Dave Dunkelberger

Name:

Dave Dunkelberger

Position:

  • Chief Divemaster

Bio:

hello there

Dave, like Nick, is one of the mainstays of Dive Alaska, and earned the coveted title of “Chief Divemaster” through talent, consistency, and time.

Dave hails from the Pacific Northwest, and his life reads like a Bob Dylan song. And not one of the short ones; we’re talking “Tangled Up in Blue” or “Hurricane.” Dave has worked as a line cook, a tree-faller, a carpenter, electrician, truck driver, bartender, roofer, and foreman. For most of his life, he has lived in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, including the Aleutian Chain, and other remote parts of Alaska.

Dave currently resides with his wife in Eagle River, and every Dive Alaska course or dive with Dave present is guaranteed to be a good time.

Diving Experience:

  • Certified in 1984
  • 3,000+ cold-water dives
  • 8 warm water dives (seriously)
  • GUE Diver

Specialties:

  • Patience
  • Expansive knowledge of hip-hop
  • Can fix anything with whatever is in his pocket at the time
  • Beat the absolute hell out of cancer in 2014
  • Looks great in doubles
  • Calming presence
  • Tells incredible stories

Fun Facts:

  • Dave could easily be an instructor, but prefers to be a set of helping hands.
  • If Ron’s personality could be described as “a ferret being electrocuted”, then Dave would probably be the exact opposite.
  • In his previous incarnation, Dave was a Buddhist monk with a proclivity for Rainier beer.

Read more about your Dive Alaska family here!