Though it’s a long way from the Northeast US to the UAE, Maddy settled here years ago after spending time across the entire region, from the Middle East to North Africa. She balances her time between communications and diving, using her weekends in Khor Fakkan to introduce youth to diving on their first-ever experience and teaching one-on-one sessions to women interested in private instruction.

Maddy is particularly passionate about teaching diver safety and risk management. Her favorite course to teach is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, wherein she loves guiding students into making the transition into particularly curious and safety-conscious divers. Maddy is committed to ensuring that safety, education, and enjoyment can all go hand-in-hand for divers and non-divers alike.

While she’s adored diving the wrecks of Malta and Egypt, the reefs of Zanzibar, the swim-throughs of Sri Lanka, and the open waters of Oman, there’s no place like Khor Fakkan, the hidden gem on the UAE’s East Coast.

To Maddy, diving is all about empowerment. She believes diving fosters courage over fear, capability over limitation, knowledge over uncertainty, and confidence over doubt, leaving a lasting effect on divers who will go on to impact their communities and inspire the next generation of ocean advocates.