Meet the Staff at Key Dives

At Key Dives, we are committed to conservation and education, and we strive to showcase these values in every aspect of our work. We host monthly reef cleanup dives and bi-monthly coral outplanting dives with I.CARE. We also host various community events to promote a better future for our coral reefs. We provide opportunities for locals and visitors alike to participate in all of our conservation work when they dive with us. We have several recognitions for our conservation work, including recognition as a Blue Star operator, a PADI Eco Centre, a Project AWARE partner, and a Blue Oceans partner. Read on to learn about the amazing staff of dive instructors and captains who make us what we are!

Mike, Marcia & Jeri Goldberg

Owner

After careers in finance and law, Mike and Marcia threw in the corporate towel for a beach towel. After stints in Hawaii, British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands, they are settling in quite nicely here in the Keys. Jeri has recently graduated from university with a focus in nuclear chemistry (crazy smart kid!) What Mike and Marcia like most about the diving here are the fishy reefs, especially in comparison to the Caribbean. After spending so many years diving the Caribbean, Mike and Marcia started Key Dives almost 20 years ago with one main goal, to provide divers not only a beautiful dive but an unmatched level of customer service. Teaching families to dive and introducing young people to the beauties of the underwater world is something they love. Mike is also the co-founder of I.CARE, a non-profit focused on restoring our coral reefs. Nowadays, when Mike is diving he is either planting coral or doing coral maintenance. Restoring our reefs is definitely his new life’s passion. Just give him a moment and he will convince you to get involved and help rebuild our reefs.

Kristy Gross

Operations Manager

PADI MSDT & SSI Advanced Open Water Scuba Instructor

Kristy’s connection to the water began early in life, but in 2022, she chose to pursue scuba diving full-time. With a background as a licensed veterinary technician, she has worked in zoos and aquariums across the country before shifting her focus to marine environments. This path led her to Utila, Honduras, where she completed a Marine Conservation Internship and earned her Divemaster certification.

After managing a dive shop in Virginia, Kristy relocated to the Florida Keys and joined the Key Dives team. She now serves as Operations Manager, helping support daily operations and the dive staff to ensure safe, smooth, and enjoyable experiences for guests.

Kristy continues to seek out new dive destinations and professional growth opportunities within the dive industry and is proud to work with Diveheart, supporting adaptive scuba and accessibility in diving. She is also a certified Mermaid and enjoys sharing that interest with guests when asked. You’ll often still find her underwater, where her favorite animals to see are sharks and sea peas. When she’s not at the shop or on the boat, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Remi, around the Keys.

Bradley Williams

Captain & Instructor

USCG 100 ton Captain and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

A native of the Pacific Northwest with family roots in Florida, Bradley discovered his love of scuba diving in 2002. While working as a Paramedic in the greater St Louis area, scuba diving became a passion and a way of life for Bradley. He pursued this passion further by becoming a Divemaster in 2005, and followed that up with OWSI in 2007. During his first few years in the recreational dive industry, Bradley worked as crew for dive operators including Florida Sea Base and Key Dives. As he continued to enjoy every moment on the water, he decided his obvious next step was to captain a dive charter. That dream was realized in 2012 and he has been delivering memorable diving experiences on the reefs and wrecks of South Florida and the Florida Keys ever since. 

Morgan Gardner

Conservation Coordinator

PADI Open Water & SSI Advanced Open Water Scuba Instructor

Morgan grew up in South Carolina and discovered scuba diving while attending Clemson University, where she joined a research lab that came down to the Florida Keys to study the local reefs. After graduating with a degree in biology, she joined the biomedical research field before realizing the ocean was where she was meant to be. After running away to Honduras to complete her divemaster certification, she made her way over to Maui where she worked as a whale watch guide, divemaster, sea turtle technician, and coral nursery tech before finally completing her instructor rating. Morgan is excited to be a part of Key Dives conservation efforts to preserve the reefs and to actively work towards a healthier planet. You can find her underwater waving at all of the fish and blowing kisses to the baby coral outplants.

Kyle Herdegen

Instructor

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

Kyle was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he and his family grew up fishing, spearfishing, and lobstering in the Gulf of Mexico and down in the Florida Keys. Kyle was a certified diver before he even had a driver’s license, and he says he can hold his breath for over 12 minutes (unofficial time). After spending some years out of school working an office job as an environmental consultant, he returned to sunny Florida to complete his professional scuba training and then move to the Caribbean to work full-time as an instructor in St. Thomas. After spending a year in the Virgin Islands, he moved back to Florida to work with Key Dives to be closer to family and his beloved Pub Subs. Kyle is a PADI instructor and can teach the Night, Deep, and Nitrox certifications. When he’s not diving, you can expect to see him exploring Florida’s many state parks or cheering on his favorite sports teams.

Erika Navarro

Instructor

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

Born and raised in Georgia, Erika discovered her love for aquatic life in 2018 when she ventured off to Thailand for a study abroad program and was convinced to go scuba diving as part of one of her courses. After this, she was completely hooked (no pun intended) and made it her mission to advance in diving after graduation.

Once she acquired her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, her journey to becoming a professional began in Utila, where she received her Divemaster Certification, and then to another tiny island, St. Thomas, to take it one step further and become an instructor. There, Erika dedicated over two years to teaching and sharing her love for marine life.

Just when she thought she had enough of the island life, she decided to move to the Florida Keys to work for Key Dives and continue her passion for the underwater world.

Erica Halverson

Instructor

PADI MSDT & SSI Advanced Open Water Scuba Instructor

Erica received her OWC during her sophomore year of undergrad because she had to use up an extra college credit. Being certified in the Finger Lakes (while wearing a drysuit!) taught her that warm water diving was more likely her speed. After spending years living and working in NYC and only “vacation diving”, Erica decided to spend the past year traveling and working remotely in places where she could enjoy the ocean: surfing in Morocco, sea cliff climbing in Portugal, and diving in Baja. Along the way, she decided to transition from divemaster to instructor, and while backpacking through Central America, she did just that. Erica’s family finally convinced her to become a Florida girl and she’s been more than happy to trade in working on her computer for working on a dive boat.

CJ Richard

Divemaster

PADI Divemaster

CJ grew up in Pennsylvania and developed a love for the ocean at a young age through family trips to Grand Cayman. After many trips of just snorkeling, he decided to take the plunge and get open water certified in 2023. In his final semester of pursuing a bachelor's degree in environmental science, he took the opportunity to study abroad in Turks and Caicos. While studying abroad with the School for Field Studies in South Caicos, he gained a strong knowledge of corals, fish, mangroves, seagrasses, and the entire marine ecosystem. Shortly after graduating, CJ’s journey in the Keys began when he became an intern with Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF). While with CRF, CJ expanded on his marine biology knowledge with work in coral restoration, monitoring, dive safety, boat handling, and intern training. At the end of 2025, CJ completed his divemaster course with Key Dives and was excited to have the opportunity to join the team! He is excited about the opportunities share his coral restoration knowledge while working closely with I.CARE, as well as all of the other conservation projects Key Dives participates in.