADI IDC Staff Instructor. He started exploring wrecks diving in the deep, dark and cold northeast. Bob finally traded in his drysuit for lycra and moved to the Caribbean in 2017, eventually landing in the Florida Keys. He has been with Conch Republic Divers since 2020 and loves wreck diving. He has multiple certifications in tech, wreck, advanced nitrox and decompression theory. Bob loves introducing new diver's to the underwater experience and has a passion for people but not cold water.

donna fisher instructor
MSDT

Donna Fisher

Donna has over 30 years of diving experience, the last 10 of which have been spent as a PADI-certified scuba instructor. Retired from a 25-year career as an Auntie Anne's franchise owner in Delaware, she wakes up every morning grateful that she traded the snow and pretzel twisting for warm sun and lobster hunting. She loves sharing her passion for the ocean with new divers, inviting them to join her in the reefs she calls her "front yard." She has been with Conch Republic Divers as an instructor and guide since 2016.

Lee
Divemaster, Guide, Mate

Lee Hagan

A true native Floridian, Lee loves everything water. As a former Army Combat Medic, he utilizes his skills to protect those in and out of the water. He teaches refresher courses for inactive divers or those who wish to gain more confidence with their scuba skills, as well as discover scuba courses for those interested in an introduction to scuba diving. Lee is an air fill technician, psi visual inspector, guide, dive leader, mate, scubability dive buddy for disabled divers, and AAUS authorized scientific diver. He is passionate about working with iCARE on coral restoration/maintenance and you may even see him around town playing live music at some of our favorite local venues. Trained and certified in-house at Conch Republic Divers as a Divemaster, Lee has exceptional working knowledge of our operations and dive sites, making him one of the safest professionals to dive with in the Florida Keys.

Bailey
PADI OWSI

Bailey Harding

Bailey always had a love and passion for the ocean. She graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Science with a focus in physics. Once she graduated, Bailey began her scuba career and has been diving ever since. She became an instructor in May of 2022 to share this passion for diving with future divers. She started working for the Department of Environmental Protection full time and wanted to continue being a part of the industry. That is when she came to work for Conch Republic Divers on the weekends. She loves diving wrecks and sharky-reefs and even loves hunting lion fish!

Sara
Instructor, Guide, Mate

Sara Abbott

Sara grew up in the water, learning to free dive at an early age in one of the local lakes in South Carolina. In 2011, she moved to the Florida Keys and saw a coral reef for the first time in her life. After that, it was all over. She got certified, got a job at a local dive shop, and became an instructor in 2013.  Her love of the water is unmatched, spending most of her free time diving, paddle boarding, or kiteboarding.  Underwater, she enjoys shooting lionfish, lobstering, and dabbling in underwater photography.

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