The crew behind the scenes

Meet The Team

We’re a small but mighty crew of ocean-obsessed humans who love sharing what we know and building community along the way. From teaching classes and running boats to fixing gear and hosting events, every member of the Just Get Wet team plays a part in making this place feel welcoming to all. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, believe in that work hard play hard mentality, and know that the best days are those spent out in the water.

Check out our YouTube Channel to get a view of some of our courses, trips & trainings.

Meet the JGW Leadership Team

Chris Cheezem

Founder & CEO

As a Florida Man, Chris fell in love with the ocean while tagging along with his dad in the Gulf of Mexico, the Keys, and the Bahamas for fishing and diving trips. While studying Oceanography at the Naval Academy, Chris took his first freediving class and his life changed. After 4 years driving ships as a Surface Warfare Officer, and 3 more as a Deep Sea Diving Officer, he started Just Get Wet in 2018 as a meetup group while attending grad school at UCSD. He soon got his FII Freediving Instructor cert and his USCG 100 Ton Masters license, and during COVID decided to make it a full time gig. Since then he has been the lead captain, lead mechanic (now assistant...thank goodness), Molchanovs Instructor Trainer, and runs many of the back end portions of the business. His favorite moments are the lightbulb when a student does more than they thought they could, the excitement of someone landing a dream fish, and the adventure of multi day offshore excursions. More than that, it's the people in this community and on our team that are the real highlight. Please read more about them below, they are world class!

Gretchen Beehler

Director of Community, Marketing, & Youth Programs. Captain & Photographer

Gretchen grew up a competitive swimmer in the midwest. She spent her childhood catching crawdads and diving into mud bottom lakes before heading west to teach outdoor education on Catalina Island. She’s deeply passionate about empowering kids through ocean experiences and making the water more accessible to all. A boat captain, local surf photographer, and educator, Gretchen loves being able to blend all her passions into one at JGW. When she’s not leading women’s meetups, running the middle school Aquatic Adventure Club, or helping out on charters, you’ll likely find her yapping someones ear off in the shop or asking you to smile for a photo. She is equal parts organized chaos and pointed enthusiasm. Translation missing: en.team.gretchen_bio_2_html

Brittani Eaton

Freediving Programs Director

Brittani moved to SoCal from the east coast and kept the caffeine habit, feral curiosity, and a slightly confused relationship with time zones. As she believes in living life by a compass not a clock. She is a Molchanovs freediving and spearfishing instructor where she brings a rare mix of science, spirit, and salty shenanigans to everything she does. She has a degree in Marine Science where she spent years studying large pelagics and tagging sharks. Her passion for ocean conservation drives her inclusive classes. Freediving came naturally for her as she grew up exploring lakes and oceans with her dad from a young age. She met her first Freediver when she was 12yrs old in Antigua where she became fascinated with deeper waters. You’ll find her teaching classes, guiding charters, leading retreats, and always guiding others to fall in love with the ocean. She sees the ocean the way she sees people and life itself…beautiful, complex, and worth diving into deeply. Translation missing: en.team.brittani_bio_2_html

Hannah Brown

Head of Course Operations & Safety

Living on the Southern California coast for over 20 years, she has built a life deeply connected to the ocean. A competitive swimmer since the age of five, her passion for the water naturally evolved into more than a decade of service as an ocean rescue lifeguard. She is a seasoned emergency first response instructor with extensive experience in high-pressure, real-world environments. In 2020, she discovered freediving and has been following that curiosity ever since, continually expanding her skills and understanding of the underwater world. She is currently a freedive instructor, drawing on her background in competitive swimming, ocean rescue, and emergency response to support the development of safe, capable divers. Translation missing: en.team.hannah_bio_2_html