I started diving when I was 19, on vacation in Kenya. This was only the start, and everywhere I traveled I had to be able to dive. This led to such memorable experiences as diving in the Donau river in Vienna, Austria, diving in the North Sea in my native Belgium and a variety of Caribbean and Mediterranean warm water destinations. My involvement with tech diving started in 2000, when I took the TDI Advanced Nitrox / Decompression Procedures, which were soon followed by Entry and Advanced level trimix. In 2001, I also obtained the NACD Full Cave Diver certification with Larry Green. While living in Minnesota, I became enamored with wreck diving, and took full advantage of what Lake Superior had to offer: diving the Kamloops near Isle Royale definitely ranks as some of my best dives ever.

While doing these increasingly more complex dives, I came to the realization that the safest way to plan and execute these dives was by following the DIR philosophy. At first reluctantly, then fully embracing DIR methodologies, I now have been diving DIR for five years. Rather than reading about DIR on the internet, I decided to seek out advice and mentorship from accomplished educators and explorers. I enrolled in a GUE course and then continued improving my skills diving with a number of GUE instructors and WKPP divers. What I've come to appreciate most about diving DIR is the absolute simplicity with which even the most complex dives can be done, and the ease with which one can switch from doing a 30 ft reef dive to a 300 ft wreck dive.

Going diving is all about having fun. You will find me, weather permitting, almost every weekend during the summer on a dive boat, or else at a local quarry.