Captain Bland Ellen grew up in central Texas and spent
27 years in Emergency Services, where he served as a
Firefighter, Fire Chief, Peace Officer, EMT, Arson
Investigator, Bomb Technician, and Emergency
Management Coordinator. He spent his spare time
boating, diving, and teaching scuba. In 1999 he took
his first trip to the Flower Gardens, and was hooked.
He couldn't believe that there was such a great place
to dive in the Gulf of Mexico, and kept going back
several times each year. In 2003, Bland came to work
at Gulf Diving as a relief Captain. In 2005 he retired
from the Fire Service and now spends as much time as
he can on the Fling and Spree. When asked why he
enjoys his job so much he says, "I get to dive AND
drive the boat. Doesn't get any better than that!"