About Us

Opened in March of 2000, Blue Marble Divers is a full service dive shop. Yep, you guessed it! That means we offer everything you need to explore the mysterious world that covers three-fifths of the Earth’s surface! The realization of a dream of having a dive shop in their home town, owners Dave and Mary Stealey make it fun, easy, affordable, and most of all....SAFE for you to begin a journey that will last a lifetime.

Situated in the South Pointe Shopping Center in Hagerstown Maryland, Blue Marble Divers is Hagerstown's only full service diving facility featuring SCUBA Diving International/Technical Diving International/Emergency Response Diving International (TDI/SDI/ERDI) certifications. Blue Marble Divers is an American Red Cross CPR & First Aid Training Provider and a Divers Alert Network (DAN) Training Facility and Business Member.

Dave Stealey, Blue Marble Divers Owner & SDI Instructor Trainer

"Deep Diver" Dave has been a Scuba instructor for 140 years (he is not really that old it just seems that way) and has certified over 10,000 divers of all ages and levels. Okay, maybe those stats are a little skewed, but they're not far off the mark. After discovering the amazement and excitement brought forth from being able to breathe underwater, Dave was hooked. He started traveling about the country in his beat-up Volkswagen van playing his guitar in smoke filled bars trying to earn enough money to continue with his diving lessons. But don't be alarmed by Dave's small stature; underneath this chicken guise lies an iron stomach, as has been proven time and again in the roughest sea conditions. Worth mentioning here is probably the only chink in Dave's armor....cold water. He has the tendency to laugh unremorsefully at his diving buddies who are shivering themselves into oblivion while he swims gracefully...and warmly....by in his dry suit.

Mary Stealey, Blue Marble Divers Owner

"Mother Hen" Mary, often considered Dave's partner in crime, began her career diving naked for a local nationally renowned aquarium. This attracted tourists from all over the world and effectively doubled the revenue for the aquarium during her 5 year naked-diving tenure. It wasn't until Dave discovered this talent and kindly explained the true meaning of skin diving did Mary leave her high-profile position and become Dave's teaching assistant and dive buddy. Together they have shared many a diving experience. Unfortunately, motion sickness is one thing they haven't shared. Mary, unequipped with Dave's Tummy of Titanium, can be considered the Queen of Motion Sickness remedies. Let me tell you, folks, she has tried them all...the patch, aspirin in the belly button, even being towed behind the boat on its way out to sea. Needless to say, none of them work.

Duane Waite, Instructor

Deco Duane is something of a free sprit. Known for being able to squeeze every minute of bottom time out of a tank and, his unique bathing suits that many of us would never put on in private, much less public. Do yourself a favor and do not ask him to model them for you. It may turn out to be a sight you'll never forget or, get out of your mind.  He is our dive trip videographer and has captured small critter behavior that most of us swim on by without even giving it a moments notice.  Quick with a smile and a laugh, Duane is always ready to help diagnose and correct any diving related problem in his laidback, relaxed style that puts even the most seasoned diver at ease.

Terry Sumpter, Instructor

Dennis Fortney, Instructor

Dennis is our Medical and Public Safety Diving Expert. He is a full time Advance Life Support-Emergency Medical Technician and was at one time the team leader for the Williamsport/Washington County Dive Rescue Team. Dennis teaches DAN Oxygen Provider, CPR, First Aid, Ice and Emergency Response Diving International in addition to Open Water and several other specialties.

Mark Noble, Instructor

Since his open water class in 2006, Mark has gotten totally hooked on scuba diving, and he blames his pushers, Dave and Mary, for encouraging this addiction by providing a continual supply of fantastic trips -- as well as great classes and training.  As if one consuming passion weren't enough, Mark is also an avid bassoonist, playing regularly in chamber music and orchestral concerts around DC, under the auspices of the Friday Morning Music Club.  He is currently working on ways to combine his two hobbies (see photo) and hopes to commission P.D.Q. Bach to compose a "Water Music" suite for bassoon, trumpetfish, pipe-organ coral, guitarfish, lyretail, piano fangblenny, pipefish, and spotted drum.  Mark and his partner, Bill Taylor, live in Hedgesville with four dachshunds ranging from sedate to rambunctious.

