Perceiving the group
Watching over the wellbeing of others just as attentively as your own dive.
SSI PROFESSIONAL / Leading divers
Turn your experience from your own dives into confidence in leading others. The first step towards professional diving starts here.
Dive Guide / Divemaster
A Dive Guide leads certified divers within the scope of their training. An active Divemaster may also work as a certified assistant; this is not a qualification to teach an Open Water Diver course independently.
Diver group on the jetty01 / 03
Group briefing before the dive02 / 03
Divers working together on the surface03 / 03When you lead a group, it is not enough to know where to swim. You need to assess the conditions, explain the plan clearly and notice the person who is not sure. This shift from your own experience to attention paid to others is the heart of the programme.
Diver group on the jetty01 / 03We will work with briefing, orientation, dive organisation and communication. You will learn how to prepare a group so that everyone understands what is waiting for them. After the dive, we will return to the decisions: what worked, what could have been said better and what to change next time.
Group briefing before the dive02 / 03Dive Guide is a path to leading certified divers. If you want to continue in a professional role, Divemaster follows on from it. Together we will choose the target level according to your experience and whether you want primarily to guide, assist with training, or later teach.
Divers working together on the surface03 / 03
We will go through your logbook, previous courses and target qualification. We will agree what you have already completed and where you need to gain further experience.
You will prepare the briefing and plan for a specific site. We will deal with group organisation, clear instructions and adapting the programme to the actual conditions.
In the water, you will combine orientation, awareness of the group and your own skills. In the Divers offer, we count on at least ten training dives in open water.
You will receive specific feedback. Once the requirements have been met, we will close the chosen programme and together set the next practice or the path to Divemaster.
Professional confidence is not built by reading materials alone. You need to get to know different people, conditions and the pace of a group. That is why our training has room for repetition and experience from the everyday running of the school.
Are you interested in follow-on practice in the Padawan programme? We will discuss the options for involvement, supervision and scope according to your qualification. Specific cooperation is agreed in person; completing the course does not in itself guarantee a job.
Watching over the wellbeing of others just as attentively as your own dive.
Think about organisation, equipment and communication before you even enter the water.
After every experience, identify what went well and what to work on.
What you need before you start, what awaits you and what to budget for.
We usually spread the training from spring to the end of summer. We will arrange the pace, practice and the option of starting outside the main season individually.
Theory and pool training at Divers Direct facilities. Open water is planned according to the specific programme, conditions and agreement with the trainer.
Get to know our schoolWe will confirm the specific price and scope for your programme. For professional training, materials, the chosen option and any follow-up assessment also matter.
Current course offerBefore starting, the trainer will verify the current SSI requirements, recognition of equivalent qualifications and the necessary documents. For active professional practice, medical fitness, first aid, oxygen, professional registration and other conditions according to the level are also addressed.
Photos from Divers Direct professional training.
01Diver group on the jetty
02Preparing equipment before the dive
03Divers working together on the surface
04Practising and explaining skills on shore
05Preparing the pair by the water
06Together after training
07Debriefing the dive by the waterNo. Dive Guide also makes sense for an experienced diver who wants to organise group dives better. If you are planning a professional career, we will set the training towards Divemaster and active status.
No. It broadens theoretical understanding of diving. For Divemaster it is part of the requirements, but it does not replace practice, skills or in-water assessment.
For regular professional training we recommend your own equipment. What matters is that you know your kit well. We will discuss any missing equipment and the hire conditions before you start.
Get in touch now. We will go through what you need to complete before entering a specific programme and suggest preparation. The entry requirements must be met at the relevant time.
You can find the current offer via the link below. During the consultation, we will specify the target qualification, the scope of experience, materials and any separate SSI fees so you know the full budget.
Meet our professionals who can teach this course. We will agree the specific instructor and date together.
Adam ŠvancarInstructor TrainerSSI Instructor Trainer #82884
School management, divemaster and instructor training. Nitrox and Science of Diving.
Adam leads the Divers Direct diving school and, as an SSI Instructor Trainer, focuses on divemaster and instructor training. He looks after the quality of teaching and the development of Divers Direct. Adam began his professional career in 2009 in Czech waters as a PADI Divemaster and later an Instructor (Master Scuba Diver Trainer). From 2010 to 2011, he also worked at the Lighthouse dive centre in Dahab, Egypt.
In the Czech Republic, he focuses primarily on professional diving candidates and leads the Instructor Training Course including preparation for the Instructor Evaluation. He works with current instructors on their further education, speciality courses and professional updates. In addition, he enthusiastically teaches Enriched Air Nitrox and Science of Diving courses.
