Gulf States Dive and Rescue was established in 2009. Literally conceived while sitting around a support pillar in the Louisiana Convention Center with the New Orleans Fire Dept while hunkered down during Hurricane Gustave. GSDR was officially started in 2009, but we've been a part of the community for much longer. After simply starting out learning scuba as a way to shift focus away from the streets as a paramedic, it didn't take long before we started getting opportunities to make difference locally. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, we volunteered on SELA-TF1 as a water rescue training asset by invite of Capt. Ruel Douvillier.  As part of SELA-TF1 in a capacity of water rescue Chief Steve Glynn in the EOC directed our now Ops Director to what he could do to help NOFD working off the Elysian Fields exit in the St. Roch and Marigny areas. Since Katrina, we have grown, trained and continue to help when we can. Our resources have grown and we have worked hard at gaining pertinent training from experts like Mark Philips, Jim Segerstrom, Buck Buchanon, Jim Lavalley and many others. On the path we've gained unrealistic experience working with movie stunt departments with actors like Sylvester Stallone 3x, Halle Barry, Bruce Willis and others. We were also the first rescue resources into the Orange Co. EOC after Hurricane Harvey hit, when larger more professional teams had to turn around or rely on arrival by air.  

We've come a long way since Stingray Pete's Scuba Diving