Dori Phillips, SDI/TDI Instructor Trainer 

Brad Sanders, Assistant Instructor  

"Buddy Breathing" Brad is many things: former Army paratrooper, programming guru, an all-around great guy. His current shoes, however, are the ones which fit him best....being a self-proclaimed Dave-junkie.  Apparently jumping out of perfectly good airplanes just didn't have that level of excitement in his life that he was searching for so he decided he needed to jump out of perfectly good boats. Go figure. Dave and Brad have teamed up on many a dive. But then there are the dives that Brad just didn't have the stomach for...actually, he had the stomach for them, just not the dry suit. He can be perfectly content watching from his truck as Dave and Wayne crawl over the ice on a local quarry. Of course he can also laugh hysterically when the same Dave and Wayne crash through the ice with much less grace than penguins. But the one thing Brad doesn't have going for him is his memory. Well, actually, it is going....just not with him. He tends to leave that behind much like the clothes or dive gear he invariably forgets to bring on most trips.

David Stealey III, SDI Assistant Instructor & TDI Divemaster

David is the next generation in our diving family. Besides being an Assistant Instructor for all of our SDI Recreational courses, he is a TDI Divemaster for Nitrox, Advanced Nitrox, and Deco Procedures. He will be spearheading our expansion into the Technical Diving and Training arena. He, along with Dennis, teaches Red Cross 1st Aid, CPR and AED.

Wally Manderson, Dive Master

“Warm Water” Wally is…well, he’s just mean. That’s said with the utmost admiration, but doggone it…he’s just mean.  But when you’re as big and intimidating as he is, you’re allowed to be mean and it’s a kind of meanness that most people aspire to be.  It’s a “tough love” kinda mean.  He’ll tell you not ascend too quickly and he’ll tell you in a way that you won’t want to disappoint him.  He’ll tell ya to keep an eye on your buoyancy and you’ll do it because you’re not quite sure if he is watching you or not. But he tells ya these things cuz he cares.  Everyone that knows him knows that his hard exterior shell houses a big softie.  I think. 

Tammy McCorkle, Dive Master

"Tantalizing" Tammy is the perpetual “I shot six holes in my freezer” icon. For those of you familiar with Jimmy Buffett’s, “Boat Drinks” song, this line paraphrases her perfectly. Always on the lookout for warm temps, blue water, sand, and scuba tanks Tammy moonlights (I guess I should say “sunlights” since it is her day job) as a law enforcement officer so she is basically ALLOWED to shoot six holes in her freezer. But that doesn’t mean she would. Tammy is the one you want to go to for real questions, knowing that her experience and way of communicating on anyone’s level (without a pistol) will put you at ease and help you realize that diving is not just for crazy people anymore.

Bob Gough, Dive Master

In an effort to help him check off another item from his "bucket list", Bob's wife Laura signed him up for lessons with Dave and Mary in 2003. Since then, it has become his passion. Whether it's diving in the Atlantic, the Gulf, the quarry, a river, or the Pacific, Bob will be there. If you can't find him diving in water, you can probably find him diving into a perfectly poured pint of Guinness. Bob likes his beer cold and his diving warm. He doesn't do well in "cold" water. So if you see
someone shivering in a 5 mil wetsuit, while diving in Honduras, that's Bob. Bob lives in Pennsylvania with his favorite dive buddy (and wife) Laura, his two junior dive buddies (and kids) Tom and Sami, and his adopted dive-daughter Christine.

Brett Penrod, Dive Master

Brett, aka Buster, got the diving bug while snorkeling on vacation in Cozumel. Upon arriving home he immediately contacted Mary and Dave to take the plunge. Brett enjoys traveling and diving all over the world with his wife and diving partner Diana and his extended Blue Marble family. Brett's other hobbies include restoring old cars and making some of the best pizza, (a leftover from a former occupation), you've ever sunk your teeth into. 

Pogo, Mascot 

Pogo "the Amazing Stuffed Diving Dog" is a trooper. No two ways about it, he’s a true sport. Given a new lease on life by Ranger Tammy when she found his abused, neglected, forlorn, shell at the Pogo campsite on the Appalachian Trail, Pogo has taken quite fondly to diving…and toy alligators in Roatan, but that’s a different story for mature audiences only. Pogo’s introduction to diving started by patiently waiting on the boat for Tammy to return from her dives and enjoying the boat rides to and fro. One day in Roatan, however, Pogo was able to escape and decided to join the crew underwater. Somehow, he jumped out of Tammy’s dive bag, climbed over the boat’s gunwale when the divemaster wasn’t looking and did a nice, slow descent just like he saw his master do a thousand times. Once he figured out the buoyancy thing, he caught up with the rest of the group and being the ham that he is, just HAD to get in on some photos. Honest, Tammy. He wasn’t kidnapped like he told you he was.