ABOUT US Meet the Carolina Dive Locker Team

Diving and the underwater world brought Jeff and Lisa together in the summer of 1994, and they have been dive buddies ever since.   Jeff’s passion has always been diving whether diving for the Navy, all around the world in any condition, or for personal exploration and fun.   Lisa has a more specialized dive profile, which Jeff calls the 40/80/unlimited (40 feet deep, 80 degrees or warmer water and unlimited visibility)!  If those conditions aren’t met, you will find Lisa on the beach soaking up the sun! 

Over the years, Jeff and Lisa have enjoyed working with numerous recreational dive resorts and facilities both stateside and overseas.  Whether exploring sea or sand, Jeff and Lisa had a desire to open their own dive center so that they could share their love of the undersea world. They invite you to join their extended dive family to experience all the underwater world has to offer.

Alex and Eric, Jeff and Lisa’s sons are also getting involved in the diving business looking to increase their diving knowledge so they can help on the boat and at the shop. 

Melannie has dedicated her life to studying the world's oceans and inspiring others to take part in ocean conservation. She was a published marine scientist for over 10 years.  She has a Masters of Science in Marine Science from Hawaii Pacific University and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Michigan State University. Also our Freedive and Scuba Instructor, she is a Yoga Teacher.  A true island girl at heart, she enjoys all things ocean including those activities above and below the water such as freediving, sailing, SUP, as well as world traveling.

Melannie has been fortunate to experience over 400 dives around the world in places such as Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Honduras, British Virgin Islands, Hawai'i, California, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  Her favorite type of diving is night diving, and enjoys mixing in her passion for marine biology, yoga & meditation, to promote environmentally sustaniable diving practices. 

Jeff is the Charleston Dive Locker owner and lead instructor.  His vast hands on experience in Military, Commercial, and Recreational diving spans over three decades.  He has conducted dive operations all around the world from the Persian Gulf to the Pacific.  Being introduced to diving at a young age, he developed a lifelong dream of becoming a US Navy Deep Sea Diver and a PADI Recreational Diving Instructor.  His passion for diving has not faded and his current mission is to share that passion for the underwater world with his valued customers and staff, which is echoed in the company's mission statement.

"Provide customers with an outstanding diving and non-diving experience both in and out of the water. Our professional staff place customers first and foremost in all of our services. We maintain ourselves at the forefront of diver education, and only sell equipment we trust and respect. Our priority is the safety, enjoyment and success of the diving activities conducted by our staff and our customers."

Melannie has dedicated her life to studying the world's oceans and inspiring others to take part in ocean conservation. She was a published marine scientist for over 10 years working with state and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits. She has a Masters of Science in Marine Science from Hawaii Pacific University and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Michigan State University.  

Melannie is a SSI Freedive Level 1 Instructor, Mermaid Instructor, SSI Advanced Open Water SCUBA instructor, PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer, & 200 hr RYT Yoga Teacher.  She has been fortunate to experience over 400 dives around the world in places such as Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Honduras, British Virgin Islands, Hawai'i, California, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Her favorite type of diving is night diving & has extensive scienctific diving experience around the world.  She aims to bring an ocean conservation focus through her teaching.  

Read more about her HERE.

Ben grew up in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, and just kind of fell into diving. After taking Open Water he was hooked and went on to become an Instructor in 2013. In addition to teaching for a shop in the area he was an Emergency Medical Technician with the Blacksburg Rescue Squad where he served as a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and Public Safety Diver. He left the agency as Captain of the Water Rescue Team to come to Charleston in 2017. Ben now holds multiple Specialty Instructor ratings and is a PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer.

Sander is an instructor from the Netherlands who has recently joined our team for the upcoming season. He started diving at the age of 10, because his parents were big divers. Their holidays would consist of liveaboards and tropical dive destinations. At the age of 19, Sander packed his bags and moved to Thailand to become a dive instructor,  and he has been teaching ever since.

He has traveled the world doing what he loves; teaching in The gulf of Thailand, different places in Indonesia, Australia, the Carribean and now here with us in South Carolina. 

Austin is fascinated by every creature above and below the sea since before he could walk. He's studied coral reefs in Belize, dove with giant clams on the Great Barrier Reef, searched for fossils in Charleston's rivers, and guided scuba divers in Colombia, South America. His lifelong goal is to help people see the world in a fresh light, and to more fully appreciate the richness and value of life on earth. With eight years of diving experience, Austin is always excited to share the SCUBA experience with new and veteran divers. 

When not under the water, Austin is a professional cellist, entrepreneur, published writer, web designer, cyclist, sailor, farmer, professional filmmaker, YouTube creator, hitch-hiker, speaker, Spanish aficionado, science tutor, Latin dancer, explorer, and renaissance man. 

Spike Schillo, raised in Asheville, NC, has worked on the water in SC, TX, OR, and AK. He received his Commercial Diving license from Ocean Corp in Houston, TX along with his Master Scuba certification.  After the moving to Oregon, Spike set his sights on recreational diving and becoming a Divemaster. While there he assisted in certifying his wife and favorite dive buddy, JB, and they scuba together whenever they can. Always planning the next dive, Spike is happy to be back in the Carolinas and looks forward to sharing the scuba experience with fellow divers in Charleston.