Graham was born in Jackson Hole, WY but moved to California as a child. At the age of eight snorkeling in Grand Cayman, he noticed a group of divers exploring a wreck deep below. He remembers well the feeling of the bubbles rising to the surface and bursting against his skin. He realized he had to be down there. After eighteen years on the ocean, Graham moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado and study marketing and entrepreneurship. His love for traveling and the ocean have led him to dive destinations all over the world. His favorites include Micronesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Cocos Island and the Caribbean.

The seed for Ocean First Divers was planted in the summer of 2005 after returning from a trip to Blackbird Caye in Belize. Graham wanted a way to continue exploring the reefs of the world while protecting the environment he loves. Over the course of the next fifteen months, he worked diligently to create a company that combines the qualities of people who love diving and the ocean with the worthy goal of preserving our reefs for generations to come.

Amy has been swimming and snorkeling for as long as she can remember. Her first experience was snorkeling with her family at Playa de los Gatos in Mexico when she was 2. From that point on she was hooked. Amy has been fortunate to have spent the majority of her life traveling around the world with her family. She has lived in Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Singapore and has visited numerous other countries as well.

Amy earned her Open Water certification in 1991 and is now a PADI Master Instructor. She experienced her first open water dives in the Coral Sea off the coast of eastern Australia.

Amy is the Operations manager and videographer at Ocean First Divers. Her favorite part about diving is coming across the unexpected while diving, observing the behaviors of marine creatures, and exploring new countries. There is nothing more amazing than having a special encounter with an animal on a dive! Amy has been with the team since March of 2000.

Sage grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Whether it was surfing, sailing or snorkeling, he started very early in life, spending the majority of his time on the ocean. Sage’s first experience scuba diving was at the tender age of twelve when he got certified in the Florida Keys. The first dive was all it took; Sage's life would never be the same.  Sage became a PADI Instructor as soon as he could and his scuba career has taken him from a divemaster on a glass-bottom boat in Florida all the way to Course Director at one of the largest Career Development Centers in the country. Sage also managed scuba operations at resorts in the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.

As Director of Training, Sage supervises all educational programs at Ocean First Divers. When he is not in the world of scuba, Sage can be found at CU working towards his High School Teaching certification.

Sacha had her first ocean experiences as a toddler in Mexico and France and quickly became fascinated by its expansive beauty. At the age of seven while on a family trip in Hawaii, she fell in love with the marine environment and hasn’t looked back. Growing up in Colorado has presented some challenges for Sacha, but she’s taken every every available opportunity to learn about and spend more time in the ocean.

Sacha received her Open Water certification at the age of fifteen and has been traveling in search of new and exciting dive sites ever since. Her enthusiasm for diving and the underwater world has only increased over the years and Sacha became a PADI Open Water Instructor in 2008, and complete her Unified Team Diving Technical Instructor rating in 2010.  
 
Sacha started her formal marine ecology education in San Diego, but has also studied in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. Her best diving has been in Hawaii, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica and Dominica. Through her travels and continued education, Sacha became especially passionate about resource management and conservation of reef ecosystems. She now spends most of her free time diving and exploring new places.

Kathy has always loved and been intrigued by the ocean, all from the first time she was "bitten" by a starfish (when she was 6 years old). She has since learned that starfish can not bite people.

Kathy loves learning about the behavior of creatures in the ocean and even went to Mona Island in Puerto Rico for 2 months on an internship to study hawksbill sea turtles. She has also been to Cozumel to study the reef ecology there. Kathy has plans on becoming a vet someday. For now, she volunteers her time at Colorado's Ocean Journey. You can find her there feeding and caring for some of the animals there.

Besides diving in Puerto Rico and Cozumel, Kathy has been diving in Belize, Roatan Honduras, Curacao plus local diving at Carter Lake and Chattfield Reservoir here in Colorado. Other destinations she has been to include Fiji, Oahu Hawaii and Cape Town Bahamas. Kathy became a PADI Instructor in 1999. Kathy joined the team in January of 1998 and is the buyer for Ocean First Divers.

I was born in Salisbury, Connecticut and grew up playing in the woods behind my family's farm with my cousins. My summers were spent camping and fishing in Rhode Island and playing in the Atlantic. I remember exploring the salt ponds as a kid, climbing over the rocks and watching the snappers chase bait fish.

As I grew older, I was hooked on camping, hiking and climbing. All of these outdoor activities fueled my adventurous side and passion for big mountains. On a trip to Australia, I was able to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and it was so awesome, I had a hard time taking it all in. I remember being amazed by the pelagic fish and giant clams.

I went to college in NH, where I got a degree in Outdoor Leadership & Recreation with a concentration in natural science. During my time in college, I visited Boulder many times and knew I had to spend more time here. After finishing school, I moved to Boulder to be closer to the mountains and rock climbing. I never would of thought I was going to meet the OFD family and get hooked into the world of diving. I can't wait for my next underwater adventure!

Chad grew up in Colorado where, as the son of outdoor-loving parents, he was taught a variety of ways to fall down a mountain. At a tender young age while on a family vacation to the Caribbean, Chad grew envious of the scuba divers exploring the Rhone down below while he was stuck snorkeling on the surface.  He gained his Open Water certification after high school and joined the Navy to increase his diving opportunities. Working as a diver on submarines afforded him the chance to dive all around the world and he earned his Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications during that time.

Upon completion of his military service in 2009, Chad promptly ran away to Australia, intending to see the entire continent. Instead, he completed his Divemaster and Open Water Scuba Instructor certifications and spent two months diving almost daily on the Great Barrier Reef. Returning to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado, Chad discovered Ocean First Divers and jumped at the chance to share his passion for diving and the oceans with their students, while still having the free time to fall down those mountains.

Ryan grew up here in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, where he developed a deep love for the outdoors, adventure sports and travel. Ryan completed his open water and advanced open water certifications during his final semester of college in 2000. Promptly after graduating, he jumped on a plane and began a year long solo journey around the world. His second stop landed him in Australia. For the next two months, Ryan traded his services at the Byron Bay Dive Centre, in Australia, in exchange for free diving. He dove every day for two months while he lived in Byron Bay.

Since 2000, Ryan has either traveled to, dove, lived or worked in 20 different countries. From 2003-2005, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize. During his tenurem Ryan worked with primary school students in the Toledo District of Belize. He and the students set up and maintained organic gardens on school grounds. All the food that was produced went into the students daily hot lunches and their happy bellies.The children and country of Belize will always have a special place in Ryan's heart.

Ryan now works at Ocean First DIvers as the Program Director of the Swim School of Boulder. In this position, Ryan is able to combine his love of the water with teaching and working with children.