Behind the Mask Archive
Catch up on past Bubble Break staff spotlights and get to know the Dive & Glide Scuba crew one profile at a time.
Read the Past Spotlights
Marc Ellis
Our Adventure-Seeking, Bilingual Dive Pro
Marc has been with Dive & Glide Scuba as an instructor for several years. He is an SSI, SDI, and PADI instructor, as well as a DAN Instructor. Marc is bilingual, so if you need a Spanish-speaking instructor, he is the man.
In addition to teaching, Marc works with divemaster Chris Schelb to facilitate Dive & Glide Scuba's monthly Mid-Michigan Dive Adventures Club meetings. During the summer months, he works as a divemaster on Double Action Dive Charter's boat, the GoBetween, diving the Great Lakes shipwrecks out of Port Sanilac.
Marc's diving adventures have taken him to many places to dive in warm and cold water, including California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, and Ireland. He is always willing to have a chat about anything dive-related, be it training, equipment, or dive sites. He assists at almost every Dive & Glide Scuba event held in Michigan and is now assisting Angie in planning dive trips to California, Florida, and other state-side locations.
When not diving, Marc enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife and children.
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Angie Klapish-Widmer
Owner, Manager, NAUI & SSI Diver
Angie has been a diver since 1994 and has been the co-owner of Dive & Glide since it opened in 1997. She was thrilled to join Keith on the adventure of a lifetime - owning a dive shop. Having spent many years working in the legal and construction world straight out of college, the change to a profession that brings daily joy was a welcome one.
Although not one of the diving instructors at Dive & Glide Scuba, Angie is very knowledgeable when it comes to divers' wants and needs. Running a dive shop the size of Dive & Glide Scuba is no easy task, and you might call Angie the "chaos tamer" of the endeavor. She manages the daily operations of the shop, creates training schedules, organizes group trips, monitors inventory, and handles all back office duties to keep the shop running as smoothly as possible. If you need assistance with anything at Dive & Glide Scuba, or with communications with any dive training affiliates or vendors with which Dive & Glide Scuba is associated, call Angie. She's more than happy to help you.
In addition to diving, Angie loves to travel, so becoming a travel planner was an easy decision. All the Dive & Glide Scuba group trips are organized and managed by Angie. Besides visiting amazing diving destinations, she loves to road-trip with her family all over the United States, enjoying historic sites and national and state parks. Camping is high on her adventure list, too, so excursions in her retro Mini-Winnie are a favorite pastime as well.
Hearing all their stories about their diving adventures and the fun they are having around the world.
Don't settle. It's one piece of advice, but for two great reasons. Get good gear to dive lots of places. Make sure all your gear fits and fits well. The absolute worst thing about diving...is missing a dive due to equipment issues. And, invest in and take the time to explore our amazing world. Spending money on experiences is so much more valuable than buying "stuff". You'll never regret it, and you'll gain an appreciation for the planet you can't get any other way.
I have two! Seeing whale sharks in Utila, Bay Islands, and being rushed by a bait-ball in Bonaire. Both experiences are extremely rare, so I've been blessed.
I have a second job, working with my husband and son at their restaurant, Andy & Nathan's U.S. Coney & Cone, next to Dive & Glide Scuba.