KIRK MACLEAN

Kirk has been a PADI certified diver for more than 40 years. He earned an Associate Degree in Water Utilities Operations from New Mexico State University in 1980. Kirk spent 16 years in municipal utilities operations and management and holds utility operators certifications in both New Mexico and Texas. An accomplished diver, Kirk obtained his Advanced (NAUI), Rescue (NAUI/PADI) and Divemaster (NAUI/PADI) certifications in 1985 and became a NAUI Instructor/Trainer in 1989; in 2009, he received his NAUI recognition pin for 20 years of service. Kirk became a YMCA Silver and SLAM Instructor in 1996 and a YMCA Instructor Trainer/DAN O2 Instructor in 1998 and in the same time frame served as the State Coordinator for Texas for the YMCA Scuba Program. Highlights of Kirk’s diving career include 11 years of high altitude diving, Great Lakes shipwrecks and Caribbean dives. Kirk is an avid underwater photographer and videographer. Kirk holds NASASPS – “Certified Higher Education Professional Excellence in Teaching” Certificate.

BRUCE HAGER

Bruce is a March 1983 alumnus of The Ocean Corporation who joined the staff as an instructor in March of 2007. Bruce holds certifications in Commercial Diver Training, Level II Magnetic Particle and Level II Ultrasonic NDT Inspection methods. He is a certified First Responder, Operations Level Technician for HAZMAT Response Teams. Bruce has made hundreds of safe dives, both inland and in the Gulf of Mexico. Bruce has received certification through NASASPS – “Certified Higher Education Professional Excellence in Training”.

Brian Staley

Brian is the Director of Admissions for the Ocean Corporation, in addition to being an experienced NDT Inspector with experience in vessel, pipeline, refinery and fabrication inspection. His work experiences consist of forays in many facets of the NDT industry, including: as a technician for Kooney X-Ray; performing inspections both offshore, on underwater pipelines and on 300-mile land pipelines; as a recruiter for a staffing company, helping hundreds of NDT hiring managers fill their staffing needs; and as the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO), as authorized by the Texas Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control, for The Ocean Corporation. Brian is a member of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing.

Mike Oden

With more than 20 years of diving and nondestructive testing experience, Mike Oden is a senior member of The Ocean Corporation team, as well as an alumnus. He is also a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and the University of Phoenix—where he earned his Masters of Education degree in Adult Education and Training. Mike holds both NAUI and PADI dive certifications and has been a dive instructor since 1987. He holds nondestructive testing certifications in Ultrasonic, Magnetic Particle, Liquid Penetrant, Visual Inspection and Automated Ultrasonic. His diving and inspection work has taken to him 20 different states, Puerto Rico and both the American and British Virgin islands. Mike has been a speaker and presenter for the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, CHUM Social Dive Club, high schools, and colleges and at national conventions. He served as the Chairman of the Greater Houston American Society for Nondestructive Testing (2012), and is currently a member of the Gulf of Mexico Diving Safety Working Group (GMDSWG). Mike has also written diving articles and has had photographs published in magazines and newspapers. Mike also consulted with The Discovery Channel film crews while they filmed their television program – Katrina Devastation in the Gulf of Mexico.

Andrew Furgason

Andrew is a 2010 NDT Alumni of The Ocean Corporation who joined the staff in October of 2019. Andrew first heard of The Ocean Corporation in 2008 and arrived in the summer of 2009 as a student directly out of high school. Upon graduation, Andrew obtained a job quickly and started a career almost immediately in NDT. In his multiple years of field experience, he was exposed to multiple industries such as Power Generation, Aerospace, Pipelines, new construction as well as Petrochemical refining. During his time as a technician, he performed NDT all over the country, covering Texas as well as much of the Gulf Coast Region, many of the New England states, and the greater Mid-west Region. His areas of expertise are in VT, MT, PT, UT, PAUT, ET and RT. Andrew has held an active State Certification as a radiographer since 2011 and in August of 2018, he received his first ASNT Level III in Radiography and is on track to obtain many more. During his time as a technician, Andrew also obtained experience as a Radiation Safety Officer, Quality Manager, and experience in the overall business of NDT companies and their operations in the real world. Andrew takes great pride in being able to effectively convey training materials as well as real world applications of what the students are learning at The Ocean Corporation every day.

Richard Johnston

After serving four years in the Air Force as a combat photographer Richard graduated from The Ocean Corporation in 1990 where he then worked as a diver for McDermott, Global Divers and Cal Dive on various projects ranging from pipeline and platform installation, P&A projects, subsea manifold installation, and inspection projects. Richard also worked as a Certified Hyperbaric Technician (CHT) managing hyperbaric programs and setting up new hyperbaric wound care programs around the country. In addition to diving, Richard has also worked as a medic for the 911 service in Fayette, County Texas responding to various emergency calls.

John Ford

John is a US Navy, Iraqi War veteran. He served as mechanical engineer for boiler and hydraulic systems, cryogenic production, and nuclear secondary shell water steam systems. He was also a first class, SAR swimmer. After completing his service, John attended The Ocean Corporation’s Ultimate Diver Training program. After graduating, John was employed as a commercial diver. He worked on both inland and offshore underwater projects. The dive projects he worked on allowed him to work offshore and inland. John was also able to travel a lot. He worked on all three coasts of the America, diving in numerous rivers, bays and lakes around the country performing underwater construction, repairs and inspections. John’s NDT credentials also allowed him to work on many petrochemical refinery projects. The duties performed by John on petrochemical projects include QA/QC inspections, NDT inspections, and technical drawings. John is also a NCCER certified journeyman boilermaker and pipefitter, with experience in rigging, pipefitting, welding, bolt up, and safety.

Isaac Jimenez

With an extensive history and love of diving, Isaac has been an SSI-certified air and nitrox diver since 2010. In 2013, taking his passion for diving professional, Isaac took the Ultimate Diver Training program at The Ocean Corporation. With fluency in English and Spanish, Isaac started his diving career at Ranger Offshore, working on a multitude of construction, inspection, and salvage projects in the inland and offshore sectors; this allowed him to explore the world and diverse cultures. Later, he started his own inland dive enterprise specializing in golf course diving and golfball retrieval. Ultimately, joining The Ocean Corp team in April of 2022 so he can pass on his knowledge to the next generation of commercial divers.

Will Kuby

After graduating from The Ocean Corporation in 2008, Will started his career in Industrial Radiography. After five years of traveling around the United States on various projects such as oil and gas pipelines, power plants, and refineries, he moved into operations management and radiation safety. In 2017, Will acquired his ASNT Level III certification in Radiographic Testing. Leveraging his extensive field experience and advanced credentials, Will began working as a consultant and auditor for pipeline companies and operators, where he ensured the safety and efficacy of inspections on new pipelines. Looking to start a family and pass his knowledge on to future inspectors, Will joined The Ocean Corp faculty full-time in January 2022.

John Godfrey