Scuba lessons with a PADI Instructor at Dive World Austin.
PADI Dive Courses
I teach PADI programs through Dive World Austin, from experiences like Discover Scuba Diving and ReActivate, through all the core PADI courses including Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue. Sign up with the shop and ask for me, or any of our other outstanding instructors if my classes don't fit your schedule. Want to work with me specifically, or need a faster timeline? Private classes are available through Dive World for an additional fee. Just let the shop know you're interested.
Certification is where your diving starts, not where it ends. Specialties build skill and confidence, take you to new places, and make every dive more interesting. For each specialty listed here, I have a specific passion and interest, and I explain why it's on my radar as an instructor. Pick the one that sparks your curiosity and keep going. Or, pick several and the shop will work with you to become a Master Scuba Diver (MSD) at a package price.
Use a compass on the surface and underwater, navigate by natural clues, follow common patterns, and estimate distance without seeing the whole route.
Why I teach itIf you know where you are going, you can lead yourself and others underwater. Without navigation skills you will always need a guide. Here is where confidence begins and intimidation ends. I will make you love your compass and maybe even name it.
Plan dives and handle problems on your own, with backup life support and the skills to manage situations you would normally share with a buddy.
Why I teach itWhether you plan to dive alone or with a buddy, this class teaches you more about yourself as a diver than you will learn in any other class. Learn your SAC rate, reinforce advanced skills, and enter a new chapter of diving.
Dive with enriched air, which has less nitrogen than regular air and can mean longer dives and shorter surface intervals.
Why I teach itA must-have skill set if you plan to dive liveaboards or a high quantity of repetitive dives. Learn to safely manage the tradeoff between NDL and depth.
Find your exact weighting, trim your gear, streamline to use less air and energy, and hover in any position.
Why I teach itI love nothing more than taking extra lead off divers and seeing them settle into a mature and confident posture as they gain control of buoyancy, propulsion, and trim. This course helps you get free from your own body and enjoy the underwater world.
Use surface marker buoys and delayed surface marker buoys (DSMBs) safely: handle a reel, launch a buoy from neutral or negative buoyancy, and make your safety stop with it deployed.
Why I teach itThis one simple skill can save your life. Most people only get a cursory review in their open water class, and this course gives you the opportunity to learn multiple ways to launch a DSMB and practice enough to become proficient.
Navigate in the dark, make ascents and descents at night, and use your dive light to communicate.
Why I teach itThe aquatic world is simply alive in a different way at night. The sun goes down and the water comes to life — whether you're in the ocean or a lake, you'll see it differently and love your favorite water even more.
Plan and make dives beyond 60 feet (18 m), down to a maximum of 130 feet (40 m).
Why I teach itMany people think diving deep is simply more of the same, but it's important to note the differences that start occurring once you dive past 60 feet, or enter additional layers of atmospheric pressure. Gas consumption, colors, computer settings, and cognition all work a little differently and you experience that with an instructor who has your back in this course.
Plan a search, swim search patterns with a compass and natural navigation, and use a lift bag to bring heavy objects to the surface.
Why I teach itWhether it's something small or large, valuable or not, at some point someone will ask you to find something they lost underwater. This course gives you the techniques and confidence to recover lost items, and to potentially earn compensation for your services.
Sort fish into groups by body shape, mouth, fins and markings, survey fish populations, and see how your sightings support ocean conservation.
Why I teach itIf it's not for the fish, what are we here for? This course not only helps you learn to identify different kinds of fish, but observe their behavior and understand their importance in the ecosystem. It's fun, it's cute, it's cool. Get to know your new friends.
Learn how underwater ecosystems work, how plants and animals depend on each other, and how to interact with marine life responsibly.
Why I teach itNaturalist expands on the Fish ID course and looks at the broader environment including aquatic plant life. I really enjoy helping local divers fall in love with our local bodies of water during this course. Lake Travis and Spring Lake are both beautiful, living bodies of water.
Learn the role sharks and rays play in ocean ecosystems, why many species are threatened, how to identify them, and how to observe, record and report sightings for citizen science.
Why I teach itBecome a citizen scientist and learn to participate in the Global Shark and Ray Census anywhere, anytime you dive. Learn about the valuable role sharks and rays play in the overall health of the ocean, dispel any fears you may have about them, and learn what you can do to be part of the solution for their conservation.
Dive World Austin offers essentially all PADI specialties. Ask about what is running.
Tips for before, during, and after the course. Questions? Call Dive World Austin at 512-219-1220 or reach out to me directly.
Download the PADI app (App Store or Google Play). We will use the app to log your dives.
Do your eLearning early, get some rest, be hydrated, be ready for a full day in the water.
Eat a good meal before you arrive, and skip alcohol the night before. Bring a towel, sunscreen, and a refillable water bottle, and ask the shop if there is anything else to bring.
Already finished your eLearning? Start with how to clear your ears. You can practice on land, and it's a skill new divers sometimes struggle with. Here's a helpful article from the Divers Alert Network to learn more about ear equalization.
Review knot tying in the PADI app or on the PADI website.
Here are instructions for completing a strong EAP (Emergency Action Plan).
Nothing can replace the simple act of going diving with your buddies and practicing what you've learned. Always dive within the limits of your training and just get out there and enjoy being a diver. Dive World Austin offers free Wednesday night dives from May to September every year to encourage our divers to go dive!
Take more specialty courses and enhance your diving skills. Each specialty focuses on a specific skill set every serious diver should eventually work on. I teach a number of them and our shop offers even more.
Check out some of my favorite topics in the Dive Logs. Some of my own thoughts and other useful resources are linked here.
