Rick's Dive 'N Travel - Dive into the Center

Staff Experts

Dennis Barber

Dennis has been a member of our team here at Rick's for nearly ten years and one of our Instructors and Tech Assistance. He started Scuba diving in 1968 as a graduate of the US Navy Underwater Swimmers School, but his love for the underwater world started well before that. Dennis' father was a "hard hat" sponge diver with the fleet out of Tarpon Springs, Florida and then a Master Diver in the US Navy throughout WWII. "The love of the oceans has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember" says Dennis. And, now that he has retired from IBM, he says that teaching and diving are two of the things way up there on his list of favorite things to do. When he is not teaching, he is often here at the store lending a helping hand. Come by and say hello to Dennis Or, better yet, sign up for one of his classes. You will be happy you did.

Dave Bentley

Dave first learned to dive in 1997 in preparation for a trip to visit an Air Force buddy stationed in Hawaii. He loved the night dives with the 15 foot Manta Rays off of Kona, the sheer coral walls of Oahu's North Shore, and exploring the colorful reefs of Hanauma Bay. As an Air Force C-130 Navigator his love of diving was put on hold until his retirement in 2005 when a friend introduced him to Rick's Dive 'N Travel. Dave quickly earned his PADI Rescue Diver and Master Scuba Diver certifications and went on the following year to pursue the professional ratings of PADI Divemaster and Instructor. His love of diving and travel takes him on several of Rick's Caribbean and Pacific dive trips each year. Come take a class with Dave and share his passion for diving.

Diane Cole

Diane's diving career all began with the snorkeling lessons she received as a Christmas present in 1993. She has since become an enthusiastic PADI Instructor and a member of our part-time sales staff. Diane also has a strong interest in helping with the Manatees, so ask her about the manatee she adopted, or join her on a trip to Crystal River trip to Florida to get a first hand look at this endangered species. Come take a class from Diane, you will be glad you did.

Jeff Eades

I have always loved spending time on top of the water so SCUBA Diving just felt like the next logical progression for me. I completed my Open Water Diver certification at Rick's Dive 'N Travel Center in 2001. I then began the arduous task of completing the necessary steps to become a PADI Instructor. I did not realize how much fun and enjoyment you could get from introducing people to the underwater world. I go to Lake Ouachita with my wife Tracy and two children, Abigail and Reagan and spend as much time as I can in the underwater world. I also help out on Rick's web site, come join me on a trip!

John Goldap

I've been in love with the water since I was 5 years old, so scuba was just another activity to keep me involved with water. I completed my Open Water certification back in the late 1970's diving in sand pits and rock quarries in Nebraska. A few years back I decided to look into Scuba diving scuba as a second career. I completed my Advanced Open Water and Rescue courses, again in the quarries and my Divemaster certification in Belize. When I moved to Little Rock for my current job, I came into Rick's Dive ‘N Travel Center one afternoon, met everybody and decided this was the kind of diving facility and environment that I would want to teach in, especially since Rick’s was rated as one of the top ten dive centers in the U.S. and the rest is history. Come meet John!

Jack Greenhaw

Jack is very dedicated to achieving his scuba diving goals and originally visited Rick's to continue his diver education. He was certified Open Water in 1995 and became an Assistant Instructor and a Master Scuba Diver in 1997. After completing several continuing education classes with us (including Underwater Crime Scene investigation, Enriched Air diving and Ice diving), Jack decided he wanted to be more involved at Rick’s Dive ‘n Travel Center with specific interest in becoming a PADI Instructor, a goal which he accomplished with us in 2001. But what makes Jack special was his determination to be involved in taking classes and teaching at Rick’s despite the commute from Memphis where he lived and worked full time at the University of Tennessee. In 2003, he took a position with UAMS and moved to Central Arkansas in order to be able to devote more of his time to Rick’s Dive ‘N Travel Center. He has since taken a position with a private research laboratory. In addition to Open Water Diver, Jack is currently teaching several classes including Rescue Diver, Assistant Instructor and Altitude Diver.

Ed Hale

Ed grew up in North Little Rock and went to college in New England. He moved back to Arkansas in 1980 and opened a woodworking shop to build hammered dulcimers. Ed learned to dive in 1997 when his wife surprised him with scuba lessons at Rick's for his birthday. Ed & Julie spent a year in Micronesia where Ed really fell in love with diving even though he did more snorkeling than diving during this time . After that Ed said he was hooked on diving and kept taking continued education classes at Rick's until he finally enrolled in our Instructor Development Course. Come meet Ed.

Richard Jones

Richard first tried scuba diving with a friend in 1974 in the old Jeffery Stone quarry. Breathing underwater was, and still is, amazing! But the time wasn’t right to pursue this new pastime. Fast forward to 2004…After years of traveling and lots of snorkeling, it was time to revisit scuba diving before the next Hawaii trip. With my son Nicholas, we took advantage of Rick’s Christmas special and got our Open Water certifications. A year went by and I wasn’t diving enough, so I enrolled in the Advanced Open Water course to learn more diving skills and to dive more. The staff and Instructors at Rick’s are the best, I was sold on the PADI philosophy of continuing education, and I’m not done yet. Come in to Rick’s and take a class with Richard.

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