An Open Letter to All Scuba Instructors and Divemasters
An Open Letter to All Scuba Instructors and Divemasters
Unified Team Diving opened in 2008 with 10 instructors who were seeking a small, boutique-style agency
which would be responsive and supportive to their needs and methodology of diving and teaching – basically
allowing them to teach the way they dive. From day-one, UTD classes have promoted strong team skills, constant neutral buoyancy, common ascent profiles, common gear configuration, etc.
What this handful of instructors found in UTD was an agency that maintained the highest standards in the
industry and was small enough to maintain the highest quality within the instructor ranks, responding quickly
and easily to both individual and student needs.
Although UTD’s roots are in the Hogarthian and DIR style of diving, as an agency we are open minded enough
to progress forward to embrace other styles of diving as they emerge in the market. Instead of simply maintaining a 1990’s DIR configuration, we moved and grew into single tank back mount, single and double side
mount, and closed circuit rebreathers, supporting mixed team diving while maintaining the integrity and ethos
of our DIR roots.
UTD began as an inclusive agency, welcoming to all instructors and students who were looking for a little
more from their diving and education. We continue this philosophy to this day.
We have steadily grown – not too fast, but not to slow – adding programming into different areas of diving:
Extreme Scuba Makeover, Zuba, Regulator Repair, Gas Blending, Cylinder and Valve inspection, First Aid/
CPR/AED/O2, Marine Science Kids Camp, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Try Scuba, and the list goes on. UTD
Instructors, Equipment Instructors and Academic Instructors now have a complete curriculum to teach from
Open Water through Advanced, Tech, Cave, Wreck, RB, First Aid CPR to Repair Clinics and so on. Over 100
courses.
We are seeing many agencies emulate the UTD programs and teaching style. IANTD created an Essentials
program, and PADI followed last year with their own version of Essentials. Many instructors worldwide email
and say we love your materials and we use them in our TDI or Naui class.
UTD instructors can be independent or teach through dive shops. All UTD classroom materials are delivered
online (and some in printed/dvd format as well), and all are the same price, so you don’t have to stock a different book for each class. The online classroom materials are kept up to date – updates to classes and Standards
and Procedures are always free.
With the internal turmoil at NAUI this year, and NACD last year, and because of the continued decline of the
PADI standards and quality control, we have had an huge increase in the numbers of instructor applicants. Plus,
we are a small, focused administration that is instantly responsive to our inst