“Renee “Apple” Applegate passed away on August 13, 2017. She was the owner of Dive Paradise in Cozumel.

Apple attended the University of California, Berkeley. In 1976 she signed up for a scuba diving course with the Aqua Tutus Skin and SCUBA Diving Club. The course was a demanding one, held at Chabot College in Hayward, California. The semester-long course was rigorous with many hours of lecture and in-water work, but Apple emerged a certified diver with a passion for the sport.

In 1986 Apple was hired as the manager of Dive Paradise, owned by Tom Hartdegen. In 1994 when Tom died, Apple assumed control of Dive Paradise. Over the years, under her guidance, Dive Paradise has grown to four locations throughout Cozumel.

She was a PADI Master Scuba Instructor with over 30 years of diving and training experience. Recognizing her contributions to the diving community in general and to Cozumel specifically, Apple was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2003.”

-Republished with permission by Dive Training Magazine