SSI Deep Diving
Standard Open Water limits aren't a wall, they're a starting point. Most divers never learn what changes on the other side of them.
Deeper diving isn't just descending further. Gas consumption changes, no-decompression time shrinks, the margin for error narrows. SSI Deep Diving teaches the planning that makes going deeper a deliberate, well-prepared decision.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Going Deeper Is Not Just Descending Further. Everything About the Dive Changes With It.
Gas depletes faster. Nitrogen narcosis becomes a real variable. Your computer tracks multiple tissue compartments. A mistake at depth has less margin than the same mistake at 40 feet. Depth is not inherently dangerous, but it requires specific planning and judgment skills that recreational diving at shallower depths does not fully develop.
SSI Deep Diving builds that judgment across three progressive open water training dives: first to 60–80 feet, then 80–100 feet, then 100–130 feet, each one proving you can manage the added complexity before going further. $249 per diver (group) · $349 private · $395 bundled with Night & Limited Visibility. Open Water Diver, minimum age 15. View the Dive Calendar →
Deep Diving Is for the Diver Ready to Extend Their Depth Range Responsibly
You have hit your Open Water depth limit and want to go further
Open Water certifies to 60 feet. Deep Diving takes you to 130 feet with the planning and judgment skills to match the depth.
Many of the most interesting sites start below 60 feet
Wrecks, deep reefs, and wall diving all become more accessible with Deep Diving certification.
Your next trip involves sites that require 100+ feet capability
Most serious liveaboards and travel operators expect divers to have handled depth before arrival.
You want to understand narcosis, gas planning, and ascent discipline
Deep Diving trains the specific skills that keep deeper dives controlled: gas tracking, computer use, and calm decision-making at depth.
Course at a Glance
| Price | $249 per diver (group) · $349 per diver (private) |
| Bundle pricing | $395 when combined with Night & Limited Visibility |
| Format | Online academics via MySSI app · three progressive open water training dives |
| Time commitment | Self-paced academics (3–4 hours) plus three open water dives · typically completed across two lake sessions |
| Location | Lake Travis |
| Prerequisites | Open Water Diver (any agency) · minimum age 15 |
| Certification awarded | SSI Deep Diving · lifetime, recognized worldwide |
| CE lane | Access → |
Ready to go deeper?
SSI Deep Diving — $249 · Austin, TX
Three progressive training dives at Lake Travis. Bundle with Night & Limited Visibility for $395. Call (512) 451-3425.
View the Dive Calendar →Three Progressive Dives. Each One Earned Before You Go Deeper.
Online academics first, then three open water dives at Lake Travis, each going deeper than the last and each requiring demonstrated control before the next.
Cover deep dive planning with clear limits, gas consumption tracking at higher demand, narcosis awareness, computer use and ascent strategy, buoyancy control at depth, and how to handle common deep-dive problems calmly.
First structured deep dive: gas tracking, computer monitoring, buoyancy at depth, and a controlled ascent with safety stop. Debrief before proceeding deeper.
Second dive with increased depth. Narcosis awareness and task loading introduced. Proven control at this level before the third dive.
Maximum depth dive: full deep dive plan executed, gas and time limits tracked throughout, controlled ascent with safety stop. SSI Deep Diving certification awarded on successful completion.
What People Worry About Before Taking This Course
The Judgment and Skills That Make Deeper Diving Controlled
Each training dive is progressively more demanding. By the third dive, you have demonstrated the full skill set in real conditions.
Dive planning with explicit depth, time, and gas limits for every dive
Gas consumption tracking under higher demand at real depth
Narcosis awareness and calm decision-making when task load increases
Computer-guided ascent discipline with safety stops that are practiced, not improvised
Controlled buoyancy and buddy contact maintained through the full depth range
We Build Divers We Would Trust With Our Own Families.
Deep Diving is one of the courses where the quality of the training matters most. Three instructor-led dives with a debrief after each one produces different capability than the same dives without that structure. Tom’s instructors brief every deep training dive, watch it, and debrief what they observed before you go deeper.
Tom’s has been Austin’s only SSI Dive Center since 1982, open longer than any other Austin dive shop still in business. Over 400 five-star Google reviews.
Three Dives. Each Deeper Than the Last.
Not a single deep dive. A structured progression where each depth is proven before the next, with a debrief after every dive.
Open Longer Than Any Other Austin Dive Shop Still in Business
Four decades of taking Austin divers deeper, safely, with the planning habits that make depth manageable.
Pair With Night & Limited Visibility for $395
Deep and Night are a popular bundle, building two complementary Access-lane capabilities that open up the full range of recreational diving.
30+ Tom’s Instructors
Flexible scheduling for three training dives at Lake Travis, built around your calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
SSI Deep Diving certifies recreational divers to 130 feet (40 meters). Depths beyond that are covered by technical diving programs, which require separate training and equipment.
No. Deep Diving is done on air. Nitrox is a separate course that can complement Deep Diving, but there is no requirement to combine them.
Yes. They bundle for $395, since both are Access-lane skills that divers often build at the same time.
Narcosis awareness is part of the course. Your instructor will discuss the signs and your planned response before each dive. If narcosis affects your judgment during a dive, the correct response is to ascend slightly, and the course trains exactly that decision.
Yes. All students complete an SSI Medical Statement before any in-water activity. Most people do not require a physician’s signature. Call (512) 451-3425 with questions about a specific condition.
Ready to go deeper?
SSI Deep Diving — $249 · Austin, TX
Call (512) 451-3425 to schedule your three training dives at Lake Travis.
View the Dive Calendar →