Dive History: SSI - Open water Certification IANTD - Nitrox IANTD - Narmoxic Trimix NAUI - Full Trimix NACD - DPV Trained NSS-CDS - Cavern NSS-CDS - Intro to Cave NSS-CDS - Full Cave Certified IANTD – KISS Rebreather Dive Log: Logged over 3000 dives with a maximum depth of 440 feet Education and Occupation: Director for Karst Underwater Research BIO Brett Hemphill has been exploring since he can remember. Having moved 5 times before the age of 12, including a year in the country of Japan, his desire to investigate his ever-changing childhood surroundings is what certainly molded him into the person he is today. Climbing everything that was climbable, searching every creek to its source, there never seemed to be enough to satisfy his curiosity. At the age of 14 he attended a youth dry cave excursion. While the others slept, Brett and two trip counselors managed to find a yet undiscovered section of the cave. This discovery, small as it may have been, stayed with Brett for many years. During the early nineties, many cave divers throughout Florida believed undiscovered caves were all but a thing of the past. Using redundant no-mount and side-mount techniques Brett began to probe and explore every small spring and tidal vent within a fifty mile radius of his home in central Florida. After the discovery of several significant under water caves, Brett formed HYDRO GEO Environmental Research in 1994 with Michael Garman, Sheri Garman and Rudy Strum. This group studied explored and documented several coastal under water caves in central Florida throughout the nineties bringing a new appreciation and awareness for central Florida underwater caves. Realizing small holes could lead to large discoveries Brett adapted pre-existing designs from long time side-mount divers such as: Woody Jasper, Wes Skiles, Lamar Hires, and Mark Long, designing a very holistic side-mount configuration named the Armadillo. Brett has filmed and assisted in producing a series of short under water cave documentaries including The National Association of Cave Diving's The Need for Training. He speaks regularly on: Cave exploration and logistics, Reabreather design, safety and use in overhead environments. For over 20 years with the support and companionship of friends and team members alike, Brett Hemphill has assisted with exploration, mapping and research of nearly a dozen of some of the deepest, largest most unique underwater cave systems in the United States alone. Additional exploration and research locations includes; Bahamas, Cay Sal Banks, Dominican Republic & Yucatan Peninsula.