The people driving SpeleoDB forward
Our organization brings together passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared vision to revolutionize cave survey and exploration data management.
Board of Directors
Our Board provides strategic guidance and ensures the organization stays true
to its mission of advancing cave exploration and data management.
Alberto Nava
President | Explorer | GUE Technical Instructor
Alberto Nava is a Venezuelan-American engineer, diver, and GUE instructor based in California, with over 25 years of diving experience and more than 500 underwater cave dives to his name. He is part of the team that discovered Hoyo Negro - a submerged cave in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula containing Ice Age megafauna and the 13,000-year-old remains of a young girl now known as Naia. This landmark find has become a cornerstone in the study of the first Americans.
From 2011 to 2015, Nava received a National Geographic Explorer’s Grant to document and photograph Hoyo Negro. His imagery now supports advanced 3D reconstruction efforts at UC San Diego’s Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative, bringing this inaccessible site to researchers and the public worldwide.
With degrees in computer science from Simón Bolívar University and more than two decades in engineering, Nava bridges technology and exploration. He continues to publish on underwater mapping, cave exploration, and heritage preservation, using his experience to advocate for science, education, and cultural stewardship.
Jonathan Dekhtiar, PhD.
Vice-President & Treasurer | Explorer | SpeleoDB Founder
Jonathan Dekhtiar is a deep learning researcher, engineer, and cave explorer. He earned his PhD in Unsupervised Deep Learning for anomaly detection and has been with NVIDIA since 2018, contributing to core GPU-accelerated Python libraries, compilers, and packaging infrastructure. Jonathan played a key role in designing Python software release systems at NVIDIA and is a founding force behind the open-source WheelNext initiative - dedicated to solving modern packaging challenges for the Python and AI communities.
A passionate diver under the GUE banner since 2021 and an active cave diver since 2022, Jonathan now explores remote sections of the Sac Actun cave system in Mexico. His deep respect for exploration and open collaboration inspired him to launch SpeleoDB, an open-source project created by and for the cave diving community. Through SpeleoDB, he aims to empower explorers, researchers, and conservationists with better tools to document, preserve, and share the world’s underwater heritage.
Gavin Chilcott, PhD.
Secretary | GUE Technical & Cave Diver
Gavin Chilcott holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of Washington and a bachelors degree in molecular biology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is the founder and former Chief Operating Officer of the BMC Racing Team (later CCC Team, later Intermarché-Wanty Cycling Team), which competed at the premier international level of professional cycling. Notable team results include an overall victory at the Tour de France, and victories in many other important races including Paris-Roubaix, multiple World Championships and the Olympics. In addition to his role on the USAH Institute's board of directors, Gavin is currently the president and board chair of the Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation and board secretary of the Bay Area Underwater Explorers. Gavin's cave and CCR diving training were completed through the Global Underwater Explorers training system.
Giana Chilcott
PR Manager | Outreach Coordinator | GUE Diver
Giana Chilcott graduated magna cum laude from Skidmore College, where she attended as an athletic scholar in equestrian sports. Following college she became a two-sport professional athlete, competing in equestrian show jumping and bicycle road racing. As an equestrian she garnered top results primarily in the United States and New Zealand. Her cycling career took her around the world with numerous years spent racing in Europe. She is a former world champion and multiple-time National Champion of the United States in the individual time trial. As a recent retiree from sport, Giana now works in health care administration and compliance management. She operates a side business focusing on digital strategy and brand management in the retail and hospitality industries. Her diving training has been within the Global Underwater Explorers system.
Technical Steering Committee
The technical minds behind SpeleoDB's architecture, ensuring our platform remains cutting-edge, secure, and community-driven.
Flip Vernooij
Engineer | Cave Diver
Eight years ago, Flip left the Netherlands for Mexico — and the depths of its world-famous underwater caves have been his second home ever since. While surveying the vast Ox-Bel-Ha system with MCEP, he saw firsthand how much room there was to improve the software used to process complex cave survey data.
Drawing on his strong background in software engineering and data analytics, Flip began developing a new platform designed to push the limits of what’s possible — not only in mapping intricate cave systems, but also in capturing, organizing, and analyzing the diverse scientific and environmental data that comes with them. His goal: to give explorers, scientists, and conservationists sharper tools to understand and protect these hidden worlds.
