President and Founder: Chuck Reid is a Divemaster, continuing his education as a diving professional. He received his Open Water certification in Tokyo, Japan in 1995. His advanced diving certifications include Rescue Diver, Search and Navigation, Advanced Dive Planning, Night and Limited Visibility, Deep Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Digital Underwater Photography, Enriched Air Diver, and Wreck Diver. He is currently a retired Navy Veteran, with more than a few hobbies including sailing, flying, fishing, and acting. He is also a Master Hapkido martial arts instructor who has developed his own self-defense system, Outlaw Combatives. Vice-President: Fred Pugh hails from Oakland, CA, and joined SoCal Black Divers and Snorkelers after relocating to San Diego in 2021. He was previously a member of several dive clubs associated with the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) including the Los Angeles Black Underwater Explorers (LABUE), the (SF) Bay area Black Divers, and the Atlantic Rangers (of Philadelphia PA). Fred has a number of certifications, including Stress and Rescue. Fred is passionate about the African Diaspora’s interface with water-sports, and mentors with Youth Diving with a Purpose (DWP), an organization which teaches (Black) youth underwater archaeology skills to assist in the discovery of sunken slave ships. In addition to diving Fred is an avid sailor, and currently learning to fly single engine planes as a student pilot Safety Officer: Adrian Bravo became a certified scuba diver through this group in July, 2021. He is currently in the Criminal Justice Degree Program at San Diego State University to enter Law Enforcement. He is continuing his diving education to become an instructor and eventually a public safety diver with the San Diego Sheriff Department Dive Team. Business Officer: Arwen Jamison is a San Diego native who grew up swimming and snorkeling at local beaches including La Jolla Cove. She was introduced to scuba diving by this organization and became a certified scuba diver in July, 2021. She is currently an Advanced Open Water Diver, with experience in night dives, boat dives, and low visibility navigation. She is currently continuing her education in dive leadership. Arwen currently works at UCSD, managing funds for the Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She also served as the Treasurer of the Black Staff Association. Her hobbies include cycling, spoken word poetry, community theater, and photography. She is passionate about creating a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive culture within the diving and snorkeling community.
