Who We Are
The Goodenough Springs Exploration project consists of an eclectic mix of volunteers who provide time, resources and money toward the idea of exploring this fascinating cave. Below are current and past BOD members of the GSEP:
Chuck Noe – Project Director
Chuck has been diving since 1980, earned Full-Cave Diver certification in 1996, and Advanced Trimix Instructor certification in 1997. He served as a Lead Divemaster on the offshore Flower Gardens dive boats throughout the ‘90s, and founded the area’s first Technical Dive Facility – Gulftex Scuba in July of 1993. Chuck gained valuable cave-exploration experience as a diver for the Woodville Karst Plain Project in Florida and the Yucatan before becoming a founding member and Director of the Goodenough Springs Exploration Project. Other diving affiliations include the Marine Spill Response Corporation, the Geophysical and Environmental Research Group, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas Parks and Wildlife – Artificial Reefs Division, Oceanographic Expeditions, Texas A&M University, the Gulf Reef Environmental Action Team, the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association, and The Nature Conservancy. He served as Director of the Gulf Brine Seep Expedition in 2001 and was previously Co-director of the Jacob’s Well Exploration Project. A member of the National Association of Cave Divers and the National Speleological Society – Cave Diving Section, Chuck is also the Regional Coordinator for the International Underwater Cave Rescue & Recovery team. His current residence is in Pearland, Texas.
Mike Gault – Assistant Project Director
Mike began his diving career in 1990. He holds Instructor Trainer ratings in mixed-gas diving as well as several other technical diving programs. Other professional diver ratings include Public Safety Diving Instructor and Surface Supplied Diver from the Association of Diving Contractors. Participation in other exploration projects includes the Flower Gardens Brine Seep Expedition, the Woodville Karst Plain Project, and Jacob’s Well. Mike is a founding member of the Goodenough Springs Exploration Project and the Texas Underwater Survey Project. In 2020, Mike formed CTX Hyperbaric Solutions, a US DOT licensed hydrostatic testing facility and service center designed to better serve the technical diving community in the Central Texas area. Mike is actively engaged in developing technical divers and technical diving instructors. As a life-long diver, he continues his own personal development and in 2022 began his journey into rebreather training on the Fathom mCCR unit.
Rick Aurich – Treasurer
Rick began diving in 1991 and spent several years beginning in 1994 teaching open water scuba in the Houston, Texas area. Rick earned his full cave and trimix certifications in 1998. He has served as a divemaster on several Flower Gardens and Gulf of Mexico dive boats, and participated in numerous research and underwater photography expeditions in the Gulf of Mexico. As a primary exploration diver of the Gulf Brine Seep Expedition in 2001, Rick is one of only 5 divers to have ever explored the East Flower Gardens Brine Seep on open circuit scuba. Much of his experience was also gained exploring the underwater cave systems of central and northern Florida. He is one of the founding members and serves on the board of directors of the Goodenough Springs Exploration Project, and remains one of the team’s primary exploration and research divers. Other diving affiliations include the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and a volunteer with the IUCRR. Rick currently resides in Houston, Texas.
Gregg Tatum – Science Officer
Gregg Tatum is a professional biologist with 25+ years of environmental assessment experience including marine and littoral investigations. His diving career started in Oregon in 1978 and he currently holds certifications for full cave, decompression, and mixed gas diving. He has participated in a variety of scientific diving efforts in the Gulf of Mexico under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary program. Activities at the FGBNMS include benthic core sampling, coral growth rate data collection, and mooring system maintenance. He has collaborated with researchers performing water chemistry characterizations at the Gulf Brine Seep site and San Felipe Springs.
In addition to his contributions to the GSEP, Gregg is also the Director of the Jacob’s Well Exploration Project which is investigating this underwater cave system located near Wimberly, TX. Gregg resides in Austin, TX.
Ryan DeSpain – Divemaster/Photographer
Ryan has been diving since 1987 and Dive Master since 1990. He started technical diving in 2005 and has since earned certifications in Advanced Trimix and Full Cave with training in both Florida and Mexico. Since then he has dived numerous systems in Mexico and Florida. Ryan has been with the Goodenough Springs Project since 2005 starting as shallow support and progressing in the project as his experience level and training have increased. He is also a member of the Jacobs Well Exploration Project.
Robert Laird – Explorer Emeritus, Webmaster
Robert has been diving since 1976, is a dive master, worked as a Boat Divemaster on the Fling/Spree to the Flower Gardens, and has been cave diving since 1994. Trained in Florida in both cave diving and trimix diving, he has participated in a variety of exploration projects including pushes on Cannonball Springs and Roubideaux Springs in Missouri, Nesbitt Springs in Arkansas, Aerolito and connected cenotes on Cozumel, Morris’ Cave Sump in Missouri, Donut Blue Hole off Andros, Bahamas, and is an early explorer of Goodenough Springs. A co-founder of the IUCRR (International Underwater Cave Rescue & Recovery team), Robert was also formerly the IUCRR Regional Coordinator for Texas and Secretary/Treasurer for the organization but is now retired. Robert currently lives in New Waverly, Texas.
Bill Graham – Member, Board of Directors, Retired
William (Bill) Graham, PADI MI/IDCS #12021 and TDI/SDI #2264. A member of the Goodenough Springs Exploration Project from its formal inception, Bill learned SCUBA diving in 1971 and became certified BASIC and Open Water in 1975, Divemaster and Assistant Instructor in 1978-1979, and Open Water SCUBA Instructor 1987. Bill has worked in the dive industry in retail as well as instruction and travel, and became Full Cave Certified and certified through Full Trimix in the late 1990’s as part of his goal of diving the Andrea Doria by the Year 2001. Instructional accomplishments relevant to this project include ratings for Cavern Instructor, Advanced Nitrox Instructor and Decompression Procedures Instructor. Having been a divemaster and trip leader for both local offshore and international diving excursions since 1979, Bill has dived open water locations domestically and internationally as well as in several cave systems, including deep trimix and decompression dives both in caves and open water. Notable accomplishments in diving include mapping and exploration at Goodenough Springs, exploration and underwater video support for the Brine Seep Expedition, successfully completing dives on the Andrea Doria and operating a private vessel for offshore diving for various endeavors. While currently inactive in the GSEP Project, Bill stands ready to assist as needed or when available and also maintains a full blending and breathing air station for air, nitrox and trimix. Bill lives in the Alief area of West Harris County, Texas.