Began swimming and teaching at a young age, at the YMCA in Detroit Michigan. He started his competitive swimming career in middle school continuing through high school. He attended Tuskegee Institute on a swimming scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of science degree in physical education with a minor in biology. After graduation and starting a family, Ernie moved to Washington DC where he got his open water SCUBA diving certification though the Under Water Adventure Seekers a dive club in DC founded in 1959.
Since then, Ernie has become a PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Instructor. He’s a Red Cross certified Water Safety Instructor at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Center in Maryland.
He is also a scientific diver for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) and a Diving Witha Purpose (D.W.P) Maritime Archaeology lead instructor.
Ernie proudly serves as the educational coordinator for Youth Diving With a Purpose