scuba training with me

Thirty years ago I took my first breath underwater and never really came back up. Since then I've logged more than 7,000 dives — through the reefs of Asia, the wrecks of Europe, the current-swept coastlines of the Americas, all the way to the ice of Antarctica — and taught every level PADI offers, from a student's very first fin kick through Rescue, Divemaster, and on to Instructor.

I've trained fighter jet pilots, the LAPD dive team, A-list actors, wide-eyed kids, and women finding their nerve for the first time — over 1,300 students in all. No two of them learned the same way, because I don't ask you to adapt to the ocean. I adapt how I teach to you.

Safety comes first, always. But teaching you to dive was never the whole job. The real one is making sure you fall in love with it.

Your first certification, and the one every diver remembers. Three days in and you're breathing underwater like it's the easiest thing in the world — because by then, it is.

The academic side you do on your own time, at home, at whatever pace suits you — before we ever meet. Then one pool day, at your pool or mine at Dive N' Surf in Redondo Beach, followed by two days in the ocean, usually out at Catalina or one of the other Channel Islands by boat. 

Solo, in pairs, or in a small group — training stays personal either way.

For private clients, I charge $1,200 for the 3 days of in-water training, plus expenses. That means PADI's eLearning — currently $251 through padi.com — and the boat fees for our two ocean days, usually around $200 a day.

Training with a friend brings my time down to $1,100 per person, and $1,000 for three or more. I cap every class at four students, so it stays focused and personal.

 Five dives, five new skills — deep diving, navigation, and whatever else pulls at you, from wrecks to night diving. This is where diving stops being something you're learning and starts being a world you're exploring.

For private clients, I charge $800 for the 2 days of in-water training, plus expenses. That means PADI's eLearning — currently $240 through padi.com — and the boat fees for our two ocean days, usually around $200 a day.

Training with a friend brings my time down to $750 per person, and $700 for three or four. 

The course that changes how you dive forever — you learn to spot trouble before it happens and handle it when it doesn't wait. It's the difference between panicking and problem-solving the moment someone else's safety is on you. 

For private clients, I charge $800 for the 2 days of in-water training, plus expenses. That means PADI's eLearning — currently $240 through padi.com — and the boat fee for our ocean day, usually around $200 a day. (1 day pool, 1 day ocean training)

Training with a friend brings my time down to $750 per person, and $700 for three or four. 

Take this if you want to work water safety on a film set — or if you just want to understand diving inside and out without signing up to teach it. You'll lead dives, manage gear, and think like a professional, minus the responsibility of certifying students.

It's the most comprehensive training I offer, and it takes 3 to 6 months to complete. 

eLearning is $333, plus $4,000 for my time, plus the boat fees. 

This is where you start shaping other divers, not just diving yourself. If you've ever wanted to hand someone their first breath underwater the way mine was handed to me, this is the one.

It runs 7 to 14 days. eLearning is about $600, plus the boat fees. My fee is $4,000 — or $3,000 if you did your Divemaster with me, since I already know you have the foundation. 

Not everything I teach requires a tank. These are the skills I hope you never need — and are glad to have if you do.

Open to anyone, diver or not

This is the one everyone should have. You'll leave knowing CPR, how to use an AED, manage bleeding, and respond to shock — skills that matter far beyond the dive boat.

$250, eLearning and hands-on training included.

Oxygen is the best first response to decompression illness, and this course teaches you to administer it fast and correctly — along with recognizing the signs of DCI before it gets worse.

$250, eLearning and hands-on training included.

The full package: The most comprehensive first aid course in diving. It rolls CPR, first aid, and emergency oxygen together, then adds neurological assessment and care for hazardous marine life injuries.

$100 if taken together with BLS and O2 (Otherwise $500), eLearning and hands-on training included.

For those who want to teach these courses

All three courses — BLS, O2, and DFA — at an instructor level, so you can turn around and teach them yourself. $750, eLearning and hands-on training included.