Charlie learned to dive in 1991 while serving in the US Navy. His checkout dives were conducted in the springs of N.Central Florida, where he got his first glimpse of cave divers entering the cave. Shortly thereafter, Charlie was shipped off to Guam where he spent the next two years diving the wrecks and deep walls of the Western Pacific.
After returning to the states, Charlie moved to Gainesville, Florida to pursue his dream of cave diving. He was fortunate to have great mentors during his formative years of cave diving. Years later, Charlie is still cave diving and, along with his regular dive buddy, Jon Bernot, currently holds the world record for penetration in an underwater cave at 26,930 ft / 8,208 m.
Charlie is a Director of Karst Underwater Research (KUR). He has participated in KUR exploration and survey projects at Weeki Wachee/Twin Dees, Manatee Springs, M2 Blue, Suwannee Spring, Phantom Springs, Falmouth-Cathedral, and Lineater.