SSI Waves, Tides & Currents
The site was calm yesterday. Today the same spot has a current pulling sideways that nobody mentioned at the dive briefing.
Coastal conditions change by the hour, and most divers never learn to read them before getting in the water. SSI Waves, Tides & Currents teaches you to recognize what is actually happening at a site, including real drift diving technique that turns current from a hazard into one of the most exhilarating ways to dive.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Coastal Conditions Change by the Hour. Most Divers Never Learn to Read Them Before They Are in the Water.
Shore entries that looked manageable from the car look different at the water’s edge. A current that was slack on the way down is running hard on the way up. Wind shifts change wave height mid-dive. Coastal diving is dynamic, and the divers who handle it calmly are the ones who learned to read conditions before they entered, not after.
SSI Waves, Tides and Currents teaches you to evaluate conditions, time your dive, plan entries and exits, and handle drift and current with your buddy team so the ocean moving does not mean the dive ending. $249 per diver (group) · $349 private. Open Water Diver, minimum age 10. View the Dive Calendar →
Waves, Tides & Currents Is for the Diver Headed to the Ocean
You dive in coastal or ocean environments, not just lakes
Most of the challenging conditions in this course are things you will encounter on travel dives. Understanding them before you go changes the experience.
You feel unsure when current picks up during a dive
The course covers recognizing current, planning around it, and using it when possible rather than always fighting it.
You find surf entries stressful or uncertain
Surf entry and exit technique is one of the most practically useful skills for coastal divers. This course makes it repeatable.
You want to try drift diving but have never done it with proper technique
Drift diving with proper procedure and buddy coordination is one of the most enjoyable experiences in recreational diving.
Course at a Glance
| Price | $249 per diver (group) · $349 per diver (private) |
| Format | Online academics via MySSI app · open water training dives at coastal or current sites |
| Time commitment | Self-paced academics (3–4 hours) plus open water dives · call (512) 451-3425 to discuss scheduling |
| Location | Coastal or current sites · call Tom’s to discuss options based on your travel schedule |
| Prerequisites | Open Water Diver (any agency) · minimum age 10 |
| Certification awarded | SSI Waves, Tides & Currents · lifetime, recognized worldwide |
| CE lane | Optimize → |
Ready to read the water?
SSI Waves, Tides & Currents — $249 · Austin, TX
Coastal sites. Call (512) 451-3425 to discuss scheduling.
View the Dive Calendar →Academics on How Conditions Work, Then Practical Application at Real Sites.
Online academics covering how waves, tides, and currents form and interact, then open water training dives applying those skills in real coastal conditions.
How waves form, break, and affect entries and exits. Tidal cycles, reading tide tables, and planning dives around tidal windows. Current types, direction, strength, and how to evaluate them. Drift diving technique and buddy coordination in moving water.
Pre-dive condition assessment: wind, swell, tide state, and current. Setting conservative entry and exit limits. Establishing turn-back conditions before entering the water.
Apply skills in real coastal or current conditions: shore entries and exits with swell, current monitoring and positioning during the dive, drift technique, and controlled buddy-team management in moving water.
Certification awarded through the MySSI app. Lifetime credential, recognized worldwide.
The Judgment to Dive Comfortably When Conditions Are Moving
Most dive problems in dynamic environments happen to divers who did not read conditions before entering. Here is what this course builds:
Ability to evaluate surf, swell, tide, and current before deciding to enter
Shore entry and exit technique that works in real swell conditions
Current positioning and drift technique with buddy team coordination
Confidence to set conservative limits and recognize when to abort
We Build Divers We Would Trust With Our Own Families.
Most Austin divers dive in lakes at home and coastal environments on vacation. Waves, Tides and Currents is one of the most practically useful courses for travel divers because the skills apply to every coastal dive you take. Tom’s schedules this course to align with your travel plans when possible.
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.
Built for Austin Divers Who Dive the Ocean on Vacation
Most lake-based divers encounter their first serious surf or current on a travel dive. This course prepares you before that trip.
Open Longer Than Any Other Austin Dive Shop Still in Business
Four decades of preparing Austin divers for the conditions they encounter away from home.
Real Conditions, Not a Pool Version
Open water training dives in actual coastal or current conditions, not a simulated environment.
30+ Tom’s Instructors
Flexible scheduling to align with your travel plans and available coastal dive sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Call (512) 451-3425 to discuss scheduling around your travel. Tom’s can coordinate training dives to prepare you for your destination.
No prerequisites beyond Open Water Diver. Waves, Tides and Currents is an independent course that pairs well with Deep Diving and Boat Diving for coastal and travel divers.
The principles apply to any coastal or current environment. For Austin-area lake diving, Navigation and Night and Limited Visibility may be more immediately relevant.
Yes. All students complete an SSI Medical Statement before any in-water activity. Most people do not require a physician’s signature.
Ready to read the water?
SSI Waves, Tides & Currents — $249 · Austin, TX
Call (512) 451-3425 to schedule around your travel plans.
View the Dive Calendar →