The staff accepts SDI's top 10% Dive Shop Award

Capt Pat is the leader of this motley crew. He is a Panama City Native. The driving philosophy Pat brings to the shop is the idea that we can always do a better job, and striving to do so makes us all better people (and businesses). Pat got the scuba bug back in 1991 and has been diving in Panama City ever since. He has thousands of dives locally and loves traveling internationally to experience new diving with his wife, Kate. Spearfishing is his true passion, and he has also become actively involved in fisheries management politics for the last decade.

James is usually found driving the Steel Slinger on an offshore charter. Although, now that he is a partner in the shop, you may find him going bald doing payroll in the office too. In addition to being able to reach the items on the top shelf, James brings a solid background in business and finance to the operation, having had a career in commercial banking before discovering the dive life. James is a father to two dogs and the future boat Captain for the shop, his son Ethan.

Josh is a PADI Divemaster, USCG licensed Master Captain, and father of two boys. He is a former Steel-Worker for US Steel, and has transformed into an underwater Steel Slinger (boat puns)! He has been diving for over a decade, and first learned how to dive with the well-known shop in Birmingham, Southern Skin Divers. Now with over 1,000 dives in the Gulf of Mexico, he has fully adapted to the laid-back beach lifestyle.

Ben holds professional certifications from PADI and SDI, and is our lead instructor. Ben is not just a regular open water instructor, though. He is an Instructor Trainer for SDI. Originally from Dothan, Alabama, Ben moved to the beach in 2014. He quickly adapted to the salt life by getting his underwater fix as a freediver, and went to the state park every chance he could get. He always knew he wanted to get scuba certified though, and he finally took the plunge and got certified at Panama City Diving! Knowing that diving held a future for him, he advanced quickly over the last few years and went from a regular customer to one of Panama City Diving’s Instructors. Ben's love for diving is contagious, and if you hang around him for too long you just might end up becoming a pro too!

Baylee made the transition from customer to staff with the dive shop. She earned her certification with Panama City Diving when she was just 15 years old. Baylee has made scuba diving a career, logging dives all over the world. She is an Instructor Trainer with both SDI and a PADI IDC Staff Instructor. She also has a degree in Marine Biology. She has her ducks in a row, and we were happy to have her join the ranks and help keep us organized above and below the surface.

Greg is a transplant to the Florida Panhandle from the great white Upper Pennisula of Michigan. Greg is a great mix of both the serious and fun sides of diving. As a matter of principal you will almost always encounter Greg in his flip flops, which is his way of celebrating the escape from snow. The US Navy lets us borrow Greg from the Experimental Diving Unit, where he works his day job, whenever we need him for a deeper dive into dive theory.. Presently Greg teaches our Sidemount, Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures, and Trimix programs. 

Proud father of 3 wonderful girls. Chris spent 6 years in the Navy as an aviation hydraulic tech before owning a cabinet shop for 35 years and worked part time at UPS for 18 years. He retired 5 years ago and moved to PCB and discovered scuba diving a year ago and fell in love with and now works with a bunch of great people and a great dive shop.

Derrick started diving in 2016, in Okinawa Japan. He was hooked from the start and continued diving in Oahu, Hawaii where he earned his divemaster, master diver, and rebreather certifications. Panama City Diving showed him the great love for spearfishing and wreck diving that we all have.... and he got sucked in. He is looking to branch in to tech, and cave diving as his next adventures.

John Henry, with a name like that, what is there left to say.  According to legend, John was born and raised in the hills of KY. After graduation from high school, Kentucky could no longer contain his aspiration and drive for adventure.  John traveled the US for work and looking for a rush of adrenaline.  In July of 2018 , John settled in Panama City Beach and discovered his love for salt water and diving. Over the next 4 years and many dives later, John has transitioned from valuable customer to team member.   John brings his unique perspective and experiences of “if it can happen it will” to the Panama City Dive staff.  If you are lucky enough, you can come see John Henry in the shop or helping out on the Steel Slinger. 

Sara is a Panama City Beach native with a passion for beautiful natural Florida. Realizing early on that she should have been born a fish, attempted to rectify that mishap by getting dive certified at 13 years old. Since then, her passion for life underwater has only grown; driving her to obtain a degree in Biological Sciences as well as becoming a certified  Divemaster. Sara loves focusing in on macro habitats. She’s the one to follow if you’re looking for the smaller cute critters that love to hide!