Principal’s Profile
Alex Brylske, Ph.D.
OEI’s founder and President, Dr. Alex Brylske, is a global authority on sustainable dive tourism and marine education with over 30 years of experience shaping market-leading diver training, destination standards, and conservation-focused visitor experiences. Since his graduate school days, he has advised government, non-governmental organizations, and private-sector operators on strategies that balance revenue growth with reef protection and climate resilience. He is the architect of widely adopted curricula and the author of Beneath the Blue Planet—a training resource used by destinations and operators to educate and change visitor behavior. He has achieved impact on national policy, increased resort profitability, and measurable improvements in diver practices at scale.
Dr. Brylske’s diverse background combines training as an educator and marine conservation biologist with a highly successful career in the dive industry. This provides him with a strong foundation in environmental education and marine resource management, as well as an in-depth understanding of the dive tourism sector.
In addition to his work with OEI, Dr. Brylske also serves as the Sustainability Editor for the diving industry trade journal, Scuba Diving Industry Magazine, and serves as the Director of Education for Reef Smart Guides.
Diving Background
Since the age of 14, inspired by the TV series Sea Hunt, Alex has been on an almost 6-decade journey as a diver. He even became an instructor before graduating from college (PADI #3839/NAUI #5041). Throughout his extensive career in the industry, Alex has held various roles.
During much of the 1980s, he served as PADI’s Educational Program Development Manager and Instructional Design Specialist. In this role, he designed and authored many of the programs and materials still used worldwide to train divers of all levels. In fact, if you are a PADI-certified diver, you almost certainly trained using the curriculum and materials he developed.
For more than 20 years, Alex served as Senior Editor of Dive Training Magazine, where he wrote hundreds of feature articles on topics such as environmental issues, marine science, hyperbaric physiology, and diving safety. Alex has also authored or co-authored nearly a dozen books and manuals, including Beating the Bends, PADI’s Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving, and The Complete Diver: The History, Science, and Practice of Scuba Diving.
Additionally, he has worked as a training consultant for the Divers Alert Network (DAN). His diving awards include the 2011 Beneath the Sea Diver of the Year for education and the 2012 DAN Rolex Diver of the Year — two of the most esteemed honors in diving.
Dr. Brylske receiving the 2012 DAN/Rolex Diver of the Year Award from DAN CEO Dan Orr
Alex’s first ice dive with his then and current dive buddy, Joe Heidel, January 1969.
Academic Background
Dr. Brylske holds a Master of Arts degree in education and instructional systems design from Vermont’s Norwich University. Additionally, he has a dual Master of Science degree in marine biology and coastal zone management from Nova Southeastern University’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. His specialization was in tropical marine ecology and resource management, with his thesis examining the role of recreational divers as "citizen scientists" in coral reef research and monitoring.
Alex also holds a Ph.D. in science education with a technical specialty in oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology. His dissertation examined how education can promote responsible tourism and marine resource management and serves as the foundation for many of OEI’s programs.
He is a former member of the U.S. Federal MPA Advisor Committee, where he represented tourism stakeholders. He also spent six years on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.
In 2001, he was the recipient of NOAA’s prestigious Walter B. Jones Memorial Excellence Award for Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. His research explored how sustainable tourism can support effective marine resource management. In 2009, Alex was also honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, Nova Southeastern University.
In 2019, Dr. Brylske retired as a Professor of Marine Science and Technology at the College of the Florida Keys in Key West. There, he taught a variety of courses in coral reef science, including ecology, conservation, management, restoration, and assessment. He also established the first-ever accredited course in sustainable marine tourism in the Florida College System, OCB 2071: Marine Ecology for Tourism Professionals. Additionally, he helped develop the institution’s unique Associate’s degree in Marine Environmental Technology and the nation’s first Bachelor’s degree in Marine Resource Management. He also served as the institution’s AAUS Diving Safety Officer and directed CFK’s scientific diving research program.
Interviews
To hear an in-depth (one-hour) interview with Dr. Brylske about his background and insights into why he established Ocean Education International, click here. (If you want to skip the background material and just hear about ECO PRO and sustainable tourism issues, fast forward to the 49th minute of the interview.)
Also, listen to Dr. Brylske's interview from 25 feet underwater inside the Jules Undersea Lodge Habitat in Key Largo, where he explains his perspective on sustainability and the challenges facing marine tourism and ocean resource management, at this link.
Jules Undersea Lodge “Who’s in the Habitat” interview with host Thane Milhon.