Horizon Charters: About Us

In his 20 years as captain, he has taken scuba divers, shark divers, whale watchers, bird watchers and sightseers the entire 750 miles of the Pacific coast of Baja and has spent innumerable days exploring California’s Channel Islands and offshore seamounts.

"My reason for working on and in the ocean for as many years as I have is very simple to understand for those of us that have been fortunate enough to spend any amount of time at sea. I encourage everyone with a sense of adventure to experience the ocean and embrace the wonder of all it has to offer."

Jennifer, Greg’s wife, is just as much an advocate for the ocean and stands alongside him in all of his endeavours. "I met Jennifer on the ocean and immediately found her as someone that has as much an appreciation for this environment as I." With the Grivetto family's two newest addition's joining the school over the previous three years, Greg and Jennifer are not at sea as much as before, but are working hard to ensure that Horizon Charters remains at the forefront in customer service and environmental standard.



	The Horizon Charters Team Captain Greg Grivetto Ocean Odyssey and Horizon Greg's love for the sea was formed in his pre-teen years as he ventured out onto the Pacific with his parents onboard their small charter fishing boat. Having experienced the ocean and its inhabitants at such a young age he grew to love the liquid environment and vowed one day to share his knowledge and love for the ocean with others.
	In his 20 years as captain, he has taken scuba divers, shark divers, whale watchers, bird watchers and sightseers the entire 750 miles of the Pacific coast of Baja and has spent innumerable days exploring California’s Channel Islands and offshore seamounts. "My reason for working on and in the ocean for as many years as I have is very simple to understand for those of us that have been fortunate enough to spend any amount of time at sea. I encourage everyone with a sense of adventure to experience the ocean and embrace the wonder of all it has to offer." Jennifer, Greg’s wife, is just as much an advocate for the ocean and stands alongside him in all of his endeavours. "I met Jennifer on the ocean and immediately found her as someone that has as much an appreciation for this environment as I." With the Grivetto family's two newest addition's joining the school over the previous three years, Greg and Jennifer are not at sea as much as before, but are working hard to ensure that Horizon Charters remains at the forefront in customer service and environmental standard.
	Captain Chris Thompson Horizon Chris grew up racing sailboats and free-diving off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. After a short stint as a guide on a dude ranch in Wyoming and at a tourist lodge in Costa Rica, he returned to the ocean in Santa Barbara and crewed on a commercial fishing boat. Chris, knowing that taking from the ocean on a constant basis was not in his calling, left commercial fishing and joined Dr. Milton Loves' research team at the University of California Santa Barbara to study reef and oil rig fish populations. Wishing to share his love for the ocean with others, he moved to Catalina Island and joined the Catalina Island Marine Institute at Toyon Bay to teach marine biology to students from the mainland.
	He is proud to be part of the Horizon Charters team, helping bring scuba and free-divers to inspiring locations throughout the southern California and northern Baja island archipelagos. His knowledge and love for the ocean brings a strong presence to his sixth year onboard the good ship Horizon!
	Captain Spencer Salmon Horizon In his fourth year with Horizon, he started as crew and through hard work and dedication worked his way up the ladder where you will now find him working alongside Captain's Chris and Greg and quite often leading many of our expeditions. His background as an EMT and commercial diver are a natural fit onboard. Your safety and comfort while in the water or onboard Horizon are Captain Spencers top priority!
	Chef Mark Grindley (AKA, Chef Marko) Horizon Mark, now in his 15th year with the Horizon Charters Team, has the reputation of being one of the finest cooks to ever raise a spatchula onboard a live-aboard dive vessel! Mark is more than an accomplished cook, he is THE MAN! It is one thing to be able to cook up a scrumptious meal in the comfort of an stable kitchen in a gourmet restaurant. But to be able to do it onboard a boat, in an environment that is sometimes moving with the motion of an earthquake that is approaching an eight on the Richter Scale, is quite a feat!
	Captain Rick Scott Ocean Odyssey Rick is a Southern California Native, born and raised in Orange County. Living on a lake as a child he found that as any kid, he really liked the water. He purchased his first boat when he was 19 and tried hard to spend every weekend possible on the ocean thereafter. A few years into this habit he made the decision that the ocean was his passion and at that point decided to inquire about a position on a vessel in the Newport Beach area. His career found him increasingly in the San Diego area and a few years later he made the move to the wheelhouse after acquiring his captains license.
	We are excited to have Rick onboard Ocean Odyssey as his attention to detail, safety and customer service are unparalleled. Captain Rick welcomes you aboard Ocean Odyssey!
	Captain Dina Grivetto Ocean Odyssey & Horizon Dina started as a youngster fishing with dad onboard our 46 foot fishing vessel 'Alicia'. She was scared by all the big fish, but loved the excitement of the ocean and the atmosphere onboard the boat. Now all grown up, Captains Dina will work hard onboard Ocean Odyssey to provide you with a safe, fun environment while onboard. "I am passionate about the ocean and all that it has to offer. Captain Rick and I hope that when you depart after your adventure, you take home with you a new found respect for the ocean and her inhabitants!"
	Captain Gary Tanizaki Horizon & Ocean Odyssey In his 11th year with the Horizon Charters team, Gary has proven to be the one of the hardest working members on the squad. You'll appreciate his coy sense of humor along with his dedication to the ocean and all the animals in it. This San Diego State grad has spent over 20 years working either on or in the ocean and has a good story for every occasion!
	Martin Graf Divemaster Over the previous 12 years whether you were getting ready to step off Horizon for a scuba dive, preparing to go hiking on a Baja desert island or were simply looking for photographic advice, you would find Martin ready to lend a hand. In the off-season you will find Martin as a scuba diving instructor with his own company, Graf Diving, plus travelling throughout Europe as a sales representative for Horizon Charters. With his ability to converse in three languages, German, Swiss and English he is an invaluable asset to our Horizon Charters Team.
	Jake Efstration Divemaster, skiff driver In his second year with the team, Jake's love of the marine environment and outgoing personality mirrors all of our crew onboard Horizon. When you're in the water, you'll find Jake watching the pool along with Martin and will be happy to know that this team of divemasters is as good as it gets!	Photo Coming Soon!
	Jeff Moore Crew / Skiff Driver Jeff has brought to our team a strong background in ocean, great personality and eye to detail. Spending time in Hawaii working his families scuba diving business engrained in him all the qualities that you will find in our crew onboard Horizon. In his second season onboard, he has gained recognition as the man with the easy smile, big laugh, great sense of humor and strong work ethic. Look for Jeff onboard for many years to come!	Photo Coming Soon!
	Matt Colley Crew/Skiff Driver Matt is the newest member of our team and will have his bio and photo up very soon.	Photo Coming Soon!
	Rachelle Storti Steward "I don't remember ever not knowing how to swim." Rachelle, a New Hampshire native, moved west in 2003 to follow her passion for the ocean. She was dive certified in 2004, and immediately took a position with a military program that teaches pilots and soldiers how to evacuate from helicopters that ditch into water. This exciting job took her to Okinawa, where she had some amazing dive experiences! You'll find her working alongside Mark, preparing fine meals and during her breaks in the water with you swimming with the fishes!	Photo Coming Soon!