William Murrain thinks about water more than your average person – and not just because he’s on the local Water and Sewerage Authority board.

Murrain, a resident of Conyers, has been scuba diving in the deep blue sea for more than 14 years. As a warm-water diver, he usually goes diving between the months of May and November mostly in the Caribbean, Sea of Cortez, and Florida coast.

“Bottom line is it’s just for fun,” says Murrain about his scuba diving adventures. “It’s a hobby and I also want to get involved to expose to young people to marine biology,” said Murrain.

Murrain is the former president of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, also known as NABS, which currently has a membership of approximately 2500 and is open to all, and was  recently certified as a marine surveyor to research, excavate, and map ship wrecks.

Lately, his swimming adventures include swimming with sharks – without a cage. It’s not dangerous, though, he reassures. His swimming is with nurse sharks off the coast of Jamaica. According to the International Shark Attack Files, nurse sharks are commonly found in tropical areas and have only been accounted for 27 attacks on humans in the last 400 years, and 18 of those were considered “provoked” attacks.

A native of Panama, Murrain is a healthcare consultant and faculty member of the Morehouse School of Medicine.  His seven children and wife are also divers.

Murrain’s next scuba diving trip is planned for May at the Florida Keyes, which will be followed by another trip to the Latin American coast and Caribbean in June.