About Us
Out Scuba, Inc. was founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida by Christopher Duncan and Andre Saade, ocean conservationists and members of the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community in the area. The founders want to share a love for the sea with other like-minded individuals. While there have been many attempts to create groups that served the same population and interests, previous groups have folded when primary members moved on. Our goaLike l is to create a club – and impacts, including fellowship – that outlasts us: Out Scuba.
With that in mind, Out Scuba was incorporated and registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization, built with a governance structure based on other successful community nonprofits. Eventually Out Scuba will reach far beyond Fort Lauderdale and environs, with chapters in other cities around the country, and possibly around the world. For now, reefs and wrecks of Broward County are home base.
Vision
Our vision is to foster acceptance and self-expression within the LGBTQIA+ diving community, advocating for environmental sustainability, and celebrating diversity. We inspire and empower divers globally, ensuring every dive is an opportunity for connection, learning, and positive impact on the ocean.
Mission
Our mission is to create an inclusive and safe community for LGBTQIA+ scuba divers and free divers, promoting ocean conservation and environmental activism. We provide a platform for members to explore recreational scuba opportunities, educating the larger diving community about the presence and contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Christopher Duncan
They didn’t know what they were unleashing when Christopher’s husband and best friend nicknamed him Ocean Nerd and agreed the community needed an organization like Out Scuba. Christopher has spent his life serving the community, beginning in scouting where he became an Eagle Scout. In his business life he is an entrepreneur, often helping foster small and nonprofit clients and serving on multiple nonprofit boards. “Ocean Nerd” Duncan often refers back to an organization for gay men who like to backpack and camp – and of which he served as president, 2007 & 2008 – when describing his operational vision for Out Scuba. All of these things prepared Christopher to co-found Out Scuba.
“I envision an organization with many different divers, all of whom are organizing smaller trips and then reporting back to the group at large,” he says. “Underwater photographers (like me!) can showcase our work at general meetings, technical divers can reveal the wonders they see beyond recreational dive limits, and conservation leaders can help us to understand the state and nature of surrounding reefs. My dream is to foster a member-led, long-lasting organization that makes a difference within our LGBTQIA+ community, but also on the reefs and in the environments we love.”
Andre Saade
One day Andre asked Christopher “what if I learned how to scuba dive?” He had been listening to Christopher passionately reminisce about his scuba trips. The stories sounded magnificent, and out of this world. Andre wanted to find out for himself. He was a director within the life sciences industry and spent his days in meetings and solving technical problems and finding solutions to improve efficiencies in his organization. He wanted to be able to disconnect and enjoy the wonders of the planet. Little did he know that the time “disconnecting” was going to become a passion of his and he would spend the next few months co-founding a nonprofit organization with Christopher from scratch.
Andre had always been passionate about helping others and saw a big opportunity to do so at a larger scale, by bringing joy to others and helping them explore the underwater world. He was new to the Fort Lauderdale area and had met numerous people who had been scuba certified for years but had not been diving for a while. The consensus seemed to be that they couldn’t find ‘dive buddies’ whose company they enjoyed, or they were not aware of the extensive shore diving available in their area. The problem solver within came to life and Out Scuba became a necessity.
“I’d like for others to discover the beauty of the ocean and the warmth of our community. I’ve always loved the ocean, which was the main reason I moved to this area, in addition to the LGBTQIA+ community that wasn’t accepted where I grew up” he says. Andre’s vision is for Out Scuba to create a safe and accepting space for everyone to explore their love of the ocean.