Meet the Swim Staff

Emilly Kays

Swim Training Director, Partner, Lifeguard Instructor, Snorkel Instructor

Teaching swimming since 2013

What is your favorite part about teaching swimming? My favorite thing about teaching swimming is helping a student accomplish something that at first feels tricky. That moment when everything comes together and you can see their sense of accomplishment is magical every time.

What is your favorite dive destination and why? Since becoming part of the Denver Divers family I have had life changing opportunities to travel around the word scuba diving. My favorite place I have been is Cabo Pulmo. I dove with schooling Mobula Ray's and sharks!

Cheryl Klatt

Swim Operations Manager, Swim Teacher (All Levels), Snorkel Instructor

Teaching since 2014

When and where did you first learn to swim? I first learned to swim when I was about 4 at our local community center in California.

What is your favorite part about teaching swimming? There's nothing more satisfying than teaching a child and being able to watch them develop over time, not only with their swimming ability but also as a person. Being a swimming teacher gives you countless opportunities to make an impact on a child's life, easily making this of the most rewarding jobs around.

Jeannette Doolittle

Swim Teacher (All Levels)

Teaching since 2019

What is your favorite underwater memory? Scuba diving with manta rays in Komodo Islands, Indonesia. We were surrounded by at least a dozen on multiple dives, what an epic experience!

What is your part about teaching swimming? I love being a part of the little ones bravely conquering their fears and concerns and learning to swim. Each child is so unique and precious. It is very rewarding.

Cody Spangler

Swim Teacher (Stroke Development), Snorkel Instructor

Teaching since 2018

When and where did you first learn to scuba dive? When my wife, whose parents are avid divers, first suggested that we learn to dive for our honeymoon, I was shocked by the idea that I could actually do this thing that seemed to be purely fantasy. We could just... learn? Just like that? And sure enough, off the coast of Grand Cayman a short time later, we shared underwater experiences dreamt of since childhood, and it changed our lives! If you, like me, were the child that dove for pennies on the bottom of 10-foot pools and wished you never had to come up for air, or if you are someone with anxieties surrounding water skills of any kind, who truly wishes to overcome those fears, please take the word of someone who never thought he'd be here: there is a safe, fun and thriving community waiting to embrace you here at Denver Divers & The Swim School of Denver! Come temper your fears and live the life you've dreamt of!

What is your favorite part about teaching swimming? Personally, The most rewarding aspect of teaching in-water skills is witnessing the burgeoning self-confidence and exhilaration of someone who has accomplished something they never thought they could or would achieve. Whether it's a child that just put together their first complete freestyle stroke, or an adult whose eyes light up the first time they breath through a snorkel, there is no greater feeling than knowing you've helped someone break down a barrier and open themselves to a world of new adventures.

Sterling Wind

Swim Teacher (All Levels)

Teaching since 2020

When did you first learn to teach swimming? Although I have been a teacher for most of my life and taught in both formal and informal settings for more than 35 years, I am a new swim teacher with Denver Divers and The Swim School of Denver. I have taught everything from rock climbing to teaching people with disabilities to become more independent and self-sufficient in their homes, while out recreating, and also in many work settings. I am passionate about learning, and I look forward to working with people of all ages to becoming more comfortable, confident, and safe in and around the water.

When and where did you first learn to snorkel? I began learning to snorkel on a family trip to Santa Catalina Island when I was 9 or 10 years of age. Since childhood, I have snorkeled throughout Southern California, Baja Mexico, the Sea of Cortez, the Hawaiian Islands, Belize, along the Yucatan Penninsula in the Caribean, and in Iceland where the air temperature was 31 degrees Fahrenheit and the water temperature was a balmy 35 degrees