President & Chief Executive Officer

Jim Babor is a classical musician and has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1993.

Mr. Babor is also an accomplished Technical and Cave Diver. He holds certifications from Global Underwater Explorers for cave, technical, and rebreather diving. Jim has been lucky enough to help survey sections of Ox Bel Ha, the world’s 2nd largest cave system, with fellow divers Fred Devos and Chris Le Maillot. Jim is also an active NAUI SCUBA Instructor and trained as a DAN Emergency Management Provider.

As for Ghost Diving, Jim has been very generous in donating his time since 2012. He is the current CEO of Ghost Diving USA and has helped propel the organization into one of the most active chapters in the world and aided in the establishment of Ghost Diving USA, an official 501(c)(3) non profit corporation, to further the cleanup of coastline around the USA.

Vice President & Secretary

Karim has been involved in Ghost Diving for over 10 years, back when the organization was known as Ghost Fishing. 10 years ago Karim organized teams of divers to clean up nets from local wrecks in Southern California and while their work was successful, it was difficult to generate support for their work. Now re-established as Ghost Diving USA he works to train divers and develop the organization.

Karim is an instructor for Global Underwater Explorers and trains divers in the use of mixed gas technical diving and the use of closed circuit rebreathers. He has countless thousands of dives and has participated in global exploration and scientific projects.

Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer

Katie is a lover of learning and all things ocean conservation. She has been diving for 13 years and is a PADI Divemaster and GUE technical diver. Of all the magical moments underwater, Katie loves the gentle sway of kelp forests, sea lions frolicking through the water column, and the satisfaction of removing debris from the ocean.

Professionally, Katie holds multiple degrees in psychology and a master’s degree in education with emphasis in special education. She currently works with students with extensive support needs due to cognitive, chromosomal, and developmental disabilities. Through her time working with and teaching students with unique and significant disabilities, Katie has learned the importance of creating engaging educational materials that are both informational and accessible to all audiences and learning styles.

Katie synergizes her passion for Ghost Diving USA with her professional experiences to create meaningful learning opportunities for the community. Looking to the future, Katie is looking forward to cultivating relationships with the community to help further educate and empower community members to choose the environment while becoming stewards for the ocean.

Vice President & Director of Information Technology

Curtis is an avid diver whose passions include conserving our local shipwrecks and reefs. He has been diving in Southern California for 16 years and grew up exploring the Channel Islands. Curtis is a technical, cave, and rebreather diver and enjoys mentoring newer divers as well as sharing the fragile beauty of the underwater world through his photography. Curtis has worked on multiple global conservation and scientific research projects.

Curtis is a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. He has his MBA and Bachelors in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance, and is an Eagle Scout. Curtis enjoys being active in his community as well as supporting Ghost Diving USA achieve its mission of cleaning and removing abandoned fishing equipment from our local reefs and wrecks.

Director of Scientific Studies

Norbert is a Marine Biologist in Los Angeles primarily focused on monitoring the impacts of treated wastewater discharge. His work provides him access to a variety of oceanographic equipment and methods to gain a holistic understanding of the local environment. He hopes to use his scientific background to train divers that are not only capable of conducting ghost net cleanups but to also assessing potential impacts and recovery of the sites. In his spare time, he enjoys sharing his passion and knowledge of the ocean by teaching scuba diving. He is a GUE and NAUI instructor and actively mentors new divers with a stewardship point of view towards our oceans.

Media & Marketing Manager

With over 15 years of experience managing a travel agency, dive center, and a background as a PADI Instructor, Gözde brings her knowledge in marketing and passion for the ocean to her role in Ghost Diving USA. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management, a master’s degree in finance, and is certified as a Trimix Instructor, CCR, and Cave Diver. Beyond her diving credentials, Gözde specializes in digital marketing, community management, and content creation within the niche of recreational an technical diving.

Passionate about preserving the beauty and health of marine environments, Gözde is excited to leverage her marketing expertise and love of the ocean to extend the reach of Ghost Diving USA’s projects and initiatives. Originally from Türkiye and now residing in Malta with her family, she draws constant inspiration from the sea, fueling her dedication to her career and the cause of protecting marine life.

Project Coordinator

Jamie is a passionate diver who learned to dive in the waters of Southern California. Diving locally she saw firsthand the abundance of lost and derelict fishing gear in our waters hence her involvement with Ghost Diving.

Her favorite dives are quietly exploring the shallows of a reef and watching the endless tiny life reveal itself and the simple joy of running her hands through a kelp forest.

Safety Officer

Growing up in Redondo Beach, CA, Daniel has been diving since 1998. As a PADI professional and GUE tech diver he believes that the best diving is safe diving. He is passionate about underwater photography and sharing the underwater world with others. Out of the water, Daniel has over 10 years of clinical medical experience as a practicing primary care physician.

Development

Michael is an attorney, a PADI Instructor, and holds a 50-ton Captain’s License. Growing up, he enjoyed any activity that let him be in or on the water. At 10 years old, he earned his junior open water scuba certification, marking the beginning of his lifelong passion for diving. Michael advanced his diving skills through GUE and other agencies, eventually becoming a PADI instructor in college. He spent several summers working on dive boats in New Jersey and teaching others to explore the underwater world. Michael’s favorite place to dive is always wherever his next underwater adventure takes him, and he is excited to continue supporting Ghost Diving USA’s mission.