Meet the Aqua Action Team

Hunter and Elena are happily married for 24 years and counting. They have travelled the world together and lived in Los Angeles, Houston and Las Vegas as well as explored countless tropical destinations over the years. They have also been coming to St Thomas for almost 2 decades and have called the island home since 2016. They are co-owners of Aqua Action Dive Center and Patagon Dive Center and feel blessed to be part of two of the longest standing legacy dive operations on the island. They have worked hard to integrate the two brands now nestled together in their quaint bricks and mortar dive shop at Secret Harbour Beach Resort!

ELENA
Elena has exceptional experience in the concierge and travel consulting industry, as well as a keen eye for fashion and retail. She brings this experience and her special touch to Aqua Action to contribute to its growth.

HUNTER
Hunter is a PADI certified Rescue Diver and has been actively diving across the globe for over 35 years.

Prior to St Thomas Hunter was an architect and real estate developer for 30+ years and $30+ billion in construction value. His experience in the hospitality/resort industry runs deep with decades delivering properties for market leaders such as Disney, Marriott, MGM Resorts International, Fontainebleau, and Mandarin Oriental.

Hunter has a lifelong passion for the ocean including scuba diving, boating, and fishing.

When you combine Hunter’s experience and passion with that of Elena’s and Arnoldo’s and add to it the amazing team we have at our shop, it creates a special diverse blend for the continued growth and success of Aqua Action for years to come.

Oh, and when you visit us. Don’t forget to take a ride in one of our Sunfari jeeps too!

SAVANNAH
Savannah joins us from Boise, Idaho! She is the main contact doing the reservations, social media and behind-the-scenes aspects of the shop. Savannah got her dive master here at the shop and started diving in 2018. She has been diving in the Utah crater, Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Cozumel, and USVI. Savannah has traveled all over to Panama, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Canada. She has also lived in Peru Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Savannah has been a zip line guide, worked in property management, and as a bartender and waitress.

Some of her hobbies include learning about new boat stuff, fiber art, weaving, and botanical dying- using plants and natural sources to create vivid colors which are incorporated into wall hangings, plant hangers, and more. You might find some of her art for sale in the boutique!

A fun fact about Savannah is that she has webbed toes which basically means she’s part mermaid! 

E. LEE HUTCHINS
Lee has been diving since 2005 and is a SSI Dive Master Instructor. Originally from Brockton, Massachusetts, Lee has lived in many places due to his career in the Air Force. He now calls the SV Unladen Swallow home, which he shares with his wife & cat and is anchored in Secret Harbor Bay. Talk about a short commute to work! Lee has sailed, dove, and traveled all over the world including all over the Caribbean, Bahamas, Belize, Bonaire, United States (VA, FL, HI), Mexico, Maldives, and the Philippines. 

He also has an Master of Business Administration, Master of Information Systems, and has taken American Sailing Association courses 101-106 (up to offshore passing making).

Some of Lee’s favorite hobbies include sailing, underwater photography, and scuba diving. A fun fact about Lee is that he is also an Eagle Scout! 

RUDI
Rudi is from Italy and just moved to the island in November of 2023. He completed his "zero to hero" just before moving to the Virgin Islands and joining our team. He has collected hundreds of dives since then and will be in the water any chance he gets! He grew up living in Italy, France, England, India and the USA. He completed high school between Italy and South Carolina, then graduated from college in England with a bachelor's in management and marketing. He moved back to South Carolina and opened a small chain of wine bars. Rudi decided to sell his wine bars and move to the Carribean.

His hobbies include golfing and eating vanilla Oreos! A fun fact about Rudi is he doesn't like to get wet when he dives.

BRIAN SHEEN
Brian is from Santa Cruz California which is where he learned to SCUBA dive. He has been NAUI Open Water certified for over 24 years. He has lived on St. Thomas for two years. He has been diving all over Monterey Bay in California and spent some long vacations in Hawaii diving around the island of Oahu. Brian has a Bachelors degree in Marketing from San Jose State University in CA, and spent his professional career working for various corporations and casinos in sales and marketing.  

His favorite thing to do is SCUBA dive and snorkel and is learning to spear fish.  

A fun fact about him is that he have an identical twin brother who lives in Las Vegas.  

DR. JENKINS
Dr. Jenkins comes from a working ranch in the mountains of Idaho. She is a Border Collie, Blue Healer, and Ausie mix. She wasn't cut out for the harsh reality of herding cattle and was brought to the Humane Society of a nearby town where Savannah's boyfriend, Nick, rescued her and took her home. She quickly became the most well-known dog in that town with a population of 63. Jenkins traveled across the West Coast with her parents living out of their van until they made the decision to move to the Virgin Islands.

Savannah had been training with Dr. Jenkins for a couple years for her to be a service animal for her. She was able to ride with them on the plane for 16 hours of travel to the strangest place she'd ever been. She now spends every day at the beach getting attention from all the dive shop customers.

Her hobbies include chasing birds and iguanas, getting belly rubs and taking boat rides. Come visit her today!