I am an experienced technical diver and professional instructor offering customize sport diver, technical diver and instructor training. For the past 15 years, this training has been presented through Technical Diving International (TDI) and its sport diving sister agency Scuba Diving International (SDI).

My goal is to offer divers the best course I can... best information, best results and best safety record. Class sizes are small and that allows diver ed. programs fit the needs of students rather than a deadline set by economics or an arbitary deadline. This does not change the skills or deliverables of the courses, but it may effect the way course components are presented and tested, and certainly extends to scheduling. 

Speaking of course scheduling; it is flexible.  Once you've made up your mind that my brand of diver education is what you want, you and I can discuss how best to arrange your classes to suit you and how to fit diving in with your other commitments. Regardless of the program you take, it will not be hurried. You will receive personalized service and you will become a better, more controlled diver. One important point is that I do not guarantee any student will pass any course. However, I will try hard to help you be successful. For more information about this, you might like to read my student agreement letter.

I currently live in Muskoka, a two-hour drive north of Toronto, but I travel extensively and have run programs for divers as far afield as Micronesia. I regularly offer training programs in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, Florida, the Caribbean and the Eastern Seaboard of North America from Newfoundland to Florida.

Experience
I have been diving for many years and have succcessfully logged more than 1500 staged decompression dives, 850 mixed gas dives, and more than 500 cave dives. I have worked as a member of the TAP (Training Advisory Panel) for SDI, TDI and ERDI. I currently hold an Advanced Trimix Instructor-trainer rating with that group of agencies. I am also a member of its permanent staff working as director of marketing and corporate communications.

I have written several training manuals, dozens of magazine articles and have been a popular speaker on diving and dive safety for many years at shows and seminars across North America. If you are interested in reading some of the articles I have published and work in progress, visit my blog.

When I teach, I take into account that candidates are internally motivated individuals who are interested in learning how to plan and conduct dives in tough conditions, but for whom fun and safety are primary motivators. My teaching style is geared towards team-oriented dive practices, structured dive planning and operation. While my personal position on gear configuration falls into the "Doing What Works" pigeonhole (which a friend of mine calls, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, "Post Hogartian") I think that being closed-minded to change and innovations in kit design and function is a fast road to failure.

If you have specific diving goals -- either professional or purely recreational -- contact me directly and we can discuss a personal training program for you.