A proposal for dive centers
Mindful Diving Center — Bringing presence into diving
Green Fins helps divers protect the ocean.
Mindful Diving™ helps divers be fully present in it.
A natural next step
Many dive centers are already committed to sustainability, marine conservation and responsible diving. Mindful Diving™ adds another dimension: how do we experience the dive? Rather than adding another technical certification, Mindful Diving introduces a way of being underwater based on presence, awareness, connection and purpose. It complements existing training from SSI, PADI, Green Fins and other agencies.
The framework
BEFORE
Prepare the mind before entering the water.
Breathing · intention · awareness · emotional readiness · connection with the ocean
BELOW
Transform the way we are underwater.
Presence · conscious breathing · buoyancy · observation · non-interference · connection with marine life
BETWEEN
Bring the experience back to the surface.
Reflection · awareness · sharing · integration · learning from the dive
BEYOND
Let diving influence the way we live.
Connection · wellbeing · environmental responsibility · purpose · conscious action
What Mindful Diving™ can bring to your center
- A distinctive guest experience.
- A deeper diver–ocean connection.
- Tools integrable into existing briefings and dives.
- A new dimension of value for instructors and guides.
- A framework for meaningful, memorable experiences.
- Recognition as a Mindful Diving Center.
Mindful Diving does not replace your existing agency certifications, environmental programmes or safety standards. It builds upon them.
Why now?
Today's divers are increasingly looking for experiences that go beyond seeing marine life. They want to feel connected, present and part of the ocean rather than simply visit it. A dive can be technically excellent, environmentally responsible and, at the same time, profoundly transformative. Mindful Diving is about creating the conditions for that experience.
A possible pilot
01
Introduce
A short Mindful Diving session for your instructors and guides.
02
Experience
A guided mindful dive incorporating simple presence practices.
03
Reflect
A short post-dive integration.
04
Explore
How Mindful Diving could become part of your center's guest experience and instructor development.
All agencies teach divers what to do underwater. We are creating a way to teach them how to be there.
Center partnership
A clearer guest experience. A practical center partnership.
Give your team a shared readiness check, a considered briefing and a short reflection after the dive. Start with one guest package, learn from its delivery, then grow at your own pace.
Centers, PROs and partners: roles and fees
Center / operator
Owns guest bookings and diving operations. Agrees the guest price, logistics, instructor and payment allocation. Its membership does not affiliate its whole team.
MDI PRO
An individually affiliated professional. Teaches and assesses within verified authority; earns the agreed teaching fee. PRO-1 covers MD-1/MD-2; PRO-2 adds MD-3. MD-4/MD-5 need Institute arrangements.
Federation / community partner
Contributes experience, convenes members and helps shape the pilot. May work with an operating host without becoming a center. Agrees attribution, costs and public endorsement. Partnership alone grants no teaching rights or standard referral reward.
Diver / participant
Receives one clear inclusion and cost summary, uses an individual email and completes the applicable learning, practice and assessment. A community demonstration does not award certification.
Membership is separate from enrollment and teaching: Founding PRO €111.00/year; Seed €190.00 in the first year. Confirm Founding eligibility, renewals and previous payments. Seed and the audited Seal are distinct services. Certification credits are also separate from teaching fees.
See all fees and termsPlan the first cohort · fees, people and next steps
Build a draft together. Blank costs stay ‘To agree’. Download a copy before leaving; this page does not save your draft or contact anyone.
Center collects: retain the reward in MDI’s net invoice. Codes follow payment confirmation. Full-price eligible first enrollments only; team training, repeats, discounts and bundles are excluded. One credited partner per enrollment.
Group estimate · 1 person
- Guest total (before any separately agreed extras)
- To agree
- Online tuition included in that total
- €111.00
- Center reward
- €50.00
- Independent PRO referral
- €0.00
- MDI allocation
- €61.00
- Practical balance after entered teaching / operating costs, before taxes
- To agree
MD-1: 2 published supervised water sessions
- Confirm entry requirements and assessor authorization before booking practical delivery.
