Mary Donaldson

Mary actually started diving in 1982 having completed her class and pool but never got certified. When she remarried, she mentioned that not completing her certification was “unfinished business.” Within 5 days, she was enrolled into a scuba class and received her open water certification when she went on a store-sponsored dive trip to Cozumel. Her instructor was fantastic and she would have never have done it were it not for him.

In her life away from diving, she works for the City of Fort Collins as a Senior Legal Assistant. She also has been involved with the local Boy Scouts of America Council for over 20 years, primarily training adult leaders. Mary was selected to be one of the scuba instructors for the Boy Scout National Jamboree staff in 2010 held at Fort A.P. Hill, VA. She loves hockey … Go Eagles! And her favorite job is that of Nana to her three grandchildren.

Mary had a difficult time naming her favorite dive moment: “Where to begin….was it the whale shark in Costa Rica or the small octopi on our night dive in Cozumel? Wait, it was the shark dive in Australia! No, it was the dolphins in Bonaire. As you can see, it is hard to narrow down any one thing. Every dive is my favorite dive!”

Her favorite class as a student was the PADI Rescue Diver Course. It was probably the most physically challenging, but most fun and fulfilling class she took. Mary’s diving confidence grew tremendously after completing this class. In 2004, Mary became a certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT). She now teaches Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, and is certified to teach a number of specialty courses. Of course, Mary’s favorite class to teach is the Open Water Classes as she re-lives the excitement of diving for the first time. She also enjoys teaching the National Geographic course as she has seen it revolutionize the way a person dives.

Mary has had the opportunity to travel to many places she never thought possible, all because of SCUBA - Australia was a dream come true for her! For Mary, getting into the water is only part of the scuba diving experience. She loves that scuba takes a person to fantastic places, doing things you only read about (like zip lining in Costa Rica!), and meeting new found friends that she can now travel with. If she has to choose only one favorite place to dive, Mary would choose Bonaire for the unbelievable shore diving, next to perfect visibility, and very healthy reefs.

Mary’s Accomplishments:

• PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer
• PADI Divemaster
• PADI Rescue Diver
• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
• PADI Open Water Diver

Specialties in:

• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• AWARE Coral Reef Conservation
• Boat Diving
• Dry Suit Diving
• Night Diving
• Project AWARE
• National Geographic Diving
• Deep Diving
• Underwater Navigation