Greg Knyper
Greg’s illustrious diving career began quite by accident. In 1978 Greg entered a contest at the Rancho Santa Fe Youth Center and won a free Intro to Scuba class. The rest, as they say, is history. And what an incredible history it is. Upon getting certified, Greg knew that this was going to be more than just a sport but rather a way of life. At the age of 14, he started working at the world famous Dive Locker cleaning out dive gear on his summer breaks. Two years later and after completing the required steps to attain his Master Diver certification, Greg began his Dive Control Specialist training. In 1984, at the age of 18, Greg became the youngest Open Water Instructor in North America.
Since then Greg has worked in numerous dive sectors, trained public safety programs, worked as a commercial diver, and has even jumped out of helicopters saving lives in New York. To describe all of Greg’s experiences and accolades over the years would be a daunting task, so here are a few bullet points…
- In 1988, Greg graduated from the College of Oceaneering in Long Beach as a commercial diver. With this new certification, Greg travelled around the world working on oil platforms, rigs and many other sites. Today he still consults as a commercial diver on projects around the world.
- In 1995, after returning to the recreational scuba forum, Greg received his Master Instructor rating.
- In 1998, Greg founded North County Scuba Center in Encinitas.
- In 1999 he became a Public Safety diver and began working with Del Mar Lifeguards, a position he still holds today.
- In 2000, Greg received an invitation from SSI to join the elite Instructor Certifier ranks, a designation held by very few.
- In 2008, and after many years of servicing the needs of the public safety community through North County Scuba Center, Greg formed San Diego Dive Rescue, a company focused on the training and consulting of public safety organizations nationwide.
- In his career, Greg has completed over 13,500 dives, and has certified thousands of Open Water Divers.
- He has dived on such famous sites as the SS Andrea Doria, USS San Diego and the German U-Boat wrecks off the Block Islands.
Designations: LEAD Instructor, SSI Instructor Certifier, Underwater Crime Scene Investigator, DAN Course Director, TDI Mixed Gas Instructor, SDI Instructor, NASDS Instructor, Aqualung Research & Development Diver
This unique and storied biography makes Greg an icon in the diving industry. His experiences as well as his passion for this life sport assists both new and experienced divers reach new levels in their diving career.
Designations:
SSI Dive Control Specialist Instructor
Brett became an Open Water Diver through North County Scuba Center in 2004. As an avid surfer Brett quickly took to scuba diving and by 2005 had received his Master Diver rating. In 2006, Greg offered him the opportunity to become a dive professional and he finished his Dive Control Specialist training the same year. In 2008 Brett became an Open Water Instructor and has since taught over 100 students to enjoy the sport with the same amount of passion that he exemplifies.
Brett has dove extensively around the world including such amazing destinations as the South China Sea, Mexico and Hawaii. To date he has over 800 dives.
Alex Feck
Designations:
Advanced Open Water Instructor
Noah Beinduga
Open Water Instructor
Parker James
Open Water Instructor
Trey Bullington
Dive Master