Primary Instructor:
With over 30 years experience as a Public Safety Diver, Julian Blair has commanded, trained, and organized law enforcement, fire service, and military dive teams including teams in China. He retired as the Dive Team Commander for the Dorchester County (SC) Sheriff’s Office and the SC State Guard, having retired at the rank of Colonel. He now serves as the Dive Team Training Officer for the Sumter County (SC) Sheriff’s Office and the Sumter Fire Department. In addition, he is the Director of Training for the SC Law Enforcement Divers Association, an Instructor Trainer Examiner for the Professional SCUBA Association International (PSAI) Public Safety Diver Program, a member of the PSAI Advisory Board on Public Safety Diving, and PSAI’s International Director of Training for Public Safety Diving.
Julian holds numerous other instructor-level certifications in both sport diving and law enforcement/public safety diving and is an active instructor trainer with the National Academy of Police Diving. He is the primary author of the PSAI Public Safety Diver Course curriculum.
In addition to his SCUBA experience and certifications, Julian is an experienced and certified police officer, detective, and arson/explosives investigator. He holds college degrees in both criminal justice and fire service, is a licensed Commercial Pilot with both instrument and multi-engine ratings, and regularly instructs at the SC Fire Academy.
Julian will be assisted by other qualified diver instructors during the course.