Bill Merritt enjoyed his very first dive in Acapulco years ago, and was destined for a life in the sport of Scuba Diving.
Bill received his first scuba certification while earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at Texas State University in San Marcos. He has been teaching since 1984, was awarded a position as a Faculty Professor for Texas State University, where he spent three years certifying hundreds of divers.

Bill earned the esteemed professional certification of PADI MASTER INSTRUCTOR in 1998. He is an Emergency First Responder/AED Instructor, a TDI/SDI Instructor and an ITI Tank Inspector Instructor.  He also held the ratings of Medic First Aid Instructor and NAUI Instructor Trainer.

Bill also holds Instructor certifications in:

• NITROX & TRIMIX Blender I
• Tank Visual Inspection
• Enriched Air NITROX Instructor
• Sidemount Instructor
• Underwater Hunter, Collector & Spearfishing Instructor
• Intro to Tech Instructor
• Diver Propulsion Instructor
• Dry Suit Instructor
• Search & Recovery Instructor
• Underwater Navigator instructor
• Boat & Drift Diving Instructor
• Wreck Diving Instructor
• Deep Diving Instructor
• Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor
• Night Diving Instructor
• Equipment Specialist Instructor

Some of Bill’s favorite dive experiences were being invited to dive the protected historic treasure ship wreck site of the Senora de Atocha off the Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys, and being part of one of the first exploration divers on the USS Largarto submarine wreck. WWII US submarine was lost in the Gulf of Thailand until 2013.

Some of his favorite dive destinations are Palau, Cozumel, the Gulf of Mexico, Truk Lagoon & anywhere no one has been before. Bill really enjoys teaching scuba, and leading divers on the greatest adventures of their lives. Having logged over 7000 dives around the world, he remains a student of the water and continues to learn.

As CEO of Gigglin’ Marlin Dive & Swim Bill currently enjoys managing SCUBA and Swim operations and training divers of all levels of expertise and assisting his upcoming instructors and recreational divers to be the best that they can be. Bill is also a Master Equipment Repair Technician and really enjoys spending his time in the Service Center at the Dive Center servicing regulators, BCD’s, computers, tanks, dry-suits and spearguns.