Patrick Picard
IT Consultant | Explorer | Surveyor
Infrastructure architect focused on cloud computing, data solutions, and DevOps. Active member in open-source projects. Passionate about cave survey, user experience, and data management.
Sebastien Kister
Explorer - Engineer - Creator of Ariane & MNemo
Sebastien Kister, is born in France in the seventeens, he studied mathematics and software engineering before dedicating himself fully to diving when he moved to Dahab, Egypt, in 2005. Exploring as a technical diver the blue hole and other deep reefs of the area, he discovered cave diving. He moved to Playa del Carmen beginning 2010 where he became a cave diving instructor.
He got the chance to be included in the QDT exploration team for the exploration of Cenote Doggi, Caterpillar, Sand Crack and other projects in the Tulum area. It’s in this period that he saw that the cave exploration community could need a user-friendly mapping software and this led to the development of the Ariane cave mapping software. He also tried to bring people to share their exploration data, although that idea was not very common in those days, on a web platform.
In 2014 he began thinking about a solution to make the underwater cave survey process, based on mechanical compass, line measuring and note taking, easier more precise and less error prone. A year later, the first prototype of what will become the Mnemo was tested. Soon the device was produced in small series and is now used worldwide to facilitate the mapping of caves. The second version of the device was released in 2022 and is becoming a de facto standard tool for cave mapping. He is now working on what will become a handheld LIDAR, aimed at measuring, and recording 3D volumetric data of caves.
Zachary Heylmun
Engineer | Cave Diver
Zach Heylmun is an embedded systems engineer and cave diver based in Florida.
He is an active member of Karst Underwater Research, supporting cave exploration and conservation efforts throughout Florida.
He is interested in using technology to improve the safety and efficiency of technical diving operations, particularly for surveying and mapping challenging underwater cave environments.
Explorer Advisory Board
Experienced cave explorers and surveyors who provide real-world insights to ensure our platform meets the community's needs.
Alessandro Reato
Cartographer, Explorer, Cave Diving Instructor
Originally from Italy, diver since 1993 he has worked as diving instructor in many renowned places for diving. He moved to Mexico in 2005 where he teaches cave diving since 2008.
In Mexican caves he explored and reported more than 76 km of passages in some of the world's largest cave systems, including Minotauro, Xunaan Ha, Ko'ox Baal and Sac Actun, contributing to the collection of data for the Quintana Roo Speleological Survey association, of which he is an active member.
He participated as an explorer in the hydrological research project of underwater caves in the X'cacel area, directed by the University of Quintana Roo.
He participated as an underwater cave cartographer in the research project of the fortified city of Mayapan, directed by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Mexico, where he created detailed maps of the sacred cenotes Sac Uayum and San José, both important for the numerous anthropological and archaeological discoveries.
He created the detailed map of the Balam Ku aerial cave in the Chichén Itzá area, in which more than 400 Mayan artifacts were found, on behalf of the multidisciplinary project Gran Acuifero Maya.
He has independently published various detailed maps of more than 28 kilometers of underwater caves, some of them awarded at the National Speleological Society Cartographic Salon in the United States: Hol Kin in 2011, Minotauro in 2014, Kalag Dzonot – Upstream in 2021 and Downstream in 2023.
He published a detailed map of the Turtle Tomb Cave System, Sipadan, Malaysia in 2024.
He has made more than 3500 dives in underwater caves.
Bob Beckner
KUR Operations Director
Bob Beckner has been diving since he was 15 and technical diving since 1996. Growing up in Florida led him to cave diving and wreck diving and working in several dive shops along the way. He was fortunate enough to have had Terrence Tysall as a technical instructor and learn in a very “GUE” like fashion before GUE existed. He has participated in several USSR Monitor expeditions with the Cambrian foundation, gone with Mote to the Gulf Blue Holes and worked with Karst Underwater Research for 13 years helping Explore, Document and Share Florida’s Karst features. His favorite KUR projects are Weeki Wachee Springs, Rose Sink, Werner Boyce State Park/Salt Springs and any site that needs photo documentation. Number one bucket list dive type: mine diving. He lives in Central Florida under the watchful and protective eye of Sheriff Grady Judd.
