John grew up in West Texas in a small town called Memphis.  Growing up, one of his favorite shows was Sea Hunt.  He always wanted to try Scuba Diving, but did not get the chance until he moved to Redondo Beach, Ca in 1980. John was 26 years old when Dive N Surf, a local dive shop, was offering free Try SCUBA experience. Long story short, he was hooked and has been diving ever since. He has made over 7,000 dives.  He first got certified in 1980 with NASDS Open Water One.  Then in July, he went right into Los Angeles County Advanced Program where he earned his NAUI Dive Master Certification.  In December of1980 he earned his NAUI Dive Master Certification.  In 1982 he became a YMCA and NAUI Instructor. In 1990 he was certified as a TDI Nitrox Instructor and then in 2002 a Public Safety Diving Instructor for PSDA.

From 1999 to 2002 he worked as a SCUBA Instructor or Safety Diver on various major motion picture and commercial projects.  Some of the films he worked on are: Castaway, Men of Honor, What Lies Beneath, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Baby Boy, Triple X and a music video for Incubus. He also worked on commercials for Health Network, Pepsi, Visa, Atlantic Bell, Flintstones, & Oxygen Sports Drink.

From 2001 to 2004 he trained and worked with the Los Angeles Port Police in their Search and Rescue team. He trained and supported the team on search and recovery of drugs, explosives, weapons and bodies.

As for recreational diving he has made dives up and down the California coast, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Arizona. He has traveled and dove in Mexico, Philippines, Fiji, Australia and most of the Caribbean Islands.

In 2016 John and his wife of 47 years (Rebecca) moved from Los Angeles to Seminole, Florida to retire. In June 2020, he became a SSI Instructor and in October 2022 a PADI Open Water Instructor.   In March 2023 he earned his PADI MSDT rating.

His favorite dive trip was 2 weeks on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.  

John loves to dive and looks for any reason to do so.  He averages 150-200 dives per year.  He enjoys teaching, especially new students.