In addition to teaching, he enjoys wreck diving in his free time, and is interested in caves and ice diving.
You can read the full overview of the courses Adam teaches here: https://my.divessi.com/pro/82884
Radek NosekAssistant Instructor TrainerSSI Assistant Instructor Trainer #113671
From Zanzibar to teaching. He shares his passion for diving through courses and social events.
He first got into diving on holiday in Zanzibar, where he walked round the dive centre for so long that he eventually “accidentally” wandered inside. He was lucky enough to have a great local divemaster, who probably thought diving had to totally captivate him – and it did so without exception.Before his holiday even ended, he was already signed up for the OWD course, which marked the beginning of his diving journey.
Since then, he has completed dives in quarries and at sea, and discovered that he absolutely loves working with people and passing on his enthusiasm for diving. This was followed by the Divemaster and Open Water Instructor courses, thanks to which he can now meet other divers at courses and events.
P.S.: As the divemaster in Zanzibar would say: “Hakuna Matata”.
Pepíno SladkýDivemaster InstructorSSI Divemaster Instructor #103570
Cold water, wrecks and marine ecology. You will meet him at the pit and at Czech quarries.
He took up diving recreationally in 2014 and fell in love with the underwater world - the unique calm, weightlessness and incredible fauna and flora. Later he got a glimpse of a wreck and has wanted to keep peering into them ever since. In 2018 he realised that he wanted to make this world accessible to everyone and set off on a professional diving career.He is well versed in cold-water diving, low visibility and wreck diving.
He also enjoys studying aquatic ecosystems, which is why he teaches courses such as Marine Ecology.You can meet Pepína at the pit on Try scuba diving sessions or refresh lessons, and he never misses any diving events at quarries either. There he will be happy to help and advise you on land, guide you underwater, or assist with your course.
Tomáš KlaputDivemaster InstructorSSI Divemaster Instructor #108988
Quarries, lakes and wrecks. He will help you with your first course and with your further diving development.
Even at his first snorkelling session as a child, Tomáš realised that the world underwater fascinated him and that he could stare at it for hours and hours. After his first “try dive” in Egypt, the decision was made for good. He immediately signed up for the OWD course, then his first safari, and it all took off. He has been actively diving since 2013 and is constantly trying to improve, move forward and pursue his dreams - for example the aircraft wrecks around the island of Vis in Croatia.
He enjoys flooded quarries, wrecks, dives into the depths of Austrian lakes, as well as the warm waters of the Red Sea with its rich underwater life. He is one of the newcomers to the Divers team, but has been a professional instructor since 2018. He will certainly be happy to advise you on any question, request or your personal development in the form of another course. Do not hesitate to contact him.
“I could never enjoy diving so fully and freely without the great support of my family, especially my wife. My huge thanks go to her!”, Tomáš adds, and looks forward to diving with you.
Vašek StejskalDivemaster InstructorSSI Divemaster Instructor #111275
Exploring sites, underwater life and depths. He feels at home beneath the surface.
Vašek is a passionate diver who has been discovering the secrets beneath the surface since 2022. Water fascinates and attracts him like a magnet, and when he dives, he feels at home. Vašek enjoys diving to the full and loves all aspects of it. However, his interest is focused mainly on unexplored sites, where he can set off on an adventurous journey of discovery.
He is also interested in animal species that he can spot in their natural environment, and he has also fallen under the spell of deep diving. For Vašek, diving is not only fun, but also a way to relieve stress. His love of water motivates him to keep improving and discovering new possibilities. If you feel tired of everyday life and are looking for a new challenge, diving can be the right way to gain new energy and inspiration.
And if you are lucky, you may even meet an enthusiast like Vašek, who will show you how beautiful the world hidden beneath the surface really is.
David BaťaDivemaster InstructorSSI Divemaster Instructor #110857
Czech quarries, trips abroad and underwater photography. He is happy to share his experience and the joy of diving.
David had his first taste of diving in Egypt in 2017. In spring 2020 he tried the basic course, tried it and never let go. As soon as he completed one specialisation, he immediately carried on with the next. Diving captivated him so much, and got under his skin so deeply, that he continued his training and gathering experience. As he enjoys mentoring and leading people, professional courses are the obvious choice for him so that he can pass on his knowledge and share with others the joy of diving and the experiences connected with it.
