About Chris

Scuba diving is transformative, and I want to share the experience with as many people I can. Diving makes your life better. It exposes you to a realm few people get to see in person and changes your perspective on the world we live in.

Choosing your instructor is the most important dive training decision you'll make. Some instructors have been all over the world and can bring you an international perspective. Some instructors are experienced technical divers or cave divers who can show you that path. Currently I'm exclusively a recreational diver and I dive locally -- mostly in Florida -- as often as I can. My specialty is teaching and my goal is to help you become a diver, not simply to teach you a set of skills.

If you want to learn, I will do whatever I can to teach you. I've helped students overcome swimming deficiencies, discomfort with water up their noses, understanding dive theory, and trouble with specific diving skills. I believe diving is for everyone who is medically fit to dive. You can read about the influences on my teaching below.

Teaching Experience

I love teaching, and I have devoted the majority of my professional career to it. A common thread in my teaching experience is a focus on building foundations for students who are new to a field or activity.

Air Force T-37 Instructor Pilot for Three Years

I took students who were completely new to flying (and often the military) and turned them into military jet pilots from the ground up, instilling the discipline, attention to detail, checklist procedures, habit patterns and general airmanship that they will rely on in every plane they ever fly.

USA Wrestling Bronze Certified Youth Wrestling Coach for Three Years

I taught children as young as eight years old how to wrestle, starting with the most basic principles and breaking everything down into very simple parts. Being a good youth wrestling coach requires taking into account a child's more limited body control and attention span, as well as their emotional development as they adapt to the toughest of all scholastic sports.

Air Force Space Instructor for Three Years

I taught space operation students the basic physics related to orbiting satellites, intercontinental missiles, and space launch vehicles. There is no technical degree requirement for space operators. So in UST I taught English majors the basics of Newtonian physics (gravity, force, mass, acceleration, etc.) in a purely conceptual manner, developing an intuitive understanding of physics rather than simply plodding through equations.

Lecturer in Computer Science at Georgia Tech

Some students with a technical background want a deeper understanding of dive theory. Being such a student myself and a teacher of technical subjects, I can help my students develop this deeper understanding.

Dive Training and Experience

PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer # 347984 (Pro Check)
EFR Instructor
SSI Divemaster Instructor # 72876
DAN DEMP and DFA Pro Instructor #
Pro-level training from PADI (Divemaster, Instructor) and SSI (Instructor Crossover)
Diver-level training through PADI (Open Water, Advanced Open Water), SSI (Nitrox, Perfect Buoyancy, Rescue), and NAUI (Master Scuba Diver)
About a hundred dives from boats and shores of all kinds in the California ocean
Dozens of dives in lakes, quarries and springs in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida
Hundreds of dives in The Gulf of Mexico, the south Florida ocean and the Florida keys
Dozens of dives in international locations in the Caribbean Sea