Gigglin Marlin Divers : Houston's Scuba Training and Equipment

Bill "Crash" Merritt

Bill enjoyed his first dive in Acapulco in 1977, and was destined for a life in the sport of Scuba Diving.

Bill received his first scuba certification while earning a Bill Merritt Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at Texas State University in San Marcos. He has been teaching since 1984, and was awarded a position as a Faculty Professor for Texas State University, where he spent three years certifying hundreds of qualified divers. Bill obtained the second highest professional scuba certification of PADI Master Instructor in 1998, and is also a Medic First Aid Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor as well as a NAUI Instructor and Instructor Trainer Candidate. He also holds IANTD Deep Air, and Advanced Nitrox Certifications, and is a Master Scuba Diver Trainer with over ten additional Specialty Instructor certifications.

Bill has been published in Houston’s Sport News Magazine for his expertise in diving in the Yucatan (where he once worked in a dive center). He regularly offers dive show seminars on the thrill of spear fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, and has been interviewed for articles on the spear fishing courses that he teaches. Bill strives to effect a change in the way that the sport of spear fishing is viewed to a more positive, and responsible image.

One of Bill's favorite dive experiences was when he was once invited to dive a protected wreck site off the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys. The historic and famous treasure ship wreck of the “Senora de Atocha”.

Some of his favorite dive destinations are Palau, Cozumel, Truk Lagoon & anywhere no one has been before. Bill really enjoys teaching scuba, and leading divers on the greatest adventures of their lives. Logging

over 5000 dives around the world, he remains a student of the water and continues to learn, as he completes his technical dive education. At the time of this writing he is currently obtaining his trimix & full cave certifications. Ironically, Bill remembers commenting when he began diving that he thought "only crazy people would do extreme diving like this". It just proves that "exceptional" instruction does make the difference.

He became an Instructor to travel, meet people, make “fun” $, and encounter the wonders of the underwater world. He says everyone’s nicer underwater, and it gives him an excuse to travel the globe! His goal is to turn people on to the greatest sport on earth, and to discover something really cool underwater!!

Bill worked in the digital legal document industry for over fifteen years, and is now very happy to be out of the suit and tie where he is V.P. of operations for Gigglin’ Marlin Divers, Inc. He is an active member of the Fellowship of Pearland, has a lovely wife, two over-achieving children (who already dive) and two of the dumbest dogs in Houston ;>)