TV / Media Production

benabo@gmail.com

For over 16 years, Jen has served the people of and visitors to Florida. Beyond being an extensively trained paramedic, she has served as one of the elite special operations paramedics with Dr. Abo including tactical medicine and search and rescue as well as the specialized Haz Tox Program. Jen has climbed the ranks not only as lieutenant but also was team leader for the Collier County Tactical EMS Program in charge of all operations and training. Being a paramedic in Florida, in particular in south Florida with all of out beaches and overlapping habitat, marine rescues and injuries are a part of everyday incidents. Jen also spent several years with Civil Air Patrol Ground Team conducting Search and Rescue. She has partaken in suporting multiple Shark Week and Shark Fest shoots as set medic and Covid Compliance Officer with Dr. Abo. 

Dakta James is one of Dr. Abo's advanced heloaquatics rescue team members with extensive land, sea, & air background. He has worked for eight years in Ocean Rescue with Brevard County as well as multiple years as a Captain overseeing operations in Cocoa Beach. He has contracted and flown with SpaceX for various recovery operations as well. He has extensive background & education in water rescue of various types including 80 hours PWC course, helicopter underwater egress trainer, master rigging rope technician, trench rescue, confined space, collapse rescue, advanced open water rescue, & more. He has specialized in high surf hazardous conditions, low visibility & dirty diving as well. He also has a background in Dive paramedicine & toxicological emergencies & treatment. Furthermore, Dakota has been flying as a flight paramedic with AirCare. 

Devon was born & raised in Brevard County, Florida. He graduated from Eastern Florida State College & started his career working ocean rescue as a lifeguard before transferring to fire rescue. He currently worked full time for Brevard County Fire Rescue as a firefighter / paramedic for a number of years. He has extensive training in land, air, & water rescue & currently holds numerous advanced certifications including FP-C, dive rescue, & various search & rescue courses to name a few. He has experience working in a variety of environments including out of helicopters & surface as well as subsurface rescues with low visibility & heavy current conditions. Devon is also one of Dr. Abo's advanced heloaquatic rescue team members & instructors. 

Chris grew up in South Florida with a great passion for the water. In 1995, he became certified in Open Water Diving. With a deep passion for under water exploration, he began upgrading his skills with Advanced Open Water two years later, in 1997. This took him to deeper depths where he then began wreck diving, and search and recovery. After several years of diving all around Florida, he discovered Cave Diving. Through years of specialty training including Nitrox, and an intense internship into cave diving, he became certified as a Cave Diver in 2002. A few years later, in 2005, he started my career as a Firefighter Paramedic. Working for a department surrounded by water, Chris found my skills as a diver to be quiet handy. He became a rescue diver in 2006, and spent the next few years diving in canals, and lakes around Dade County searching for victims of water related accidents. In 2009, he joined the Marine Operations Bureau of Miami Dade Fire Rescue providing life saving rapid response to the waters of Dade County. In 2018, these experiences allowed him the opportunity to assist Lucky 8 and the Discovery Channel in his first shark exploration, where we reenacted different shark bite scenarios. He intends to spend many more years using his life experiences and skills to help others in and around the water.

Beginning in 1995 at the age of 15, Nick became a first responder and a lifeguard. He enrolled in teh miami-Dade Fire Rescue Explorer program and spent the last 27 years of his life working in emergency response / public safety. Because of his work as an Ocean REscue Lifegaurd, he was drawn to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Special Operations Dive Rescue and Fireboat programs. He has spent the last 15 years working on MDFR Fireboats responding to maritime emergencies. His qualifications include Emergency Medical Services Associates Degree, Emergency Scuba Rescue Diver, Advanced Hyperbaric Medical Technician, Paramedic, Naui Rescue Swimmer, NFPA public safety diver, Public Safety Officer 2, Incident Safety Officer and NFA Community Risk Reduction Specialist. He also was one of the main subjects for the show, Danger Coast, highlighting the work of the MDFR Fireboat.