Sergeant First Class Coty Nolff, USA (RET), enlisted in the Army directly out of High School and served as an infantryman, a diving supervisor, course manager, and recruiter. He completed his baccalaureate education at American Public University System, graduating Magna Cum Laude with university honors.
As an infantryman, he served on two combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, rising to the team leader position.
He attended the Navy and Army Dive School, where he earned the title of honor graduate. As a salvage diver with the Army dive teams, he deployed twice in support of Navy and Army boat procedures, as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers repairs. As a Diving Supervisor, he ran diving operations worldwide, conducting underwater salvage, reconnaissance, welding, cutting, and explosives missions.
In 2018, SFC(r) Nolff became an intern at Dive Lab Incorporated. There, he learned to design, build, and repair complex Diving and life-support air supply systems. After completing his internship, he took over as course manager for the Joint Diving Officer Course at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center. He served as the lead instructor for all diving officers across all branches of the military. His curriculum development and instruction included SCUBA and Surface-Supplied, public safety diving, recompression chamber therapy, diagnosis and treatment of diving illnesses, and Diving physics and medicine.
He currently lives in Northwest Florida and shares his passion for diving with students at Florida State University’s Panama City and Tallahassee campuses. He serves as both an instructor and Dive Locker Manager, providing hands-on instruction while maintaining and managing the life-support and diving equipment students use during school. Drawing on his extensive military and professional diving experience, he works closely with students to develop their diving knowledge, technical skills, and understanding of safe diving operations.