He is known for developing the widely used NOAA Nitrox I (32% O2/N2) and II (36% O2/N2) mixtures and their decompression tables in the late 1970s, the deep diving mixture of oxygen, helium, and nitrogen known as NOAA Trimix I, for research in undersea habitats, where divers live and work under pressure for extended periods, and for training diving physicians and medical technicians in hyperbaric medicine.

[1] Wells received his PhD in physiology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California, San Diego).

He worked in Sealab II, Tektite, Edalhab, Hydrolab, PRINUL, Helgoland (Germany), and LORA (Canadian, under ice) habitats.

[2][4] Wells started an advanced training course in hyperbaric medicine for physicians at the NOAA Diving Center in Seattle, which he presented for several years.

[2] Wells was a member of the International Board of Advisors of IAND, Inc./IANTD; Chief Scientist for the Scientific Cooperative Operational Research Foundation (SCORE); member of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, the American Academy of Underwater Sciences and National Association of Diver Medical Technology.