Cole is 15 years old, a sophomore at South Central High School in Winterville, North Carolina, and active in cross-country, basketball, and lacrosse. He became interested in scuba diving through his work with Love a Sea Turtle program. He is very active in the JROTC program at he school, where he competes on the raider, drill, and color guard teams. After high school, he plans to join the Coast Guard and become a rescue diver.