About Columbia Pacific Maritime
Columbia Pacific Maritime is a US Coast Guard-approved Maritime Training Provider located on the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus in Coos Bay, Oregon. Since 2006, we have provided practical, instructor-led training for mariners pursuing National Merchant Mariner Credential deck endorsements.
Our Maritime Roots
ColPac Maritime grew from Dennis and Pat Degner’s lifelong connection to the maritime industry. Pat’s father operated tugboats on the Coos and Umpqua Rivers, while Dennis’s father was a commercial fisherman working along the West Coast.
Dennis began commercial fishing at an early age and later spent 20 years owning and operating West Coast trawlers. He then spent 14 years as a community college maritime instructor, teaching licensing, radar, sea survival, and vessel-based courses.
Dennis started Columbia Pacific Maritime in 2006. In 2020, the school relocated to the Southwestern Oregon Community College campus in Coos Bay—returning to the community where those maritime roots began.
How We Teach
The Coast Guard establishes the subjects, examinations, and passing standards for approved maritime courses. What distinguishes one school from another is how that material is taught.
At ColPac, each lesson follows a straightforward instructional process:
- Explanation: The instructor introduces and explains the material, using practical maritime experience to make it understandable.
- Learning Exercise: Students work through written exercises while the instructor provides individual help.
- Debrief and Review: Each lesson concludes with a review of its important points and additional explanation where needed.
Questions are always encouraged. Our goal is to teach mariners to understand and apply the material—not simply memorize answers for an examination.