Introducing the 2024 SDI Ambassadors

INTRODUCING OUR 2024 SDI AMBASSADORS

After much deliberation we would like to introduce you to our 2024 SDI Ambassadors!

Due to the diversity within scuba diving, we looked across the board to find these epic divers. Our ambassadors are going to give you the unique opportunity to see what it takes to be a scuba diver in their world. We believe that they show a similar passion and love for diving as SDI. We look forward to introducing you to each of them in the coming year.

Kayla O’Donnell

SDI Divemaster and Mermaid Instructor

Kayla O’Donnell is a diver and conservationist hailing from Florida. She’s also an underwater mermaid and mermaid trainer. Kayla also guides divers in Crystal River, Florida to see manatees and the amazing brackish ecosystem there. Her goal is to share everything she has learned over the years so that others are able to turn their dreams into reality!

Anthony Leydet

Underwater Photographer

Based in Marseille in southern France, Anthony is graduated in marine biology and has been diving for 20 years. Underwater photographer and author of books on scuba diving (Larousse, Lonely Planet), he also publishes in diving magazines in France and around the world. He is particularly fond of the Red Sea, the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean (his home !), and never misses an opportunity to discover a new destination !

Shane Latham

SDI Scuba Instructor

Shane is an accomplished SDI/TDI dive instructor, not limited by his disabilities. His passion for ocean exploration and conservation was ignited at a young age, leading him to explore diverse marine ecosystems globally. Shane has achieved significant milestones including TDI Extended Range Instructor, TDI Rebreather diver, and 32 teachable specialties including Scubility.

This year, Shane aims to become an SDT/TDI Instructor Trainer through an Instructor Trainer Workshop. As an SDI ambassador, his goal is to inspire and encourage people to discover the joys of diving. More than teaching diving, Shane models a love for the ocean and its limitless possibilities.

Shane lives with his family in the Philippines where he operates a premier 5-star dive center in Puerto Galera, promising unforgettable experiences both technical and recreational.

Siti Nursara

SDI Scuba Instructor

My name is Siti NurSara (from Malaysia) I’m a professional diving Instructor, professional rock climber, sailor, adventurous human with a passion for travel and extreme sports.. All my life has been linked to nature.

My mantra is TRUST YOUR MOVEMENT, every step of the way I have to be twice as good as everybody else in my profession. I graduated with a degree in Marine Technology and a Masters of Education (Sports Science) - showed education is limitless.

I have 10 years of diving experience and I‘m a SDI instructor specializing in marine awareness. I’ve acquired over 2,000 dives and certified more then 400 open water divers. I love teaching and every new person gives me a new experience and a beautiful journey… This helps me inspire and empower more people by delivering a quality experience with tools that allow everyone to be more confident and inspired through scuba diving.

Danny Fryer

SDI Scuba Instructor

Italian made, I started diving in 2012 and I had the great fortune to travel and dive around the world for the last decade returning to Western Australia in 2022. After becoming a Sidemount Diver in 2017 I was hooked and Sidemount has been my preferred diving system since for its freedom and balance.
Becoming a cave diver had a huge impact on my diving career, skills and goals. Since then, I have been focusing on buoyancy perfection and optimal gear setup for myself and my students.
I am honored to be part of the SDI ambassador team and I am looking forward to this journey together.

Mohamed Ali

SDI Divemaster

As a child, I fell in love with diving. Three years ago, I embarked on my journey in Dahab, Egypt. Until I reached SDI dive master, I am happy to be an SDI ambassador and a member of the SCUBAPRO diving team, I’m happy to be one of the influencer for all divers worldwide in the Red Sea.

My unwavering dedication to preserving the environment and protecting coral reefs is rooted in my belief that it is our responsibility to ensure future generations can enjoy the wondrous underwater world and save the ocean and the coral reefs. I am honored to serve as a role model for adults and children they want to learn to dive. I am happy with who I am now. Diving has changed my life for the better in three years.

Dani Sattelberger

SDI Divemaster

Scuba Dani is an SDI divemaster and presently resides in South Florida. She is originally from Branford, Connecticut, where she grew up along the shores of Long Island Sound. At a young age, Dani fell in love with the ocean and she was a competitive swimmer throughout high school and college. She earned her bachelor‘s in biology at the University of Connecticut, and first became SCUBA certified shortly after completing her undergraduate degree in the cold waters of the northeast. Dani moved to Florida in 2011, to pursue her passion for marine biology and continue her SCUBA training. Since earning her master’s in marine biology, Dani has worked in the field of marine science and STEM, and has published several peer reviewed scientific research articles. Dani lists her favorite in-water experience as encountering manatees in Florida’s artesian springs. Loving all things water, she spends her spare time freediving, paddleboarding, and kayaking.

Michael Wafaa

SDI Instructor

I’m Michael, an SDI instructor with a passion for scuba diving that began eight years ago. Currently based in the mesmerizing Red Sea, Egypt, I serve as a dive instructor and liveaboard dive guide. Prior to my role as a dive guide, I spent three years immersed in the world of underwater photography. Sharks hold a special place in my heart, and I find pure joy in diving alongside these incredible creatures.

Olaf Fischer

SDI Scuba Instructor

My name is Olaf Fischer, born and raised in good old Germany. I love everything related to water.I ended my professional sport career in 2009 and don‘t wanted to sit in a small office for the rest of my life. Looking for options, I moved to the Dominican Republic and started my dive journey there. 2011 the movement went on and i changed from the Dominican Republic to Mexico Playa del carmen, where I’ve been working since as a full time dive instructor for Dressel Divers.
It’s really important for me, that my students have fun while they learn and experience the beautiful underwater world. We As Scuba Instructors are responsible to show them as well, how fragile our ecosystem is and that we need more attention on conservation efforts to protect our ocean. SDI is supporting this mission.

In January 2020, I started my Instagram account Aquanauta Diver where I not only highlight my travel and scuba adventures all around the world, but also bring more information about the fish species.
I really appreciate it, being in this inspiring group of individual Ambassadors, that are committed to save our oceans around the world. And inspiring other future and existing divers to do the same.

Justin Carmack

SDI Instructor

Justin is an underwater videographer behind the YouTube channel called Critter Hunter, where he documents and talks about rare and seldom seen creatures on the deep. If he‘s not counting nudibranch species where he’s based in the Philippines, he might just be following a wunderpus or a flamboyant cuttlefish with a camera.