Meet the Adventure Cook Islands team

PATRICK JALETZKY

Managing Director

Pat grew up in Cologne, Germany. Having a French mother, a German father, a Polish family name and an Irish first name, he is real fruit salad like many islanders.

Pat moved to Rarotonga in 2004 to work as a full time dive instructor. After working four years in the Cook Islands dive industry, he teamed up with Sean to form Adventure Cook Islands Ltd. Even though his favourite place is underwater, as the Managing Director he is involved in all aspects of the business.

Patrick discovered his love for underwater exploration at a young age during his annual family vacations in Brittany in the 1980’s. He started scuba diving in his teens with the World Underwater Federation, doing his first dives in chilling 5°C waters around Cologne. Pat became a dive instructor in the late 90’s. Before settling in Rarotonga, Pat has worked for many dive centres throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Canary Islands, South-East Asia and Micronesia.

Being an avid mixed gas rebreather diver, Pat also enjoys underwater photography and freediving and loves exploring any waters. He holds various recreational and technical diving instructor certifications with PADI, SSI, TDI and SDI as well as DAN.

Apart for diving, Pat has also experience in the commercial offshore industry. As a qualified Remotely Operated Vehicle Pilot and Technician he has worked on oil rigs and construction vessels in the North Sea and Asia. Patrick holds a New Zealand commercial skippers license and is fluent in English, German and French and speaks basic Spanish.

Pat is passionate about technical exploration dives and loves discovering Rarotonga’s deep hidden secrets.

CARINA WENZEL

Diving Instructor and Multi Talent

Carina joined Adventure Cook Islands in 2013. Like Patrick, Carina grew up in Cologne and even went to school together with Patrick.

She attended university in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. After moving back to Germany, she decided on a different career path and completed her cabinet maker trades certificate. Carina then moved to Italy, where she specialised in antique furniture restoration. She started her own restoration business in the region of Vicenza, which she operated for 6 years.

During her travels throughout Oceania Carina visited Patrick, which led to the decision to make Rarotonga her home. She moved to the Cook Islands in 2011 where she started diving and quickly moved up the diving ladder. Carina is an experienced PADI and SSI dive instructor and holds a Cook Islands Boat Master Certificate. Carina is truly multilingual and speaks fluent German, English, Dutch and Italian, as well as French.

When Carina is not teaching dive courses or guiding divers, she maintains our rental fleet of bicycles, scooters and other equipment, maintains the buildings and grounds or builds stuff. You also find her in the office renting out equipment and taking bookings.

Carina really enjoys introducing people to the underwater world. She is passionate about molluscs and everything that crawls underwater.

Gary Muir

Divemaster and Skipper

Gary is a New Zealand born Cook Islander. Gary moved to Manihiki in the Northern Cook Islands at young age to help at his family’s pearl farm. As a PADI Divemaster holding a Cook Islands Boat Master certificate, he has been working for different dive centres around the island since the early 2000’s.

From our companies’ beginnings in 2009, he has been lending us a helping hand when needed. After a break in diving due to becoming a daddy of two, he finally properly joined our team in 2023. Gary knows the reef around the island very well and you will find him mainly skippering the boat and guiding certified divers. On Saturdays you may also find him manning the shop.

Apart for diving, Gary is a trained and skilled chef as well as a New Zealand qualified gold smith, having designed and made jewellery including black pearl jewellery since many years.

He is passionate about the marine environment and carries a small injection kit on most dives to help control the crown-of-thorns starfish population on our reefs. His chatty nature makes him a sought after guide by many of our divers. 

Sandra Ankli

Diving Instructor

Sandy is from Switzerland and speaks German and English. She holds a skippers certificate and is a PADI instructor.

Over 10 years ago, Sandy decided she wanted a change in lifestyle and became a scuba dive instructor. Since 2018, Sandy has been working in Rarotonga as full time dive instructor and lately as dive centre operations manager. At the end of 2025, Sandy jumped ship and joined our team.

As an experienced dive instructor and dive guide, you will find her teaching diving programs and courses, guiding certified divers, as well as renting out hire equipment.

Apart for diving, Sandy is passionate about and strongly involved in the Cook Islands Voyaging Society. The non-profit organisation aims at preserving the knowledge, skills and traditions of open ocean voyaging onboard traditional vaka’s (canoes). Sandy has been on multiple open ocean voyages onboard Marumaru Atua.

SEAN WICHMAN

Director

Sean grew up in Rarotonga. As a true Cook Islander, he has blood not only from the Cooks, but also from many European countries. Sean was born and raised into the entertainment arena. As a professional dancer and entertainer, he has been working in the tourism industry for many years.

Sean has won top sports awards since the days he was in the Juniors and continued through to his days in the Premiere grades of Rugby and Rugby League. His sports and entertainment achievements have taken him around the World to Oceania, America, Europe, and Asia.

After completing his NCEA Level 3 at College, he joined the Sports Academy to pursue a career in outdoor activities. After graduating, Sean started diver training to work in the Rarotongan dive industry. He became a PADI Divemaster in 2008 and holds a Cook Islands Boat Master Certification. He also holds a First Aid and Emergency First Response Certification and has good knowledge on local healing remedies.
Sean is a proud father of three, having one girl and two boys.