Arash Nikzad is a California native residing in Utila as a scuba instructor. He came to Utila in late 2021 to train as a divemaster at Utila Dive Center (UDC) and was thrilled by the level of instruction he received upon completing his divemaster.

He would then go on to continue his scuba education by going through UDC’s Go Eco science internship as well as their Instructor Development Course and Master Scuba Diver Trainer internship.  After completing his MSDT internship, he was offered a freelance position at UDC and has been teaching and guiding ever since. 

His favorite specialties are Deep, Wreck, Nitrox, Fish ID and Adaptive Technique Diver.  He plans to one day take full advantage of his Adaptive Technique Diver certification and share the joys of diving with various people with disabilities.

Before coming to Utila he worked for the City of Oakland Parks & Recreation department as well as assisting adults with mental disabilities in their day to day life. His goal is to eventually work with marine conservation and also scuba accessibility.