Yacht Harbour: 
DIVE BVI STAFF
Yacht Harbour • Scrub Island
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
– Aristotle
Jeff McNutt
Chief Operating Officer
A proud Texan, Jeff became a PADI Divemaster in 1997 and then an Open Water Instructor in 2000. He moved to Virgin Gorda in 2003 after enjoying an amazing BVI sailing trip for his birthday. In 2010, he received the prestigious SSI Instructor Trainer rating (meaning he can train new SSI Instructors) and in 2011 became an SSI Instructor Certifier. In 2019, Jeff was awarded the Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor rating from SSI. He started out as manager of our former Marina Cay location before being named General Manager of Dive BVI in 2006. Later in 2009, Jeff became an operating Partner of Dive BVI, along with his dive buddy, Casey. Jeff loves being on the water and is known for the awesome mix-tapes he brings on the boat. Jeff really enjoys working with Dive Professionals to upgrade their certifications, working with local community groups, and supporting environmental protection projects. Diving all over the world, he still loves to just pull up next to an island and jump in and see what’s there. That’s how he found his new favorite site – Jeff Rocks! It’s located down near Carrot Shoal off of Peter Island and is a really beautiful dive site with lots of cool rocks and wildlife.
Top 3 Dive Sites: Jeff Rocks!, Ginger Steps, Joe’s Cave (with Kate Winslet as his dive buddy)
Casey McNutt
Managing Director
Arriving with Jeff, Casey has made herself essential as the one in charge of Retail Operations/Human Resources, ordering all of the latest dive gear and resort wear for our locations. Casey also has a fabulous clothing brand called The Filthy Mermaid™ that is available in our shops and in several stores throughout the Caribbean. She recently become an SSI Mermaid Instructor Trainer and enjoys teaching Mermaids of all ages. She enjoys running, time out with friends and her Olde English bulldog, Dixie.
Top 3 Dive Sites: Ginger Steps, Painted Walls, Carvel Rock
Steve Ellefson
Director of Fleet Operations
Steve is a SW Florida native, but has spent the last 16 years in the Caribbean. He’s a multi-tasker on land and in the water, shooting great photos and keeping our boats in top shape. He’s also a fun Instructor with dive experiences from all over the world. He’s a great boat captain as well!
Top 3 Dive Sites: Santa Monica Rock, Carvel Rock, Tobago Canyons
Clayvorne Pope
Locations Manager
Clayvorne is a native of St.Vincent. She moved to the British Virgin Islands in early 1995. Clayvorne first met Jeff and Casey when they were managing the Dive BVI -Marina Cay operation. Clayvorne was the administrative assistant of the island. She is a “people person”, happily dealing with customers daily and always had a smile on her face. She is also super excited about becoming a certified diver in this new adventure.
Rupert Raven
Captain & Scuba Instructor
Rupert is from London, England. In 2005 he went and travelled around the World for a couple of years where he first fell in love with Scuba Diving. He’s got to dive at some amazing places like Phe Phe Island, Thailand, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Poor Knights island, New Zealand (his coldest dive to date !!), Taveuni Island, Fiji, Sodwana Bay, South Africa, and Hawaii to name a few … seeing Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Potato Cod Fish and more and boy was he was hooked !!! By 2007 he decided to broaden his love for diving and became a Scuba Instructor having worked in the Bahamas for 3 years as an Instructor and Shark Feeder before heading down to the BVI in January 2011. Rupert’s other passions are sports (too many to mention, but is often chatting to the guests about the games the previous night) and weather !!! Yes that includes going Storm Chasing and seeing some amazing thunderstorms and tornadoes. He’s experienced 7 tornadoes up close so far and yearns to see more.
Top 3 Dive Sites: Santa Monica Rock, Carvel Rock, Tow Rock
Becca Knight van der Werff
Scuba Instructor & Crew Leader
Becca’s first steps into diving were taken whilst traveling Australia in her early 20’s. They were baby steps indeed as she was afraid of the water!! But after a few nervous breaths she fell in love with the freedom she found with SCUBA and the world beneath the waves. She joined the Dive Industry while backpacking in Asia and hasn’t looked back since! She loves guiding certified divers as well as teaching at all levels from Try Scuba to Divemaster. She loves to find the little critters so bring your macro lens! She has been lucky enough to be welcomed by eagle rays, sharks, turtles and a dolphin while diving in the BVI!
Top 3 Dive Sites: RMS Rhone, P.O.S., Dry Rocks East
Franco Roca
Scuba Instructor
Originally from Buenos Aires, Franco discovered his passion for diving in southeast Asia in 2015. By 2017, he had embraced the lifestyle as a certified instructor. Since then, Franco has been on a global odyssey, immersing himself in various cultures and marine environments. Beyond his love for diving, he actively participated in coral planting and has encountered diverse sharks, including Bull sharks and tigers in Fiji. Eager for new adventures, Franco looks forward to the next thrilling chapter in the BVI!
Top 3 sites: RMS Rhone, Sharkplaneos, Wreck Alley
Tom Pegram
Scuba Instructor
Tom comes from the UK originally where he studied as a marine biologist. Since, he has ranged from Australia to Finland, Niue in the South Pacific, across Asia to the Maldives, back to Niue and Asia, and for the last few years has been in Little Cayman. He became a divemaster in 2015 to move more into diving full time, and became an instructor in 2017. Tom loves the ocean, teaching diving, freediving badly and taking many, many photos.
When not in the water he likes exploring, traveling, rugby and taking more photos.
Top 3 sites: Invisibles, Ginger Steps, RMS Rhone
Kalilah (Lilah) Stephens
Retail Associate
Everyone calls her Lilah, because they said it’s easier to remember. Kalilah was born in the beautiful British Virgin Islands, the place which everyone calls paradise. Kalilah worked with us prior to Irma, and is happy to be back. She enjoys helping her customers, meeting new people, and is quite handy. She has promised to try diving now, so please remind her of that when you see her!
Ruby Daniel (Finey)
Retail Associate
Called Finey because, as a baby, everyone in her St. Kitts’ neighborhood said she looked so fine. Finey has been with Dive BVI for over 30 years! As our friendly retail clerk, Finey is so helpful with our divers and shoppers that they often find more than they were looking for! She is the source of all island information so stop by and let her fill you in.