You can meet David not only at the Czech quarries all year round at weekends, but also on adventures abroad. Recently he has become fascinated by underwater photography, so on almost every dive you will find him with a camera and two antennae – photo lights. At quarries he enjoys attractions and hunting them down. Abroad, wrecks and rich flora (he is constantly looking for Nemo :-D)
In his own words: “Thanks to diving alone have I found balance in my working life. There is nothing more beautiful than going underwater to clear your head of work duties and the rush. I always surface as a new person, and as an added bonus I am with a bunch of great people, which is definitely the diving community around Divers. Diving is no longer just a hobby, but life”. “Up we go down”
Renda HoraOpen Water InstructorSSI Open Water Instructor #117687
Experience from seas, quarries and alpine lakes. He helps beginner divers with a smile.
Renda is an enthusiastic diver with extensive experience from seas, oceans and Czech quarries, as well as Austrian and Swiss lakes. These varied environments provide him with unique perspectives and skills that he enthusiastically shares with other divers. He is always happy to help beginners on their diving journey with a smile, sharing his knowledge and experience with them so that they too can immerse themselves in the fascinating world beneath the surface. His dedication to diving is linked to a desire to explore new marine territories and share his love of the ocean with others.
Renda’s connection with aquatic environments from around the world allows him to bring unique perspectives and insights to the diving community, whether in a local quarry or on an exotic coral reef. His endless desire to learn about new species of marine life and discover underwater sites continually drives him to travel all over the world. With his indomitable travel spirit, he often sets off to various corners of the world to discover new diving sites and explore their underwater kingdom. With every new experience, his repertoire of diving skills and techniques expands, and he willingly passes them on to other enthusiasts.
Renda always throws himself enthusiastically into new diving skills and techniques in order to continually improve and push his boundaries.
Marek KušiakOpen Water InstructorSSI Open Water Instructor #117682
Sidemount enthusiast. He tailors training to the experience and needs of his students.
He started diving in 2006 with IANTD and over the years took courses in many diving systems with many instructors. Time and gradually gained experience have shown that courses across all organisations are very similar and that, overall, the instructor’s approach matters more than the name of the system. This is what he tries to follow during teaching and he adapts courses as much as possible to the students.
After a shoulder injury, he left technical diving for a while before deciding to try sidemount. Since then, he has fallen in love with sidemount diving. He currently mainly teaches this form of diving, which opens up new and interesting possibilities for beginners as well as experienced divers.
Tomáš NovákOpen Water InstructorSSI Open Water Instructor #103585
Pilot above the clouds, instructor beneath the surface. He focuses on Try scuba diving sessions and individual OWD courses.
Tomáš has been diving since 2008. He started with the OWD course in Croatia, more or less by chance, but the underwater world captivated him so much that he quickly followed it up with further certifications and in 2011 became a PADI divemaster.A period of diving for pleasure followed, and he grew fond of warm seas, fish and wrecks.
On the company catamaran Valhalla, together with friends, he explored the wrecks of the southern coast of France, the beauty of the Canary Islands, and also the Mediterranean climate of Malta.He became a member of the Divers professional team in 2022 by completing the SSI instructor course.
By profession a transport aircraft pilot, in his free time Tomáš dedicates himself to Try scuba diving sessions for the public at the pit in Čestlice and individual OWD courses.
Tomáš HorčičkaFreediving InstructorSSI Freediving Instructor #114148
From apparatus to breath-hold. Try scuba diving, Basic Freediving and technique training.
ABC winter special 87 entitled On the Treasures of the Oceans. It was there that a lifelong love of water and everything connected with it began. At the age of nine he built his first diving apparatus himself. It was only for three breaths – and today he knows it was dangerous to life – but back then? Three breaths underwater were simply brilliant for a little boy. Years and years of snorkelling and working as a lifeguard followed. Life, however, took a slightly different path and Tom did not get into real diving until 2015. A forgotten passion flared up again and since then he has devoted himself fully to diving – in the pool, at quarries and in the sea. Simply into the water whenever and wherever possible.
Over time, the desire to share the joy of diving with others grew in him, and so in 2021 he became a scuba diving instructor. One of Divers Direct's regular training sessions was attended by a freediving instructor so that, as scuba divers, we could try freediving on a single breath. And another door to the underwater world opened. This was followed by years combining scuba diving and freediving. On the first freediving dive below 20 metres, using free-fall technique, it was clear: this is the right path. Tom is a newcomer to our team in the role of freediving instructor. He focuses on Try scuba diving and Basic Freediving courses.
You can meet him at rescue technique workshops, equalisation training for those who have ear problems, other specialist lessons and free training sessions. His motto is: "More than 60% of the human body is water – so it is clear that we belong more in the water than on land."
Tell us where you are today and where you want to get to. Together we will discuss the entry level, scope of preparation, dates and the full budget.
Other Divers Direct professional programmes.

First steps in teaching
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Instructor training
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Extending instructor skills
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Transition to the SSI system
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