DIAA Office Holders
The Dive Industry Association of Australia (DIAA) is guided by a dedicated team of industry professionals
representing retail, training, wholesale, tourism and equipment supply. Each office holder brings decades
of experience and a shared commitment to strengthening safety, training standards, business sustainability
and participation across the Australian dive industry. Meet the people working behind the scenes to support
operators, educators and divers nationwide.
Troy Stephenson
Chairperson
Troy Stephenson is an experienced diving industry leader, Course Director Trainer, and the Regional
Representative for SDI/TDI/ERDI across Oceania. With decades of practical operational and instructional
experience spanning recreational, technical, and public safety diving, Troy also brings strong governance
and compliance expertise through his work in RTO development, VET alignment, ISO/Standards Australia
committees (CS-083), and national code-of-practice initiatives. He works closely with dive centres,
industry partners, and training agencies to strengthen safety, training quality, and industry growth.
As Chairperson of DIAA, Troy is committed to supporting facilities, instructors, and divers throughout
Australia and New Zealand by championing innovation, collaboration, and high professional standards.
Neil Dorrian
Vice Chair
With more than three decades in the dive industry, Neil has worked across training, retail and wholesale in both New Zealand and Australia. After immigrating in 1990 he served as Dive Coordinator on a square-rigged sailing ship, then as an instructor and manager for a leading Sydney dive store before moving into wholesale in 1993 as Aqua Lung’s NSW and WA sales representative. He later joined Oceanic and has represented many of the world’s top scuba, snorkel and spearfishing brands. Today Neil works exclusively with AUP across NSW, the ACT and the Pacific Rim and co-owns Dive Tanks Australia, importing Faber and San O Sub cylinders. He is widely respected for his practical leadership, deep product knowledge and the support he provides to retailers, instructors and operators in an ever-changing market.
Bob Diaz
Secretary
Bob is the owner and founder of Central Coast Divers, the NSW Central Coast’s original professional full-time dive centre established in 1986. With more than four decades in the industry he has trained thousands of divers and built a strong local diving community through initiatives such as the Trident Dive Club. Bob has served on numerous local government, tourism and business boards, bringing a diving perspective to regional development and marine-park discussions. As a senior leader within DIAA, he advocates for professional standards, sustainable tourism and ethical practice, viewing diving not just as a sport but as a lifestyle and a legacy to be protected.
Jerry Witkowski
Treasurer
Jerry brings over 40 years of scuba diving experience and extensive travel through the Indo-Pacific to his role on the DIAA board. Certified as an instructor in 1984, he combined his love of diving, travel and adventure to found Dive Adventures in 1986, which has grown into one of Australia’s leading IATA-accredited dive travel agencies. From its Sydney headquarters, Dive Adventures is known for professional service, tailored itineraries and access to many of the world’s premier dive destinations. Jerry’s deep knowledge of global dive travel, risk management and business operations underpins DIAA’s financial stewardship and long-term strategic planning.
Sue Crowe
Board Member
Sue’s dive career spans more than three decades and touches almost every corner of the industry. A journalist by background, she learned to dive while working in Jamaica and later became Editor of Scuba Diver Australasia, diving, testing equipment and travelling extensively. She went on to build her own marketing consultancy and then served seven years as Director and General Manager of Tabata Australia. Sue later led the OZTek Advanced Diving Conference and Travel Expo for over a decade, helping shape it into one of Australia’s most influential dive events. A long-time DIAA member and supporter of marine conservation, she also spent eight years as Australasian Co-ordinator for the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society, mentoring the next generation of ocean ambassadors.
Peter Huettner
Board Member
Peter contributes a hands-on operator’s perspective to the DIAA board, built on years of running regional dive operations and working directly with students and local divers. Having introduced many people to their first underwater experiences and nurtured long-term club communities, he understands the everyday realities of staffing, gear, logistics and customer care. Peter is passionate about ensuring that industry decisions translate into practical benefits for dive centres and instructors, and that regional operators have a strong voice in conversations about standards, sustainability and access.
Deborah Dickson-Smith
Board Member
Deb is a travel consultant, scuba diver, writer and passionate ocean advocate who fell in love with the underwater world on her first Great Barrier Reef dive more than 30 years ago. Since then she has dived and travelled extensively through the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, experience she now channels into designing tailor-made dive holidays for clients at Diveplanit Travel. Deb and partner Simon Mallender launched Diveplanit in 2012 as a blog highlighting dive destinations and marine conservation stories; it has since evolved into an online dive-travel guide, content agency and specialist travel company, strengthened by the acquisition of Diversion Dive Travel in 2018. When she’s not planning trips, Deb writes for titles including Scuba Diver Magazine, Signature Luxury Travel, Get Lost and Vacations & Travel, using storytelling to connect more people with the ocean.
Damian Jones
Board Member
Damian is a seasoned dive-industry professional with more than 25 years’ experience as an instructor across domestic and international tourism markets. He owned and operated a bricks-and-mortar dive shop in Melbourne for 11 years, gaining deep insight into retail, training and customer service. Damian then spent six years as a PADI Regional Manager for Australia before becoming PADI Territory Director for Oceania in 2022, a role that includes oversight of the PADI RTO and nationally accredited training in Australia. With practical knowledge of dive-shop operations throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, he maintains strong relationships with shop owners, managers, wholesalers, manufacturers, travel agents and charter operators, and brings that networked perspective to the DIAA board.
Rachael Fallon
Board Member
Rachael has been part of the dive industry since the age of 15, starting part-time while studying a degree in management before realising her future lay underwater. In 2000 she established a dive centre in Sydney and committed to the industry full-time. She is a PADI Course Director, PRISM Rebreather Instructor and Freediver Instructor Trainer, combining technical expertise with strong business and store-management skills. As General Manager of Abyss Scuba Diving, Rachael is passionate about delivering high-quality training, building inclusive dive communities and creating long-term pathways that keep people diving for life.