Thor Dunmire
Diving Specialist

Born October 21, 1966 in Miami, FL

My father was a commercial spear fisherman in the Florida Keys when I was young, so I began diving at age 3 and spear fishing at age 7. I earned a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1989 from the University of Florida. I was much more interested in the ocean and in diving than in lab work so I joined the U. S. Navy and became a Navy Salvage Diver. I served on board the U.S.S. Pigeon (ASR-21) as Assistant Chief Engineer in charge of main propulsion and as a diving officer. The Pigeon was a deep salvage and submarine rescue ship that was designed as a platform to launch and recover DSRVs (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles) and other small submersibles, and also as a saturation diving platform.

After getting out of the Navy I went to graduate school at the University of Miami and studied the biosynthesis of neurotoxins produced by marine dinoflagellates (single celled algae that are often responsible for harmful algal blooms). I next worked for the Florida Marine Research Institute for 3 years, doing fisheries and marine ecology research in the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park. While working for FMRI, I learned about the National Undersea Research Center and the Aquarius Habitat. The uniqueness of the habitat and the work conducted by the program convinced me to leave my research position at FMRI and take a staff position with Aquarius in April 1999. I have done two four-day staff saturation training missions, one science mission, and I've served three times as oxygen tender during decompression. I have yet to break the four-day barrier during a saturation mission, but I hope that this will change - if we can make it that long without getting hit by any hurricanes.