Instructor BIOS

Darren Craig

Darren Craig, owner and operator of Staying Alive Adventures, has worked in both the Outdoor and Rescue/Medical industry since the young age of 16. Beginning as a deck hand on a 100+ ton passenger ferry in the coastal waters of Virginia, his childhood love of surfing, diving and sailing evolved into a love of all things water. As a young adult he attended Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VA, where he majored in Anatomy and Physiology and minored in Oceanography. He was also a member of the Universities NCAA national champion sailing team. After three years of attendance, it was off to The Ohio State University to earn his degree in chemistry.

Following his graduation, he worked in the youth camp industry for a summer and spent his free time climbing the mountainous cliffs of North Conway, New Hampshire. This was followed by a moved to Annapolis, MD. It was here that he worked both on a 76' two masted schooner and at the Anne Arundel Medical center, where he worked in the lab and eventually challenged the boards and received his Board Certification as a Clinical Chemist, from the American Society of Clinical Pathologist.

Next it was off to Washington State to be deeper in the mountains he loved and the sports that are associated with them, not realizing, that they would lead to a new career as the owner of an Outdoor Adventure Center and Training facility. It was then that he and his new wife ran a successfully company for the next ten years. The company was WaveTrek inc. and offer whitewater rafting, kayaking, youth camps, a youth apprenticeship program, river expeditions / adventure travel and rescue training. This included river expedition in remote areas of South America, Alaska , North Central BC Canada and the US, including the Grand Canyon. With respect to rescue, he had the pleasure of working with many different groups. These included US Coast Guard Rescue Divers, Emergency Management Academy of New Zealand, Peruvian Militaries Mountain Rescue, WA Dept. of Fisheries, various Native American Nations in both the US and Canada, along with numerous other government agencies and both commercial and private river runners. Eventually the rescue portion grew to such a size that it was made into its own company, WaveTrek Rescue, LLC.

More years and adventures followed then in 2006 WaveTrek inc. was sold and Darren and his wife split. It was then that he moved to Hood River, Oregon and Staying Alive Adventures came to be. So here we are and tomorrow is another day, and he is , as always, looking for an new adventure around every corner.