Tim Stripling

Director of Marine Operations

Tim Stripling is The Florida Aquarium’s director of marine operations, overseeing all boating and diving, including the volunteer dive program as well as offsite field research. He first joined the Aquarium in June 2015 as a captain. In his role, Tim manages the ecotour vessel and small boat research fleet operations from planning and maintenance, to crew staffing and training, to trip logistics. He is also responsible for the scientific, recreation and commercial dive programs. Internally, Tim ensures the training, proficiency and safety of all divers while also providing dive support for research, habitat maintenance and animal care. His thoughtful oversight ensures the safety and entertainment of guest immersion programming. The commercial dive program includes vessel husbandry and ocean cleanup dives.

After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminology in 2010, Tim went to work operating vessels as part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. Upon completion of the BP project, he worked as a private freelance and fishing captain, skippering a number of ocean-going private yachts along the East Coast of the U.S. and in the Caribbean. In 2013, he changed course and re-entered the commercial industry, leading dredging operations in the Southeast. Having travelled almost nonstop for more than five years, Tim settled down in his home waters of Tampa Bay to work for The Florida Aquarium.

Tim has been boating on Tampa Bay for more than 20 years. As an avid fisherman and diver, you can find Tim enjoying the water on his personal vessels, from the Gulf of Mexico Middle Grounds to the backwaters of Tampa Bay, nearly every weekend.

KEYWORDS: Marine Operations, Boat Research Fleet, Dive Programs, Scientific Dives, Commercial Dives, and Recreational Dives, Diving Safety, Diving Research, Ocean Clean-Up Dives, SCUBA Diving