Let the adventures begin!

Our Team

Chief Executive Officer

Gardner Robinson

Gardner Robinson was born and raised in Toledo Ohio where he attended Jesup W. Scott High School.  He participated in many different sports, but excelled in football, and as a result, lettered all four years in varsity football and was an All-City cornerback his senior year.  Upon graduating, Gardner went on to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, and graduated Series Honor Man of his platoon.  After four years of Esprit de Corps, duty in three countries, two territories and a short stint on the USS Saipan.  Gardner received an Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps.

Gardner moved to New York shortly after leaving the Marine Corps and joined the New York City Department of Corrections. There, he served as a corrections officer for 20 years. The last 10 years of his career was with the Emergency Service Unit as a first responder.

Gardner has been involved with a number of mentoring programs, community outreach programs and part of the PTA football program at Fort Hamilton High School.  In 2009 Gardner became a certified open water diver, then an Instructor with the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), Scuba Diving International (SDI) and the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA).  He is also a CPR AED adult First Aid and Emergency Oxygen Instructor.

His hobbies include, of course, scuba diving, all other sports, and roller skating. 

His motto is “Remember; Always be stronger than your excuse and if you get tired, learn to REST not QUIT.

Vice President & Strategic Planner

Andrew W. Ford III

Andrew W. Ford III brings a lifetime of leadership and service to Y DIVE. A proud father of two young men and husband to his wife, Chanda, for more than twenty-six years, Andrew is a retired NYC Corrections Officer with over two decades of law enforcement experience, including eight years as a union delegate. Today he serves as an Ordained Minister at The Gethsemane Garden Baptist Church.
A native of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Andrew has been a devoted advocate for young people for more than forty years — a passion that, through Y DIVE’s mission, now reaches youth across New York City and inner cities well beyond. He has worn many hats and carried many titles in his service to the youth, but the ones he treasures most are coach, mentor, and — as they grow into young men and women — friend.

Administrative Director

Charles L. Smith (Chip)

Charles L. Smith — Chip to just about everyone — is the Executive Chef for Veterans Affairs at New York Harbor, where he oversees the culinary program for three of New York City’s veterans hospitals. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chip has spent more than three decades in the hospitality industry, including a stretch as a merchant marine that let him cook in over 25 countries.
His love of the water runs just as deep. In 2023, under the Y DIVE banner, Chip earned his SDI Open Water Scuba Diver certification, and any chance he gets, you will find him underwater or spending time with his family. A dedicated mentor for community programs in and around New York, Chip is passionate about helping youth reach their full potential — just as so many did for him growing up in Harlem.
Crew Member

Mason Williams-Murray

Mason Williams-Murray holds a special place in Y DIVE history as the very first youth to complete the full journey — from a curious beginner in Scuba Discovery, to a certified Open Water Diver, and now the youngest certified Crew Member on the team. Along the way he logged 16 dives on an international trip to St.
Lucia, an adventure that carried both his skills and his confidence to new depths. Following in his stepfather’s footsteps, Mason stepped into a world that rewards calm under pressure — and he rose to meet it every time. With each dive he surfaces a little more confident, a little more certain of his purpose, and a little clearer about the person he wants to become. Diving set him on a path of service and leadership, and a genuine desire to lift up everyone around him.
Today, Mason is setting his sights on a degree from Winston-Salem State University and a career as a traveling nurse. He also dreams of launching his own nonprofit and volunteering as an open-water scuba instructor for people with disabilities — paying forward the very opportunity that changed his life. Disciplined, compassionate, and endlessly determined, Mason is living proof of what a young diver can achieve. He is a role model for the next generation, and he is only just getting started. Breathe easy.
Crew Member

Keith M. Adams

Keith M. Adams is a retired National Grid employee (formerly LILCO) with a lifelong passion for the water — one that first inspired him to serve in the United States Navy, where he deepened his respect for the ocean and his appreciation for discipline and teamwork. In 1992, Keith became a certified scuba diver, turning a personal interest into a long-term commitment to diving, safety, and education.
In retirement, Keith has found real purpose in giving back. Under the Y DIVE banner, he assists with scuba instruction while mentoring young people — helping them build confidence, responsibility, and a lasting respect for the underwater world.
Crew Member

Michael Marcus (Mike)

Michael Marcus — known to everyone as Mike — joined the U.S. Navy at a young age, serving as an Electrician’s Mate Third Class Petty Officer. He discovered his passion for scuba diving on a trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica, where a single descent along a reef sealed the deal. As he glided down, a sea turtle drifted into view and swam beside him as if he belonged to its world. For a few weightless seconds, everything else fell a way — the nerves, the noise, the surface above. That stillness stayed with him, and diving has been his way of exploring, resetting, and connecting with a world most people never get to see ever since.
As part of the Y DIVE family, Mike has steadily expanded his skills, earning his Open Water Diver, Computer Nitrox Diver, and Advanced Adventure Diver certifications, along with Adult and Child Emergency Care training. In September 2025 he completed his Rescue Diver certification, and his sights are now set on becoming a Dive Master. For Mike, helping the young divers of Y DIVE is its own reward — he loves watching them grow more confident with every dive, discovering that each descent is a new story waiting to unfold.

Crew Member

Gary Brown

Gary Brown is a proud husband, father, and grandfather, a retired NYPD officer, and an SDI Advanced Diver. Introduced to scuba later in life, he fell in love with the sport and faced down a few fears along the way — with no regrets. Gary counts being embraced by the Y DIVE family among his greatest blessings, and his skills and confidence have grown immensely under their instruction and care. He looks forward to continued learning, mentoring new divers, and plenty of wonderful adventures ahead.

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