Use a group summary here; collect participant names and readiness information through the secure process. Confirm any agency course, its fees and instructor authority with its provider. Agency dives do not automatically fulfil MDI session requirements.
- Name the coordinator and authorized PRO; confirm prerequisites and the session/assessment plan.
- Agree inclusions, exclusions, taxes, payer, payment date, weather, cancellations and refunds before taking bookings.
- Collect each participant’s own name/email through the secure roster; confirm online access and practical dates.
- Record delivery, verify academic work separately, reconcile payments and review the first cohort before setting the next rate.
DRAFT - confirm the written agreement before booking. This estimate does not issue an invoice, grant access or certify a participant.
Your center earns €50–€250 for each eligible paid MD level, as shown below.
| Level | Online price | Center earns | Net MDI invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD-1 | €111.00 | €50.00 | €61.00 |
| MD-2 | €111.00 | €50.00 | €61.00 |
| MD-3 | €222.00 | €100.00 | €122.00 |
| MD-4 | €333.00 | €150.00 | €183.00 |
| MD-5 | €555.00 | €250.00 | €305.00 |
Eligible MD-1, MD-2 and MD-3 enrollments include the MDI certification fee when assessed by an authorized PRO at the credited center; no additional €11 or €22 credit is deducted. MD-4 and MD-5 practical training, assessor and panel arrangements are agreed separately with the Institute. Buying online access does not grant teaching or trainer authorization. You set your guest water-session price, pay the delivering PRO the agreed teaching fee, and retain the balance before other operating costs and taxes.
Plan each level and its assessment
- MD-1: Entry pathway: online learning, required supervised water sessions and assessment by an authorized PRO.
- MD-2: Confirm MD-1 readiness, complete advanced learning and water assessment. PRO-1 or PRO-2 within their verified agency rating.
- MD-3: Confirm the preceding levels; arrange the Leadership Practicum and an authorized PRO-2 or Institute assessor.
- MD-4: Confirm the preceding levels and active agency instructor rating; agree an authorized Instructor Trainer, Teaching Practicum, portfolio and sign-off with MDI.
- MD-5: Confirm MD-4 and Institute admission; agree the Trainer Academy, supervised MD-4 cohort, portfolio and panel review. Trainer authorization is an Institute decision.
One center reward per learner per level, after payment and access activation. MDI-collected rewards become payable after a 30-day refund hold and are settled monthly following payment review. Complimentary places, team training, repeat enrollments, bundles, discounted purchases and seat packs do not qualify. A center reward and a PRO referral share cannot apply to the same enrollment. Refunds reverse the reward; a dispute pauses settlement pending review.
Choose the payment route for each booking. MDI collects through your center link and pays the reward monthly. Or your center collects one guest payment: select the level and request named seats, accept MDI’s net invoice and receive email-bound access codes once payment is confirmed. The level’s EUR reward is retained in that invoice, never paid twice. Both the course and net invoice are in EUR; no currency conversion is needed.
Independent PRO referrals remain 20% under the PRO terms. The center booking link you open before checkout selects the center; use a PRO link for independent referrals. Water teaching and certification permissions remain separate from earnings.
Supervised water sessions
Keep three amounts clear: the online course and center reward, the agreed PRO teaching fee, and diving logistics. A center can collect one guest payment and pay the assigned PRO the agreed teaching amount. Boat, equipment, instructor dive costs, travel and any taxes must be itemized in the quote. Complimentary online access does not include practical instruction.
There is no universal water-session tariff. Introductory pilot rates apply only to the named cohort; future rates are agreed after review. MD-4 and MD-5 require a bespoke total quote and Institute approval of the teaching or assessment plan.
- 01Check the learner’s preceding levels; agree the authorized teacher or assessor, who invoices and all practical costs.
- 02Add each team member’s name and email; nominate the instructor who will complete the pathway.
- 03Complete the online learning and arrange required water training and assessment.
- 04Launch one guest package; review the first delivery and its settlement together.