Our Dive Guides
Mike Severns Diving is a close-knit group driven by the love of scuba diving and the desire to share that love with other divers. We have been doing this for a long time (41 years this year!) and we take great care in every aspect of the operation, from the condition of the boat and the SCUBA equipment, to the just-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls, to carefully finding out what each diver really wants to get out of the day. After an in-depth briefing about the animals and behaviors we expect to see, we gear up and go scuba diving!
Pauline Fiene
is a biologist and is especially interested in nudibranchs, two of which have been named for her, Hallaxa paulinae and Hypselodoris paulinae. She has studied Hawaiian marine life for over thirty-five years, discovering many new species of marine animals and publishing a paper on the spawning of Hawaii’s most abundant species of coral, the first time spawning had ever been recorded for this species worldwide. MSD now offers annual dives to see this species spawn. Pauline is coauthor of several books including Molokini – Hawaii’s Island Marine Sanctuary, and Diving Hawaii and Midway; and is co-author with Cory Pittman of the comprehensive Hawaiian nudibranch website seaslugsofhawaii.com. In 2009, Pauline was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Enthusiastic about learning and sharing what she has learned with interested divers, she takes care to make sure that they see the details and unique animal behaviors that make diving so interesting.
Andy Schwanke
is one of Maui’s most experienced and skilled captains, and has been with Mike Severns Diving for 23 years. His knowledge of our local sea conditions and of our dives sites is a major factor in helping us choose the safest and best dive sites for the day’s particular sea conditions. Over the years he has contributed to our knowledge of local marine life too. His unusual animal observations and photos have appeared in several marine life guidebooks, such as John Hoover’s Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes and his Hawai‘i’s Sea Creatures. As our onboard tech support, he helps divers daily understand and get the best results from their digital underwater cameras. Andy’s great sense of humor and skill as a captain are two of our company’s greatest assets, as our repeating divers will attest.
Warren Blum
put in 16 years as a dentist in Texas, most of them in private practice, before breaking out and heading to Maui to fulfill his dream of diving and working on the water. Although an instructor, Warren’s real passion is showing and teaching people about Hawaiian marine life. One of his interests is in photographing and identifying manta rays that visit the areas that we dive. He has added several individuals to the known Maui population and one is even named after him. His photos also appear in John Hoover’s Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes. Warren has been with Mike Severns Diving for 17 years, and his knowledge and calm countenance make diving with him a true pleasure.
Poki Breeding
is our ridiculously overqualified deckhand and also a skilled divemaster. She is an experienced water woman who has sailed the Pacific on her own sailboat and has worked on boats much of her life. She helps our divers and the other crew in all sorts of ways and is truly indispensable!
Guides Emeriti
Our sincere thanks to our guides emeriti, each of whom we miss greatly. Thanks to the following extraordinary guides and captains who, over the last 41 years, have given so much joy to our divers and to their fellow crewmembers, and who are now pursuing ‘grown-up’ careers: Jennifer Anderson, Dan Diaz, Dave Fleetham, Kiwini Hall, Autumn Hill (AJ), Jeff Kuehn, Bo Lusher, Tara Lusher, Sharon McGauley, Tommy Powers, John Richardson, Guy Ray, Jeff Ronesi, John Svendsen, Dave Tanis, Vici Tate, Tammie Visintainer, Seth Waller, and Michelle White.