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Over 35 Years of Experience
For over 35 years SSI has been known in the diving industry for providing high quality education and outstanding training materials for divers of all levels.

History
SSI was founded in 1970 and is the largest school-based training agency in the world.
In the Spring of 1999, SSI merged with the National Association of Scuba Diving Schools (NASDS founded in 1967) and created a new synergy in the dive industry. The sales and marketing expertise of NASDS, when joined with the reknowned educational products of SSI, created a stronger company that is in a better position to serve dealers, instructors, and ultimately, divers. Together, SSI and NASDS are responsible for a remarkable list of innovations and consequently have been recognized with the highest honors in the diving industry. Some of our most noteworthy accomplishments include:
 

• First to require open water classes for certification.
• First integrated teaching systems.
• First to require six open water dives for certification.
• Created a sales and marketing program to benefit retailers.
• First to require visual inspections of cylinders.
• Introduced a buoyancy compensator device.
• First to introduce an alternate second-stage.
• First full-motion video training system.
• Development of an equipment inspection program.
• Development of the Risk Awareness system.
• First to develop a Total Dive Log and complete Recognition System.
• Bob Clark, founder of SSI, and John Gaffney, founder of NASDS, were both given the “Reaching Out Award” and inducted into the scuba industry’s hall of fame in 1999.
• Ed Christini received the “Reaching Out Award” and was inducted into the hall of fame in 2003.
• Also in 1999, Bob Clark was honored with the prestigious NOGI award for his contributions to dive education; an award previously given to John Gaffney.