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Buck Buchanan – Owner, Dive911
Buck experienced diving for the first time at age 15 with a close family friend. He showed him this “magic trick” of breathing underwater and that simple act started a 40 plus year love affair with the underwater world. The ability to dive and breathing underwater has always felt like a superpower. Buck has continued to grow and experience new and exciting things. Little did he know that moment of adventure would turn into a lifelong quest of sharing the underwater those around him. He has the ability to paint a picture and plant a seed that fosters a conducive learning environment for progressive learning. The ability of the instructor to focus on his students and understands how to take that seed, add water and becomes part of the student’s growth is imperative in quality instruction! Buck is a part of the SDI Instructor Ambassador program, with a vast background in public safety. Buck is a United States Marine Veteran with a long career in the fire and emergency medical services, scuba instruction, and commercial diving.
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Wally Endres – Owner, Dive911
Wally grew up in southwest Vermont, spent his educational career at Berklee College of Music in Boston, followed by Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, then spent the better part of 15 years as a Project Risk Manager and IT Business Consultant. He has spent the last 10 years as an Operations Manager, primarily functioning as a consultant, traveling internationally, for OSHA & US Military projects. During that time, he attended the VT Police Academy and worked for 2 separate agencies as a Law Enforcment Officer. He has been actively diving and training others since 2015. Employed by Divers Alert Network for the 2022 calendar year as the Safety Services Coordinator focusing on risk mitigation and hyperbaric technologies, he is a current NREMT and maintains medical licenses in VT, GA, & FL. Additionally, he is certified by the International Board of Undersea Medicine as a Diver Medical Technician and has trained with the medical staff at the Hyperbaric Medical Center in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt. Wally is the Vice President and resident Course Director with Project Restoration Foundation (a Veteran & Public Safety focused non-profit) and oversees all aspects of SCUBA training within the program.