UTD, Unified Team Diving, is a global scuba training and certification agency. In our story, training comes before certification.
Our training philosophy has always been you pay for training but you earn certification. In scuba diving, certification comes with a few privileges:
- You need certification to get your tanks filled. Scuba shops will not fill tanks for non-certified divers.
- You need certification to dive some venues, like on dive boats, in restricted dive parks, in caves, etc.
In most scuba diving classes, certification is the holy grail – the reason for being there. In UTD, we are the opposite. We are training first. When you complete the training for a particular course, and you meet the standards for that course, your instructor issues scuba certification. Your focus will be on the process of training to meet those standards. Certification is the outcome.
This is a concept that has been used in athletic training for decades – do the training and you’ll get your outcome. Train consistently, get on the podium. If a podium finish in a race is your expected outcome or result, the only way to get there is training. That’s where we come in.
We know how to train you to be a great scuba diver, at any level. Your job is to show up prepared, ready to learn, but not concerned with the outcome. Focus on the training and the outcome (scuba certification) will follow. If you skimp on training, well, that outcome is also inevitable.
Here are two things we do differently:
1. The Course Content
When you join UTD Scuba Diving as a student, you get access to all the content we have in your training category for one price. Whether you are learning to dive for the first time or taking an advanced diver course, we give you access to the latest and up to date course materials for every course we offer. As a new scuba diving student you’ll study the material for your open water course, but you can also look ahead – Advanced Diver, Nitrox Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Night Diver – and once you complete your Open Water course, you can start on any of the specialties or advanced training, all for the one monthly fee.
It’s the same for technical dive training – if you register for our Tech 1 course, you also get all the content for Tech 2, Tech 3, Rebreather, Technical Gas Blender, and so on. Add the live course component with your UTD instructor anytime to complete any UTD course. You have all the course content for just one monthly fee. After certification, you can stop and start your subscription as you desire.
The foundational diver course package is $19.95 USD per month, the technical and cave diver packages are $24.95/month. It’s simple. You will pay your UTD instructor separately for your in-person class
2. The Way We Dive
The ocean is fragile, and it’s filled with living organisms that we can’t see. Every part of this ecosystem is vital. Big fish eat smaller fish, small fish eat tiny fish, tiny fish eat the microscopic stuff, and so on. Traditional scuba training has always advocated kneeling on the bottom. This kills the food at the bottom of the food chain. Lack of awareness of your buoyancy – how you are floating in the water – leads to the death and destruction of tons of plant and animal life. It also churns up tons of dirt and dust, making it harder for everyone to see.
With UTD you will learn to dive in an “Ocean Friendly,” team diving system. We can’t emphasize enough how important this is. From the moment you first meet us, you will be trained to be in control of your buoyancy – neutrally buoyant and nicely horizontal in the water, like you are laying on a cushion, perfectly suspended in mid-water, relying on your breathing patterns to control your depth.
It’s magical, having that kind of control, not just for the sake of the ocean, but for your own safety. The better your buoyancy control, the safer and more confident diver you will be; always comfortable in the water so your awareness can go to your team and your environment.
So what makes you stand out as a UTD Scuba Diver? You will be a confident, highly skilled badass diver. You and the ocean will be happy forever.
