SWIM STAFF

As the proud owners of Deep Blue, Jacquie and Jonathan bring their passion to their business. Their Long Beach roots go back four generations and they are proud to foster a new generation of swimmers and scuba divers. As parents of two young children, the swim school is critical to promote water safety for all ages and Deep Blue opens the door to further aquatic journeys. Jacquie's love of water, adventure and all things family makes a perfect "family feel" recipe at Deep Blue. After spending nearly 15 years working in Labor Relations at the port areas of the West Coast, Jacquie used her business degree and background to open Deep Blue.

Jonathan has had an interesting career in diving. He started his diving adventures at the age of 18 as a U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diver and traveled the world in that capacity with many interesting diving missions. Jonathan became a PADI Instructor in 1989 and has enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm with his students throughout the years. Jonathan also spent over 10 years as a public safety diver conducting searches, recoveries, and underwater crime scene investigations. Jonathan led a specialized public safety dive team with a unique Homeland Security mission. He also had the privilege of being one of a select handful of original Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific divers. More recently, he has pursued his interest in rebreather diving and has found an even more amazing way to interact with the aquatic world. 

Liz has been working with children since high school. Afterwards she worked at a preschool for 2 years. She decided to move to Australia and got scuba certified. When she came back to the US a year later she knew she wanted to keep up on scuba. She applied for a job at Deep Blue and ended up doing a job that combined the things she loved! Since working at Deep Blue she has been AED/CPR/First Aid Certified and has gone from Open Water to Rescue Diver. She loves her job and loves seeing the happy families come in for swim lessons! On her free time she enjoys cheese, traveling, camping, and scuba diving

Samantha is grateful to be employed in a field where she can combine two of the things she loves: swimming and educating little ones! She was a competitive swimmer in her high school years and has continued her development as a swimmer with the Grunion Masters team. Samantha graduated from CSULB with a Bachelors in Geography with an emphasis in Environmental Sciences, but her part-time gig at Deep Blue turned into a career. The opportunity to work closely with the Long Beach community and aid in drowning prevention education became a passion she did not expect! Working for Deep Blue also introduced her to the world of diving which inspired her to travel to places such as the Philippines, Egypt, Israel, and Mexico to explore both above and below the surface. When Samantha is not teaching, training, or problem-solving, she loves to spend quality time with her husband and two dogs.  

Nancy has been working with children since she was 15. Whether it was volunteering as a tutor at an elementary school or babysitting. She has always known her passion is working with children. Her goal is to open her own daycare someday. During her senior year in high school, she took Early Childhood Education classes at LBCC knowing she’d work as a preschool teacher after graduating. She did that for a few years and then came across Deep Blue Swim School. She enjoys seeing students excited for their swim lesson, seeing students progress, and interacting with our families. Nancy has been riding dirt bikes since she was 8. She enjoys fishing and being in the water with her dad whether it’s on a boat a paddle board or a kayak. She loves the outdoors and loves the indoors where she can shop (Nordstrom preferably).

Allan has been swimming competitively for 5 years in the Huntington Beach school district and is an eccentric swim instructor with a passion for living a healthier lifestyle. Allan is dedicated to providing worthwhile swim lessons and is currently taking on more community-building aspects with Deep Blue. He is passionate about making sure all of his swimmers are accomplished in and around the water. 

Rebecca has grown up in the heart of Long Beach, and she is currently in school for Biological Sciences and Communication. Her passion outside of teaching the little ones in the water is going out with her family and friends. When she is with her friends, some of her favorite things to do is play volleyball and go kayaking. On top of all the cool outdoor activities, she loves to bake at home and make jewelry. Rebecca loves to create a bond with her swimmers. Her goal is to make sure that all her swimmers are competent in and out of the pool!

One thing you got to know about Kaitlyn is that she loves her caffeine! Kaitlyn grew up in Santa Maria and has a degree in Education. Her passion for working with children stemed ever since she was 16. In her free time, Kaitlyn loves to make herself a coffee every morning and attends to her pet fish, CELSIUS. When she has free time, she loves to go thrifting. One thing Kaitlyn enjoys about working at Deep Blue is meeting all the new faces that walk through the doors and especially seeing the joy in parents' faces when their child advances in any step!