Meet The Owner!
Ashley Hudson, NAUI Instructor
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, so they could dive while they were on all their cruising adventures. Once she met Dave, her dive count really started increasing, as did her love for the ocean and all the life within it.
In 2021, after 5 weeks in the French Polynesian Islands (diving almost daily), Ashley & her husband Dave, realized building a life on the water and diving was her calling. In December that same year, Dave had a massive heart attack and that opened their eyes, that the time to live the dream together is NOW. In March of 2022, they decided to start looking for her 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. Ashley worked in geriatric healthcare from 2003-2022 before taking the giant stride into the dive industry with CRD.
Ashley's journey with Conch Republic officially started July 1, 2022.
Read more about their story here! Thanks to Melinda Van Fleet!
https://keysweekly.com/42/tavernier-dive-shop-gets-a-refreshing-makeover-under-new-ownership/
Conch Republic Divers Staff
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!
Captain, SSI Instructor
Dave Beevers
Captain Dave is Ashley's husband and favorite dive buddy. 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 in Central Texas, and though he's living the retired life today, he is a great support system to Ashley and a great part of her team.
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.
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.
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, then 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 Seas, Coral Restoration Foundation, and he also assisting with Supervising iCare trips as well.
Jake is also a NAUI & SDI instructor and will soon be working on become a technical diving instructor. He loves wrecks and loves teaching people from the new diver to the adventure seeker.
Captain, PADI Instructor
Cheddy Garcia
Cheddy became a diving instructor in 1999 when he was living in Cuba. The you came to the Keys in 2007 and started working in Key West. After COVID he moved up to the Upper Keys. He came to CRD in November 2023 and loves to dive the wrecks. He is a certified technical diver, as well as a USCG Captain. He also speaks fluent Spanish, Italian, and French.
PADI Instructor
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, and spent 3 weeks in Utila to get his PADI Instructor rating. 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.
NAUI Instructor
Elliott Schenker
Elliott has been diving since 2011 and has always been fascinated by the marine world. He graduated from New College of Florida in 2021 with a degree in Marine Biology and got his Divemaster certification with Conch Republic Divers soon afterwards. In 2024, he became a NAUI Instructor and absolutely loves teaching and introducing people to the wonderful world under the water. He loves photography and videography (especially targeting the small stuff), and would be happy to take pictures and videos of your diving adventures! He's also passionate about coral reef conservation and restoration, assisting as a supervisor on iCare trips.
Business Strategies Specialist, DM in training
Kendall Ozier
Kendall graduated from Berry College in 2022 with a bachelor’s in Biology, concentrating her studies in Wildlife, Ecology, and Conservation. She originally came to the Keys in 2023 to work with the local wildlife, and decided to complete her PADI Open Water certification in-house at Conch Republic Divers. She joined the crew in 2024, and is so excited to play a part in helping others discover and grow their passion for scuba diving! If she’s not working in the shop, she’s probably out in the water admiring the wildlife, or sharing her love for the ocean by helping out with reef restoration and debris clean-up dives!
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.
PADI & SSI Instructor
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.
Captain, NAUI Instructor
Bob Eskew
Bob is a Florida native, and has been coming to the Keys since he was a boy. Following a long career in homebuilding, he owned a successful dive charter business on Florida's west coast before finally moving to Key Largo in 2018. A dive boat captain for 35 years, he is now living his dream in the Florida Keys and at Conch Republic Divers.
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!
PADI Instructor, Mermaid Instructor
Amy Bronson
PADI Instructor
Jayme Hall
After service in the Army as a medic, Jayme worked in business and raised ner family. Her sister was a master diver and begged her to try diving. When Wounded Warrior Project asked her if she wanted to learn to dive, she said yes although she was scared. During her Open Water class, she discovered the wonder of the sea. The passion to not only experience it, but also, help others discover the beauty and wonder of the world below the waves drew her to become a dive instructor. Her goal has been to help those who are excited, or scared, disabled, or autistic appreciate diving while learning how beautiful, vital, and how to help protect the ocean. With Key Largo being a favored vacation spot for Jayme, she left her home in Georgia to become a member of the Conch Republic Divers instruction and dive team.
Captain, NAUI Instructor
Alison Matherly
Alison has been a competitive sailor since age 5 and raced professionally for decades. Diving since she was a teenager, she is a NAUI SCUBA Instructor. She has been driving dive boats for over 24 years and holds a 100-ton USCG license. She is happiest on the water and is a lady on dive boats, but we recommend not challenging her to a yacht race!
Divemaster, Guide, Lobster Hunter
Bob Cox
Meet Bob Jr (he really is a Jr but also not to confused with #WhatAboutBob ) He stayed with us through the transition. He serves as one of our guides who likes to do it all!!! You name it reefs, wrecks, drifts, or hunting! He has been such a pleasure to have on the team & he also does private fishing trips on his own boat, if you're looking for something else to do while your here.
NAUI Instructor
Dave Campbell
Meet NAUI Dave!!!! Dave is a NAUI Instructor & also guides on wrecks, reefs, and lobsters trips (although, he does tip his hat to our Lobster Queen Donna). He stayed with us through the transition & enjoys joining you in the water for learning or for fun! He definitely lives life to the fullest by cruising the world with his lovely bride, flying high in the sky, and of course loving the sea!!!!