Academy
Become a Mindful Dive Instructor™.
Free companion programme
This free companion carries MDI’s connection between technical learning, emotional awareness and connection into life between dives. Here you can explore being yourself, receiving support and connecting with the living ocean through land-based reflection. No diving experience or water entry is required.
Start The Living OceanA practical starting point
A student says “I'm fine” while rushing equipment checks. Describe what you see, then ask privately: “What would help us prepare?” Listen, check understanding and offer time or a simpler plan within your standards. Debrief observable events afterward. Coaching supports choice and learning; it does not diagnose trauma or replace skills instruction.
A volunteer says, “I’m just getting through the tasks.” Ask what has become demanding and what support would help. Review workload with the project lead before the next dive. Underwater, keep attention on the task, buddy and dive plan. Make room for appreciation and reflection once safely ashore; never make calmness a test of commitment.
Explore a community dayThe Water Gallery
The Foundation opens the practice to everyone; the Institute holds the professional path. They meet in the same water.
The practice program
Open to everyone, by the World Happiness Academy. No prerequisites, no credential — the first breath of contemplative diving, for certified divers and complete beginners alike.
Join Dive Into Presence →The professional path
Guide and instructor programs have additional prerequisites and observed assessments. Buying a course does not grant teaching authority.
See the certification pathwayMD-4 requires MD-3 and an active instructor rating from a recognized agency. Complete the online learning, four supervised teaching dives, the teaching portfolio and the required assessment and Institute approval.
How attention, breath and intention integrate into real dive plans, from briefing to debrief.
The physiology of calm and presence, explained in language you can teach.
Reading and steadying a group's arousal before, during and after a dive.
On scuba, breathe naturally and continuously as trained; never hold, skip or deliberately restrict your breathing. Keep attention on your buddy, buoyancy, gas and surroundings. Leave optional exercises out of descents, ascents and any demanding task.
Building a session around the four moments of the Mindful Diving arc.
Use wellbeing questionnaires with informed consent and appropriate privacy. FP20 is a reflection tool: its score is not a diagnosis, medical clearance or proof that a programme works. Consult the research registry for study methods, validation evidence and results.
We train you to care for yourself, not only your divers.
Ask the Institute about current dates, delivery format and entry requirements.
Canary Islands
El Hierro — Mar de las Calmas, the Sea of Calm.
Bali
Volcanic walls, temple reefs and a deep contemplative culture.
Riviera Maya
Cenotes — stillness, light and silence in fresh water.
Red Sea
Desert coast, warm water and some of the richest reefs on earth.
MD-5 requires certified MD-4, at least one year teaching that level, an agency instructor-trainer or course-director rating, and an invitation from the Standards Council. Online access is not authorization.
Leave your details and we'll reach out as cohort dates are confirmed.
Teaching is a practice too.
Mindful Diving Institute
Choose what you want to practise next. Everything here is optional; you can also revisit your course or use a free practice.
Prices cover online learning. Agree water sessions, practical assessment and professional affiliation costs separately before enrolling.
MD-4
Design a teaching session, give specific feedback and assess learning through supervised teaching practice.
MD-4 requires MD-3 and an active instructor rating from a recognized agency. Complete the online learning, four supervised teaching dives, the teaching portfolio and the required assessment and Institute approval.
€333
Course details and prerequisitesMD-5
Develop instructor mentoring, assessor calibration and evidence-based programme review within the trainer pathway.
MD-5 requires certified MD-4, at least one year teaching that level, an agency instructor-trainer or course-director rating, and an invitation from the Standards Council. Online access is not authorization.
€555
Course details and prerequisitesMB-G
Learn to facilitate bounded breathing-awareness sessions, with consent, observation and assessed practice.
Mindful Breath Guide requires MD-1 or equivalent mindful-diving training, plus an active professional diving rating or a recognized breath-teacher qualification.
€222
Course details and prerequisitesGuide and instructor programs have additional prerequisites and observed assessments. Buying a course does not grant teaching authority.
Prices cover online learning. Agree water sessions, practical assessment and professional affiliation costs separately before enrolling.