Mike Winkles

Mike Winkles earned his PADI Jr Open Water Diver at 12 years old and is now a PADI Course Director with 20+ years as a PADI Pro. He has a passion for Florida Springs & Manatee Education and has hosted thousands of school children on in-water field trips.  As a PADI Course Director Mike loves helping to develop the next generation of PADI Torchbearers and PADI Pros.  When he’s not teaching you can find him on the water with his paddleboard or back underwater doing some photography.

• In 2025 I became engage to be married to PADI Course Director Jillian Blakkan-Strauss and we’re planning a 2027 wedding and a marriage filled with scuba adventures!
• Earned the PADI Course Director rating
• Published underwater photographer
• Authored Manatee Awareness & Manatee Diver, two PADI Distinctive Specialty courses.
• Award winning underwater photographer/videographer from scuba marketing work completed for Pensacola Tourism and Palm Beaches Tourism
• Earned a 50 Ton USCG Captain’s License