Jeffrey Hansler is our oldest instructor, (okay most senior). He received his Scuba Diver Certification in 1975 and started teaching scuba in 1980. He joined the Ocean Gear team in 2002 when his eldest son, Mackenzie, wanted to be certified. He is an author, and professional speaker and trainer. He his sons are both certified divers and in college. Riley is currently attending California State University at Long Beach and Mackenzie, who is studying to be a marine biologist at Occidental College, has just returned from a semester abroad in Australia at James Cook University.
Jeffrey is an avid surfer, runner, and a formidable rugby player and has done standup comedy when time permits. You will most likely see Jeffrey on our boat trips, high school science study program, and on our weekend dives at Corona del Mar. That is, when he’s not flying around somewhere in other parts of the world.
Jeffrey feels diving is more than just a fun activity. It is an opportunity to learn respect for others, responsibility and independence for self, and succeed with new challenges. As a ‘life-long learning’ devote, Jeffrey sees diving as an opportunity to expand horizons of knowledge, experiences, and our connection to the world we are dependent on for survival.
Jeffrey and John Sims have created several experiential programs for executive and team retreats for organizations. For groups of beginning divers, it is truly the opportunity to discover another world rich with a vivid and full immersion experience. Their experiential programs for groups of certified divers focus on creating new perspectives in learning through learning exercises and analogies between diving, sales, customer service, communication, and negotiation.
Jeffrey teaches ‘learning habits’ when working with new divers, giving them patterns for equipment set up and diving that will make them better divers even if they don’t dive on a regular basis. When you see Jeffrey in the water, you quickly to realize that his passion for diving is limitless and he is very likely an amphibious creature.
Jeffrey Hansler