Our Story - Scuba Diving International

We started our journey in 1994 with the founding of Technical Diving International (TDI), one of the first agencies dedicated to providing specialized diving training. TDI set the standard for technical diving education, offering comprehensive programs for advanced diving techniques, including Nitrox, Closed Circuit Rebreathers, and overhead environments like caves and wrecks. As the ultimate one-stop solution for technical divers, TDI established a foundation that would soon expand into new areas of diving education. In response to growing demand, Scuba Diving International (SDI) was launched in 1998, expanding TDI’s experience and its commitment to safety and quality in recreational sport diving. SDI quickly gained a reputation for its innovative, instructor-driven approach, creating training programs tailored to the needs of modern divers. This expansion allowed the organization to serve a broader audience, ensuring that divers of all levels could find a path to growth and mastery. The group’s dedication to specialized training led to the creation of Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI), in 2000, addressed the unique needs of the public safety divers. ERDI became the only training program of its kind supported by a major certification agency, serving elite dive teams such as the Chicago Fire Department and various state and federal agencies. Performance Freediving International (PFI) also emerged in 2000, offering to cut- edge freediving education and continuing the legacy of TDI’s commitment to safety and performance across all diving disciplines. Today, SDI, with its sub-brands TDI, ERDI, and PFI, remains committed to TDI’s original focus on safety and quality. With a global presence in over 100 countries, SDI is one of the world’s largest and most respected diving certification organizations. *Please note that translations in all of our materials are created by a process that utilizes translators in combination with automatically generated content. Wetrys to verify these translations, but we apologize for any inaccuracies in the words or phrases. We appreciate feedback and suggested edits to our materials. Please email us at Feedback@tdisdi.com with any comments.