Staff and Instructors:
We get to know you when we dive, but frequently we're so busy teaching we don't really get a chance to let you know us better. We are lucky to be here doing what we enjoy doing. Without you; our customers, students, dragon boat rowers, and fun-divers, we wouldn't be here. Thanks for all you do for us!
Name: Yan Saillard
- Training:
- Owner & Instructor
- PADI IDCS
- PSI Cylinder Inspector
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: Yan began diving in the late 90's, logging nearly 60 dives his first year ~all in the Northland! The next year he took the professional path, earning his Divemaster certification, then going to Florida to become an OWSI and also completed a "Dive Industry Specialist" program. Yan is currently an IDCS (Instructor Development Course Staff-instructor). When it comes to dive training, it is Yan's feeling that while dive training is fun, there is also the need to stress safety and skills development. Lately, he has been spending more time in the store than teaching, but when he does have the chance to work with a class, his favorite one to teach is Rescue Diver.
Yan's favorite dives are slow putzy dives. He enjoys just relaxing and taking in the environment. "There's always something to see when you get into the water. Alot of people have a negative expectation of local diving, especially if they've been diving in the Caribbean. Many people don't realize that we have sponges, jellyfish, and relatives of corals right here in our area." Yan feels that if you really like to dive, there's no excuse not to dive in the area. "We have some of the worlds most well preserved shipwrecks in Lake Superior, lots of small inland lakes teeming with fish, and impressive walls in our deeper lakes." Just about anywhere you go around the Northland, there is a shore line. Get out and explore!
Yan has helped teach UWS's Coral Reef Ecology course along with his wife, Heidi, and Dr. Ed Burkett. This class spends two weeks in the Caribbean and learns all about hard and soft corals, fish, plants, and other life that is found on a coral reef. Students not only learn to ID the various species, but also learn about reef structure, zonation, the reefs interaction with other environments, the effects of hurricanes and humans on the reef, and they get to experience a culture different than our own. No worries 'mon...cool runnin's.
As a member of the Superior/Douglas County Public Safety Dive Team, Yan knows what working public safety dive teams are looking for when it comes to getting set up with dive equipment. When customers come into the store, they appreciate the time Yan takes to find out what kind of gear they need.
Name: Joel Mickelson
- Training:
- Instructor
- PADI IDCS
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: Joel guides students through a wide range of core and specialty certifications. He also regularly guides divers to his favorite local sites. Whatever stage you are at in your diving, he will help you move on to the next level and beyond to professional levels all the way up to PADI Assistant Instructor!
Offering a wide range of diving specialties, Joel teaches those most sought after and useful in this area such as Enriched Air Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Deep Diver, Multilevel/Computer Diver, Underwater Navigation, Wreck Diver, and offers advanced training in Bouyancy Control. If it’s been a while and you are just looking to knock a little dust off of your scuba skills and knowledge base, drop Joel a line. He’ll get you comfortably and confidently diving again in no time.
Joel is our go-to guy for Scouting organizations looking for scuba and snorkel training. Is Sea Base calling you!? Or maybe your group would just like a Discover Scuba Diving session for a fun activity? As a dive instructor and former local Scoutmaster, Joel knows what it takes to get your Scouts ready to dive! He also works with other organizations looking for a more private training experience.
He is also a volunteer dive trainer for the Great Lakes Aquarium, so give him a call if you are interested in becoming a GLA volunteer diver. C’mon, feed the 5 foot sturgeon, 10-pound walleye, and those beautiful burbot; it’s a blast! Yan will even lend you the scuba gear to volunteer, for free!
With dives numbering in the hundreds ranging from the Canadian border south to Cozumel, Mexico, Joel will bring unique perspectives to your next dive experiences.
Name: Paul Buchanan
- Training:
- Instructor
- PADI OWSI
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: "If you love to dive, you dive where you live." If he could, Paul would dive in tropical waters every day but he says that’s not going to happen. Paul is our most active fun-dive group leader. He enjoys diving locally because our area offers divers lots of opportunity to work on diving skills and enjoy the sport of scuba diving.
On our fun-dives, Paul leads a dive group to different dive sites throughout the north land. A couple favorites of his is the harbor breakwall in Two Harbors and Lake Ore-be-gone on Minnesota's Iron Range. "Lake Ore Be Gone in Gilbert is a great dive site to spend the whole day diving and to just relax in the sun. It features a number of dive sites, including a school bus, an airplane, a helicopter, a jeep and a couple speeders!"
Name: Gary Mattevi
- Training:
- Instructor
- PADI OWSI
About:As a 7th degree black belt, Gary's experience teaching martial arts for many years gives him a unique perspective as a scuba instructor. Gary also teaches many PADI Specialty courses like Ice Diver, Dry Suit, and more. Just about every weekend, Gary can be found diving with his son, exploring all the great diving our region has to offer.
Name: Steve Smith
- Training:
- Red Cross First Aid Instructor
About: An modern day explorer, Steve enjoys paddling and leading tours in his kayak, and works as a guide when he's not at his "day job"!
Name: Rudy Proudy
- Training:
- Instructor
- PADI - OWSI
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: Rudy has been a PADI instructor longer than anyone at the store. Although he was inactive for a number of years, the call or teaching people to dive and share his enthusiasm of the underwater world proved too hard to ignore! Rudy teaches many of our Open Water diver courses and takes people out for thier chack-out dives.
Name: Shane Grahn
- Training:
- PADI - Assisant Instructor
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: Shane is an equipment tech and also helps out with classes at UWS. As a mechanic for Caterpillar, he has lots of mechanical expertise and takes pride in a job done right. Shane also enjoys teaching discover scuba courses and doing the camp n' dive thing on weekends.
Name: Dave Wakefield
- Training
- PADI Dive Master
- EFR Instructor
- PADI Digital Photography Instructor
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About: As the member of Team Innerspace with the most life experience, Dave counts diving among many activities. He is an active yachtsman and is a member of the Ski Patrol at Spirit Mountain. Dave has travelled the world and is always looking forward to new discoveries.
Name: Dave Rands
- Training
- PADI Assistant Instructor
- Aqualung Equipment Tech
About:
Name: Wanye Hougas
- Training
- PADI Assistant Instructor
About: As a long-time diver, Wayne also serves as a Captain in the US Army Reserve and recently completed his Doctorate in Audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences and his PADI Assistant Instructor rating at Innerspace Scuba Center!
Wayne is a cave diver and enjoys the wrecks of Lake Superior.
Name: Jesse Strzok
- Training
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
About: Jesse is a student at UWS and has spent time in Alaska and Arizona. When not diving or studying he enjoys surfing the big lake.
Name: Jasper Meddock
- Training
- PADI Divemaster in Training
About: Jasper is a student at UMD majoring in Outdoor Recreation Education. His favorite hobbies are kiteboarding and snowkiting.
Jasper is also a certified dry suit diver. Once he finishes school, he wants to travel around the world kiting and diving, and with any luck he will make a living doing it!
