Hi, I'm Tom Hemphill, President of ESI Limited. I began looking at the underwater world through a facemask in 1954, at the age of 10. In 1959 I was introduced to Scuba diving and I think I knew then that diving would be a major factor in my life. In 1966 I made my first commercial dive in the Columbia River at a shipyard near Vancouver, Washington. In 1971 I was certified as Scuba Instructor number 2491 with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).
Since 1971, diving education has been my life. I have trained and certified more than 3,000 sport divers. I've served on the staff of more than 200 diving leadership and commercial diver training programs, which resulted in certifying more than 1,500 divers at the professional level. I've enjoyed going to work every day because it's what I love to do. The most enjoyable aspect of my work is coaching someone and watching him or her achieve success in his or her business and career.
Throughout my career as a diver, educator and coach, I've worked in several areas in the diving industry, and I've had the pleasure of traveling and diving throughout the world. I've worked as a commercial diver in some of the least desirable environments, like the water out-fall system of a paper mill and under huge log rafts in the Columbia River. I've taught commercial diving at The Ocean Corporation Diving School in Houston, TX and I've trained NAUI Instructors at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. One of my more exciting assignments was training and coaching a group of NAUI Instructors, commercial divers and engineers in Hong Kong.
As an employee for NAUI (1985 - 1988) I conducted numerous seminars and workshops on the business of diving, marketing and sales. I also helped coach several dive business owners who went on to be quite successful business entrepreneurs.
I founded Emerald Seas International, Ltd. and established the first successful, year-round full-service diving destination and charter business in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past 10 years (1989 - 1999), with my wife and partner, we built and managed this very successful business in Friday Harbor, Washington.
On May 1, 1999, Peter and Kimberly Albert took over as the new owners of Emerald Seas Diving and Marine Center. To learn more about what they have to offer, and to perhaps join them for a great charter dive in the San Juan Islands, log o to their web site at http://www.emeraldseas.com
Please join our team lead by outstanding professional educators and business coaches. Our goal is to ensure that you achieve the level of competence that you desire as a highly skilled sport diver, successful business entrepreneur, commercial diving specialist and/or professional NAUI leader and diving instructor.
World-wide Coaching Staff
Thomas E. Hemphill, Head Coach - Friday Harbor, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- Professional Business and Marketing Consultant
- NAUI Instructor Course Director
- Former NAUI National Sales Manager
- Successful Small Business Entrepreneur
- Member, NAUI Board of Directors
- Master Scuba Diver Training
- Divemaster Training
- Scuba Instructor Training
- Advanced Scuba Instructor Training
- Career Scuba Instructor Coaching
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Diving Specialist - Business and Dive Team Coach
- Business Coach - Retail Store Development, Management, Marketing and Sales
Linda McCabe-Hemphill, Friday Harbor, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- Retail Store Manager - Grocery Supermarkets
- Accountant
- Professional Business and Management Consultant
- Successful Small Business Entrepreneur
- Accounting and financial management
- Employee management
- Merchandising strategies and inventory control
Glenn Lefever-Button - Friday Harbor, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- Professional Engineer
- Advanced Specialty NAUI Instructor
- Technical Diver
- Master Scuba Diver Training
- Deep Diving
- Nitrox Diving
Dennis Graver - Camano Island, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- NAUI Instructor since 1968
- Author of Numerous Diving Manuals and Publications
- Former NAUI and PADI Headquarters Director of Education
- Professional Underwater Photographer
- Certified Diving Medical Technician and Emergency Medical Technician
- Seminar Presenter
- Instructor Training for Advanced Diving Rescue
- Instructor Training for Advanced Diving First Aid and CPR - DMT
- Instructor Training for Oxygen First Administration
- Advanced Scuba Instructor Training
Phil Graf - Boise, Idaho
Qualifications and Experience:
- Professional Engineer
- PADI Master Instructor
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Dive Team Specialist - Dive Team Coach
- Underwater Inspection and Survey Training for Engineers
Kin Kwong Li, Professional Engineer - Hong Kong
Qualifications and Experience:
- Professional Engineer
- NAUI Instructor Course Director
- English & Chinese Diver Training
- Master Scuba Diver Training
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Dive Team Specialist - Dive Team Coach
John Moore - Louisville, KY
Qualifications and Experience:
- Masters in Criminology
- Marine Security Specialist
- NAUI and PADI Advanced Specialty Instructor
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Dive Team Specialist - Dive Team Coach
- Law Enforcement and Public Service Dive Team Training
Dennis Lucia - Maple Valley, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- Professional Business and Marketing Consultant
- NAUI Instructor Trainer
- Former NAUI Regional Business Representative
- Commercial Diver
- Diving Equipment Research and Development Specialist
- Diving Safety Officer
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Dive Team Specialist - Dive Team Coach
- Seafood Harvesting Dive Team Coach
- Scientific Research Diver Training
Ken Nix - Tulsa, OK
Qualifications and Experience:
- Commercial Diving Business Entrepreneur
- NAUI Instructor
- Hyperbaric Chamber Operations Manager
- Surface-Supplied Commercial Dive Team Specialist Training
- Commercial Dive Company Development
- Hyperbaric Chamber Operations
Bryant Engebretson, Bellingham, WA
Qualifications and Experience:
- Business and Personal Financial Planner
- NAUI Instructor Trainer
- Business Investment Strategies
- Financial Planning for Self Employeed