Who we are
Our group of instructors are PADI professionals, they have trained and worked in technical and commercial diving, and specialize in marine biology, underwater photography and underwater cinema production. Our unique, professionally certified, multi-disciplinary team looks forward to teaching you.
The Executive Team:
Michel Niedu – Technical Diving Manager / Commercial & Navy Diver / Photographer
Michel worked for fifteen years doing underwater salvage, oil spills management and underwater construction. Michel was formerly an instructor for the Navy and currently works as a Marine Safety Consultant. While working for the Navy, Michel was involved in one of the biggest clean-ups in history, when thousands gallons of oil were spilled in the South Atlantic in 1991. This incident caused 30,000 penguins to die. Fortunately for the work of hundreds of volunteers more than 10,000 were saved. We are proud to say that today many of those same volunteers now work for Submerge.
His vast experience and commitment to Ecology, his technical knowledge of all kind of underwater photography systems (from the Nikonos to the latest digital trend), plus his extraordinary multilingual skills (French, Portuguese, Spanish and English), makes Michel am extraordinary source of information and professionalism. He is an expert in underwater archaeology and currently looking for funding his personal project – the recovery of XVI century Spanish ship.
Contact: michel@submerge.org
Diego Gioseffi – Operations Manager / Video Specialist / First Aid Instructor
Born and raised within an Italian family in Buenos Aires, he decided to start traveling the world when he was 18. Inspired by the Jacques Cousteau’s Aquatrons, he has explored the world beneath the oceans for more than ten years. From the San Juan Islands to Belize, the mysterious Cenotes of Mexico, the Balearics of Spain, the famous Similan Islands of Thailand, the Zanzibar archipelago and the murky Hudson River of New York City. After many years of working as SCUBA instructor in many small remote operations and in the biggest diving company in the world, Diego formed the First Underwater Image School as an outlet for sharing his passions for the ocean, teaching and photography. He has recently moved to Portland, Oregon, from where he organizes the workshops in the South Seas. A Technical Consultant for Hydrotech, he develops new last generation video lighting systems and works with Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Pemba Live and Vida silvestre helping out with Education plans and Marine Conservation.
Contact: diego@submerge.org
Angeline Palmer – Conservation Manager / Marine Biologist / Rescue Diver/ R.N.
Angeline is the Marine Biologist in charge of leading Submerge’s worldwide education programs. She is the most traveled of our team and pushes the rest of us to aim higher in our conservation goals.
After studying Biology in Seattle, WA and Nursing in New York City she has volunteered in many NGO’s around the world helping people through education programs, as well as volunteering on Monk Seals and Turtle Protection Programs in the Hawaiian Islands.
Responsible for the design of our education programs and the training of our professional staff, Angeline is a R.N. and has worked with many nonprofit organizations in remote areas of the Amazon. We are happy to announce Angeline’s return after one year in D.R. Congo, where she spent time as a volunteer for Doctors without Borders.
Contact: angie@submerge.org
Alex Noheda – Marine Biologist / Underwater Videographer
Born in Barcelona, Spain, this Marine Biologist has traveled around the planet working as a freelance underwater videographer for the last ten years.
Lived for 3 years in Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef, where he specialized in Tropical Ecology and Behavior. Committed to his underwater video camera, he has been working with Mediterranean Marine Conservation NGOs for the last five years and is also working for the University of Barcelona on the Antarctica Research Department.
He is now planning to move to Indonesia to start a new educational and social program together with Submerge. After catching a few waves and getting some good shots he feels better and recharged for a new day.
Contact: alex@submerge.org
Carlos Valenhuea – Customer Relations Manager / Instructor / Photographer / Captain
Born and raised in Patagonia, Carlos has traveled from the Cook Island to Rapa Nui, from the Caribbean to the South Atlantic. Now residing in “El Hierro” Island, a UNESCO biosphere reserve in West Africa, Carlos runs his own dive center and works as an underwater photographer and scuba instructor. Educated with a degree in International Relations and a Master in Endangered Ecosystems, he is aptly suited to world relations manager of Submerge. He is the world customer relations manager of Submerge.
