SSI Divers in the Spotlight: Stories from the Global Press

From global expeditions and ocean conservation to travel features and professional development, SSI divers and partners continue to make an impact across the diving world.
Over the past year, their stories have been featured across leading publications—including Forbes, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Oceanographic Magazine—showcasing the people and projects shaping diving today.

This growing media presence reflects more than visibility. It points to a global community of divers, instructors, and explorers pushing boundaries, sharing knowledge, and inspiring others to discover and protect the ocean.

This round-up brings together some of the standout press coverage from 2025 (and early 2026).

Table of Contents:

1. Dive Travel
2. Industry Leadership
3. Conservation & Exploration
4. Training
5. Community & Inclusivity
6. Start Your Own Diving Story

lonely planet

SSI training features in global travel media, highlighting top destinations to learn to dive.

Dive Travel

SSI divers and partners are featured across some of the world's leading travel publications, showcasing diving as one of the most immersive ways to experience the ocean.

• Forbes explores how new divers are thriving in First-Time Scuba Divers Are Flourishing in French Polynesia.
  
  
• Travel + Leisure highlights SSI and bucket-list locations in The Best Scuba Diving Spots in the World.
• Lonely Planet guides new divers in 10 of the World's Best Places to Learn to Scuba Dive.

oceanographic

SSI partners with the Edges of Earth expedition, featured in Oceanographic Magazine.

Industry Leadership

Across global media, stories featuring SSI show how diving is evolving—through innovation, expansion, and new ways of engaging with the underwater world.

• DeeperBlue covers SSI's continued expansion in SSI Announces 25 New Dive Training Centers in North America.
• DeeperBlue also covers innovation in Underwater Dance Challenge Launched by SSI.
• In Sports Tourism News, Maldives: The Best Resorts for Active Holidays highlights the growing appeal of scuba diving.

earth.org

SSI-led exploration contributes to global conversations on sustainable travel.

Conservation & Exploration

SSI divers and ambassadors are leading expeditions, documenting remote environments, and contributing to conservation efforts that deepen our understanding of the ocean.

• Oceanographic Magazine follows SSI Ambassador Andi Cross and the Edges of Earth expedition in Chasing Extinction: The Search for Megalodon.
  
  
• In Earth.org, The Next Generation of Travel: Conscious Exploration highlights how modern explorers are redefining conservation and sustainability.
  
  
• Divernet explores human limits in The Doria Project – Nick Fazah on Pushing Freediving to New Extremes, following an SSI Freediving Instructor Trainer leading a multi-year expedition.

READ MORE: Antikythera: Scientific Diving on a 2,000-Year-Old Wreck

Conde Nast Traveler 

Mainstream travel media highlights scuba certification as a gateway to new experiences.

Training

SSI training continues to gain recognition across global media. These stories reflect a growing awareness that quality training is essential.

• Condé Nast Traveler explores the certification journey in How to Get Scuba Certified for Your Next Vacation.
• Insta360's How Insta360 Cameras Are Revolutionizing Underwater Exploration shows how innovation is reshaping dive training through immersive technology.
• DiveNewsWire highlights advances in diver education in Understanding the Why of Diving Just Got Easier, showcasing a modernized approach to dive theory.

RELATED: ProTec Joins SSI to Elevate Cave & Tech Diving

Canvas Rebel

Community & Inclusivity

At the heart of SSI is its people—SSI divers, instructors, and communities expanding access to the underwater world and reshaping who diving is for.

• In The Edition, Students Dive into Marine Learning with Le Méridien Maldives highlights a community conservation day led by SSI partners.
• In Divernet, Adaptive Scuba Therapy Takes Centre Stage explores diving's role in wellbeing, with SSI professionals contributing to this evolving space.
• In Canvas Rebel, Meet Mandy Walker follows an SSI Mermaid Instructor, reflecting the diverse pathways into the underwater world.
• In New Zealand, RNZ covers Ngāti Maniapoto Launching a Freediving Course, connecting SSI training with culture and community.

GET INSPIRED: Meet the Faces of the SSI Ambassador Program 2026

Start Your Own Diving Story

From global expeditions to community conservation, the stories you have seen here all start in the same place—training. Inspired by what you have seen? Now it is your turn.

SSI training is where every journey begins—whether you are new to diving or ready to go further.

Explore SSI's full range of courses and get certified.

Find Your Course