Ken Barrick - Instructor
Co-Owner
Ken has been diving since 1998 and received his first instructor rating from SSI (Scuba Schools International) in 2003. In 2005, Ken became an SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor and in 2007 Ken joined PSAI as an Advanced Instructor. In 2008 Ken made the decision to join SDI and focus on making Off the Wall Scuba a 5 Star SDI/TDI Dive Center. In 2009, Ken added PADI to the line-up of Off the Wall Scuba offerings, making Off the Wall Scuba one of the most diverse Scuba training centers on the East Coast.
Ken has also had the privilege of writing a training program (In-Water Boat Maintenance) that has been endorsed by PSAI. This course can only be taken at Off the Wall Scuba and students receive a certification card in this distinct specialty.
Ken enjoys diving and teaching diving. He works full time in the diving business as owner of both Off the Wall Scuba and KB Diver Services . His many years and dive experiences are always shared in his classroom presentations.
Ken has dove around the world, including Australia, Honduras, Micronesia (Truk), the Caymans, the Sea of Cortez, and his favorite, North Carolina. He has a special interest in underwater videography and has produced several DVD's of his experiences which can be found in our store and online catalog.
Of all the reasons Ken gives for jumping into the water, his number one reason is to swim with sharks. His goal is to meet Shark Weeks 10 most dangerous sharks underwater and capture some footage to take home. So far, he has had the great pleasure of swimming with seven of the top ten, including the #1 – his favorite… the Bull shark.
PSAI Advanced Instructor #541
SDI Instructor #12595
PADI Instructor #251092
SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor #13943
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Philip J. DePalo - Instructor
Director of Training
Phil began diving in 1995. He has had the opportunity to travel around the world as a Comedy Entertainer. Performing on Carnival Cruise Lines, Sandals Resorts and across the globe, he has encountered a wide variety of diving experiences. As a volunteer in the Baltimore County Fire Department, he has trained as both a paramedic, fire officer and rescue technician. He has led the Dive Rescue Team based out of Middle River and became an instructor for PADI, the professional association of dive instructors.He has recently crossed over as an SDI, scuba diving international, and ERDI, emergency response diving international, instructor. In addition to his certifications in the fire department and scuba diving world, Phil also has a BS from UMBC and an MS from Towson with both degrees in the Information Systems Management field. He is currently completing his Dissertation for his Ph.D. in Healthcare Information Systems.
Phil's extreme hobbies include more than scuba diving. He is a licensed pilot & skydiver. He also enjoys jet skiing, horse back riding, rock climbing, skiing, sword swallowing, fire eating and more. You can view Phil's professional site at http://www.swordshow.com
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer #234756
SDI, TDI and ERDI Instructor #12672
American Heart Association Instructor (BLS, ACLS, PALS)
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Karen Robillard - Instructor
Karen started diving in 1993 due to a coupon in the paper for $50 off a scuba lesson.
Little did she know that in 1997 she would become a PADI Instructor, a DAN instructor
and an Emergency First Response Instructor?
She never strays to far from the diving community in that she currently holds an
elected position with the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) as their
Safety Officer. In addition, she serves with the Beneath the Sea organization (BTS)
as a director in Hospitality.
She continues to travel throughout the Caribbean and dive in the cold chilly waters
on the east coast. The best thing
about scuba is traveling the world to experience the people, the culture and the
land.
PADI Instructor - #97005
DAN Instructor - #6934
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David J. Apple - Instructor
Ever since he saw his first Sea Hunt episode and Jacques Cousteau Special as a youngster, David Apple has been fascinated with the underwater world. As a diver for over 15 years, he found he wanted to share his excitement and love of SCUBA Diving with others.
As a professional educator, David’s personal philosophies are, “Never Stop Learning!” and learn as much as you can. Experience is a great teacher, but also ask questions from those who are more experienced!
David’s favorite diving activities include diving on and exploring the historic shipwrecks of the Mid-Atlantic, and photographing the beautiful tropical reefs and fish of the Florida Keys and Caribbean, from the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands to Cozumel and Honduras.
David, originally trained by SSI (Scuba Schools International) where he worked his way up to attaining the rating of Dive Control Specialist Instructor, has recently joined the growing number of Scuba Diving instructors to join PSAI where he currently holds the rating of Master Instructor.
When not exploring our underwater world and teaching classes with Off The Wall Scuba, you can find David teaching instrumental music at the middle school level in the Howard County Public Schools, or playing his trumpet with various groups in the Baltimore Area
PADI Instructor #251091
D Parish - Instructor
D is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and can teach many specialties as well as open water, advanced open water, rescue diver, master scuba diver and divemaster. She is also a certified Emergency First Responder Instructor.
D’s dive travels have taken her to
D can usually be found in
U-352, SS Papoose, the USCG Schurz, USS Aeolus, USS Indra and
SS Caribsea. D has also been to the 1,000 Islands region in
Whether it’s diving in the
PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer #196366
PADI EFR Instructor – CPR/AED/First Aid – Infant/Child/Adult
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John Balabanick - Instructor
As an Open Water Scuba Instructor, John can teach Open Water Scuba Divers, Advanced Open Water Divers, Rescue Divers, Divemasters and a variety of dive specialites. John is also an Emergency First Response Instructor.
PADI Instructor# 230565
PADI EFR Instructor - CPR/AED/First Aid - Infant/Child/Adult
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Michelle Barrick - Dive Master
Co-Owner
Michelle holds a Medical Degree in Nursing and works full time as a Registered Nurse – Research Manager overseeing Clinical Research for a large Pharmaceutical company. She holds many specialty recognitions in the field of Oncology and her writings have been published in many Nursing periodicals and texts including the American Journal of Nursing. She is available to answer your medical related questions and directs our in-house CPR, First Aid and AED Training programs. To our knowledge, no other Maryland dive shop has a medical professional on staff.
She also holds a rating as an SSI (Scuba Schools International) Dive Control Specialist, and PSAI (Professional Scuba Association International) Dive Master. She enjoys diving all around the world. She has splashed down in Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Australia, Micronesia, the Bahamas and more.
BSN, RN, OCN, CCRP
PSAI Assistant Instructor/ Dive Master #584
SSI DiveCon #13942DC
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