He is an expert in almost every kind of water sport photography: Rafting, Kayaking, Surfing, free diving and scuba. Just add water and he will jump in with his camera. Carlos’ spoken languages include German, English and Spanish.
He is working in a Project to protect the Marine Park “Mar de Las Calmas”, installing permanent buoys to make sure boats doesn’t anchor over the reef.
Contact: carlos@submerge.org
Tanausu Gomez – Scuba Instructor / Boat Captain / Impaired Divers Specialist
Born and raised in the Canary Islands, off the coast of NW Africa, Tana grew up with water activities: Fishing, surfing, scuba and free diving. He had worked in Costa Rica, Tanzania, Thailand and Philippines and he is well aware of the struggle of the coastal communities around the world.
Founder of Pemba Live, a nonprofit organization based in Pemba Island, in Zanzibar archipelago, he started many of the programs that build the foundations of Submerge: Environmental Education and coastal community involvement.
He speaks Spanish, Italian, Swahili and English. Professionally trained in teaching divers with impairments, he has the dream to create a Live aboard designed exclusively for these activities. He now manage a dive center in Bali, Indonesia, from where he continues collaborating with Submerge environmental education projects.
Contact: tana@submerge.org
Mark Dieler - Scuba Instructor / Eco Tourism consultant / East Africa Expert
Born in Italy of German origins he prides himself in having the sense of humor of a German and the precision of an Italian. With a background of development of a sustainable form of tourism that will benefit local communities and promote education on ocean related subjects. political activism and professionally coming from event organization, he came to East Africa 8 years ago and since then has passed from being a tour guide to managing resorts and as CEO of a tour operator.
He subsequently founded a consultancy company for hospitality start ups in East Africa with which he opened hotels, restaurants and a water-sport operation as well as having traveled and dived all over the area from northern Kenya to south Africa. He recently opened a small lodge in Zanzibar that he wants to be the antithesis of mass tourism. Mark, a certified scuba instructor speaks German, Italian, French, English and Swahili, together with submerge wants to contribute to the development of a sustainable form of tourism that will benefit local communities and promote education on ocean related subjects.
Contact: mark@submerge.org
Martin Dapice – Volunteer Coordinator / Rescue Diver / Photographer / Yoga Instructor
Coming from an alternative education background, Martin is a true Renaissance man. Living in Spain he started his own successful alternative medicine business, where he works half of the year. The other six months he works as a volunteer coordinator for Submerge.
Martin has been diving for ten years and started many of the environmental projects in Tanzania, East Africa. He runs yoga at our workshops and helps the students attain breathing control underwater, a key point to successfully relax while using SCUBA, and the corner stone of free diving.
Martin is passionate about Submerge and he joined us with the goal to create a hybrid organization where successful business can help provide sustainable opportunities for coastal communities. He is working now in creating a net of successful sustainable projects.
Contact: martin@submerge.org
Why Us?
We are the first underwater image school with a focus on photographers/videographers/cinematographers. In addition to our highly-experienced staff, we are able to provide you with teaching in some of the best locations the ocean has to offer. Some of the highlights of our Submerge programs are:
- Semi-Private classes (4:1) and Private dives (2:1)
- Professional Cinematographers and Diving Instructors
- The Best facilities and dive locations worldwide
- Life-Time, worldwide, underwater photo/video specialist Certifications
- All profits donated to local environmental educational programs
- An affordable opportunity to become involved in this fast developing business
- Enhance your portfolio and keep the Rights of Your Images.
- Exploration and Adventure.
Born in Barcelona, Spain, this Marine Biologist has travelled around
the planet working as a freelance underwater videographer for the last
ten years. Lived for 3 years in Australia, near the Great Barrier
Reef, where he specialized in Tropical Ecology and Behavior. Committed
to his underwater video camera, he has been working with Mediterranean Marine
Conservation NGOs for the last five years and is also working for the
University of Barcelona on the Antarctica Research Department. He is
now planning to move to Indonesia to start a new educational and
social program together with Submerge.
After catching a few waves and getting some good shots he feels better
and recharged for a new day.
