Meet the Team
.png)
Dave P
Owner
Skipper
Dave started to come to Kaikoura in 2013, and loved it so much that we bought a house, and haven’t looked back since.
Boating, fishing and free diving is what Dave spends a lot of his free time doing prior to getting right into Diving.
After an intro to diving trip in Rarotonga, Dave was hooked, and got his PADI Advanced diving qualification at Dive HQ in Christchurch.
Dave has been diving all over the world in various locations - the most interesting being shark diving in Fiji!
Dave has been involved with Canterbury Dive Club and North Canterbury Dive club. Carrying on with the water theme, Dave is a Volunteer of North Canterbury Coastguard, since 2015.
During the working week, Dave is a Self employed Carpenter, specialising in Light commercial building. Dave has also done a few short stints working in Kaikoura on the Council building and the Pier Hotel.
.png)
Dave W
Owner
Skipper
Dave W had his first taste of diving in meteor formed West Hawk Lake in Canada back in 1981. Many years and so many locations later Dave still loves the underwater world. It is a truly magical and natural place that deserves our love, protection and admiration. With the willing help of his dive instructor daughter he attained his Rescue Diver Cert a couple of years ago and with the lovely opportunity afforded by the local paradise that is Kaikoura, well, the sky's the limit! Dave's day job is dentistry and he has been practicing in Christchurch since emigrating to this lovely country with his young family in 2003. Daves' Diving Kaikoura opens the door to yet more grand adventure and the future is, indeed, wet!
Haylee
SSI Instructor
Shop Manager
Haylee is a local who started diving in Kaikoura by doing her Open Water in the winter of 2013. Fast forward a few years and Haylee found herself in Thailand working as a Divemaster.
From then on Haylee left the winter waters of Kaikoura to chase warmer waters. Diving around the world in places such as; The Pacific, Cyprus, Malta, Zanzibar, Thailand, Vietnam and Bali.
Haylee is an admin superstar and works behind the scenes to make sure everything we do is running smoothly.
In 2022 Haylee went to Cyprus and completed her SSI Instructor training!
You will find her behind the desk at Daves Diving helping you achieve you diving needs!
Evelyn
PADI MSDT
SSI Instructor
Evelyn began her diving journey in 2010 in Niue. After a close encounter with a humpback Evelyn decided there was only one good way to spend time... Underwater!
Evelyn is an experienced diver and has been instructing on a professional level since 2016. She previously was in an instructor role with Dive Kaikoura, the local shop here in town that recently closed it's doors permanently.
After being approached by the Daves and offered the opportunity to continue exploring the incredible underwater world of Kaikoura, how could she say no?!
Sean
SSI Instructor
Sean completed his open water in Kaikoura in 2018 and has had a passion for it ever since. Undergoing his Divemaster training in 2021 he developed his passion further and completed his SSI Instructor training in 2022 with Aotearoa Dive in Rotorua. He is excited to show everyone the beauty of Kaikoura and what the coastline has to offer. Sean’s favorite marine life encounters are Octopus as they are highly intelligent and curious creatures. Teaching you to dive so you can enjoy what he loves is Sean’s new drive! Always happy to help you with your diving needs and get you in the water!
Zach
SSI Instructor
Skipper
Spearfishing Guide
Meet Zach! Zach has been a certified PADI Divemaster for 4 years and is stoked to be joining the crew at Daves Diving! He has spent 2 years guiding around Kaikoura waters in other capacities such as kayaks and whale watching, so you may already know this face! Through this, he has come to know the coastline very well.
Zach is an exceptional freediver and he's looking forward to passing his passion for spearfishing on to the community.
With a deep knowledge of the environment and a passion for conserving our beautiful little paradise, Zach is very excited to be teaching how we can cultivate our own food from this unique environment while still respecting the life within it and maintaining a sustainable balance carrying into the future. Plus he's likely to show you many of the other wonderful creatures and sights around!