Meet Our Team
The Ocean Is Our Way Of Life
Black Flag Dive Center is a SCUBAPRO Platinum Dealer and NAUI Worldwide training facility dedicated to helping people explore the underwater world, whether you’re taking your very first breath underwater or working toward becoming a dive professional. We offer a true “zero to hero” pathway, taking students from beginner diver all the way to Divemaster and beyond, opening the door to getting paid to dive anywhere in the world. All you have to do is pick your dream destination and we’ll help you get there.
John Youngblood
Owner/Instuctor
Hi, I’m John, the owner
of Black Flag Dive Center. This shop has always been a dream of mine. I started Black Flag because I wanted to create a place where people could learn to dive, make lifelong memories, and experience some of the incredible underwater places that changed my life. Whether I’m teaching classes, planning trips, or helping around the shop, I genuinely love sharing my passion for the ocean with others and building a community that feels like family.
Honesty Culler
Underwater Photograpgher
& Swim Instuctor
Hi, I’m Honesty, I’m the underwater photographer and swim instructor at Black Flag Dive Center. I love capturing the beauty of the underwater world and helping people feel confident in the water, whether that’s through photography, diving, or swim lessons. You’ll usually find me behind the camera, in the pool, or out exploring the ocean with our team.
Mike Weekly
Scuba Instructor
Hi, I’m Mike, I’m one of the instructors here at Black Flag Dive Center. I’ve been scuba diving since the 90s and love sharing the experience and knowledge I’ve gained over the years with new divers. Whether it’s your very first dive or your certification weekend, I’m here to help make your experience fun, comfortable, and memorable.
Allan Gutcher
Scuba Instructor
Hi, I’m Allan! I’m one of the instructors at Black Flag Dive Center and lead the USF Open Water scuba classes each month. I love helping new divers get comfortable underwater and guiding students through the beginning of their scuba journey.
Justin Lovett
Scuba Instructor
Hi, I’m Justin, I occasionally step in as an instructor with Black Flag Dive Center and help teach classes whenever needed. Outside of Black Flag, I’m the founder of Unicorns of Diving, a community focused on bringing more diversity and inclusion into the scuba diving world.
Trystan Cavitt
Divemaster
Hi, I’m Trystan, I started at Black Flag as an intern and have worked my way up to being a Divemaster while continuing my journey toward becoming a scuba instructor. Diving has quickly become a huge passion of mine, You’ll usually find me assisting with classes, helping around the shop, and joining as many dive adventures as possible.
How We Got Started
Black Flag Dive Center was founded by John Youngblood, a lifelong diver with over 20 years of experience in the industry. John's passion for diving began at the age of 12 when his father introduced him to the underwater world. From that moment on, whenever he was asked what he wanted to do when he grew up, his answer was always the same—to scuba dive around the world.
That passion led him to work for a swim and scuba academy in Georgia for five years, where he gained invaluable experience teaching both swimming and scuba diving. It was there that he met his partner in crime, Honesty, who shared his love for the ocean. Together, they decided to take a leap, move to Florida, and build something of their own—a dive center dedicated to training, adventure, and conservation.
Today, Black Flag Dive Center is a reflection of that dream. We host dive trips across Florida and beyond, run scuba certification courses every weekend, and introduce more and more people to the world beneath the waves. But our mission goes even further—we teach swimming to all ages, from babies to adults, and advocate for ocean conservation, ensuring future generations can explore and protect the underwater world.
At Black Flag Dive Center, we’re not just a dive shop—we’re a community of divers, explorers, and ocean advocates. Whether you want to get certified, join us on an adventure, or learn to swim, we invite you to be part of our journey.
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Black Flag Dive Center believes in making small scale differences daily so that we can see big changes later for our future generations. One of our most significant motivations is the restoration of our planet's coral reef systems. With coral reefs producing about 70% of the world’s oxygen, we strongly encourage all divers to take part in ocean conservation activities. Join us on some of our planned conservation efforts, we would love to have you! Our goal is to bring together and create like-minded divers who want to help care for our planet and we love to add new dive buddies to our group! It has been such a pleasure to meet, get to know, and dive with our new friends since Black Flag Dive Center’s opening day and we cannot wait to meet you too!
Internship Program:
Interested in turning your passion for diving into something bigger? We offers a one-year internship program designed to take divers all the way from beginner certifications to Divemaster while gaining real experience working inside a dive shop. Interns commit to one day a week in the shop, As you grow through the program, you’ll earn new certifications. If you’ve ever dreamed about becoming a dive professional send us an email!