Emőke Wagner
Explorer | Surveyor | GUE Cave Instructor
Emőke Wagner is a Hungarian cave explorer and GUE Cave instructor based in Mexico, with over 1,200 cave dives and 55 km of new passage mapped. She leads and supports international projects while promoting safety, conservation, and mentorship in cave diving.
Ivo Chiarino
Surveyor | Explorer | GUE Cave & Tech Instructor
Ivo Chiarino is a cave and tech diving instructor based in Quintana Roo, Mexico, specializing in skill-focused, safety-driven education. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, he has been diving since childhood and now dedicates his career to mentoring divers, refining technique, and sharing his passion for underwater exploration and conservation.
Marcelin Nebenhaus
Explorer | Cartographer | GUE Instructor
Originally from France, Marcelin developed a passion for the underwater world early in life and began diving in 1995. After exploring dive sites around the globe, his focus shifted toward technical and cave diving in 2010. In 2015, he permanently relocated to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to pursue this passion more intensively.
Marcelin began cave diving as often as possible and continued advancing his training, quickly becoming an accomplished cave diver. In 2017, he started surveying and exploring caves, beginning with a resurvey project of the Taj Maha cave system, which resulted in the release of a “stick map” later that year. Since then, he has taken part in numerous exploration initiatives alongside other divers and has contributed to various scientific projects.
Today, Marcelin remains actively involved in multiple exploration efforts and a community cartography project. As a GUE instructor, he shares his passion for diving and is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of divers and explorers.
Matthew Vinzant
Explorer | Survey | Director of KUR
Matt Vinzant is a Florida-based cave diver and Director of Karst Underwater Research (KUR). Since 2000, he has been actively involved in cave exploration across the United States and southern Mexico. An experienced dry caver, sump diver, and cave diver, Matt is passionate about discovering and surveying caves of all kinds—from shallow no-mount systems and sumps to deep, long-range dual-CCR dives.
Natalie Gibb
Explorer | Surveyor | Cave Instructor
Natalie L Gibb's passion in life is underwater cave exploration and conservation. With her exploration partner Vincent Rouquette-Cathala, she has led her team to discover over 20 previously unknown cave systems in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, mapping more than 90 kilometers of cave passageways. She is a public speaker, author, photographer and videographer, and a member of the Woman Diver's Hall of Fame, where she additionally serves on the board of trustees. Natalie is co-owner of Under the Jungle, a cave diver training center in Mexico, and is a TDI Cave Instructor and Instructor Trainer.
Skanda Coffield-Feith
Cave Explorer | Survey Specialist | Technical & Rebreather Instructor
Since relocating from Melbourne, Australia to Tulum, Mexico in 2016, Skanda has established himself as one of the Yucatan Peninsula's most active cave explorers and survey specialists. What began as a passion for cave diving and instruction has evolved into an obsession with exploration. He combines these passions in his cave survey program that combines rigorous survey methodology with his experiences of discovery and documentation in new underwater cave systems, teaching and mentoring the next generation of cave explorers.. Skanda's exploration work focuses on both extending known cave systems and discovering entirely new underwater cave networks throughout the Riviera Maya. Some notable explorations have been Yaakun / the Void, Cenote Santa Maria, Cenote Bruce Lee and a connection between cenotes Cristal and Ramon. Outside of Mexico, he was involved in an expedition to continue to explore Pannikin Plains in Australia in 2023.
Scientific Advisory Board
Researchers & Scientific Experts guiding the integration of science-focused features into our platform to enhance cave exploration and data analysis.
Teddy Garlock
Director of KUR
Teddy has been diving since he was 13, learning to dive in the cold, deep lakes and quarries of upstate NY. Not much has changed as he now enjoys sump diving and cave exploration in low visibility, cold, tight sumps and caves. There’s just no fun like type 2 fun!
Teddy has been involved with KUR since 2018 and has several ongoing exploration projects here in Florida and beyond. When he’s not cave diving Teddy works as a flight paramedic for the University of Florida.