01
Sunrise still minute
One minute on the deck before anyone speaks. The day begins in the body, not the schedule.
The first retreat · Red Sea, Egypt
The Descent at Sea — Egypt
Seven nights. Twenty divers. Board as a diver, disembark as an MDI PRO.
- 28 Nov – 5 Dec 2026
- 5 – 12 Dec 2026
Two candidate weeks. Final date announced 15 September.
Join the waitlistThe concept
One boat, one crew, one arc. MD-1, MD-2 and MD-3 are taught aboard, inside real dive plans on real reefs. Professionals leave as Founding MDI PROs, water-verified at sea by the Institute — not in a classroom.
The route
Port Ghalib to St John's and the Fury Shoals: coral gardens, caves of light, and the Sataya dolphin lagoon for long, unhurried surface time. An optional dawn at Elphinstone if the sea agrees.
The Red Sea
The rhythm
The daily heartbeat, repeated until it becomes yours.
02
Three dives
The practices live inside the standard briefing and the standard dive plan — never instead of them.
03
Sunset FFLN circles
The surface interval, held as a group: what you felt, what you noticed, what you'll carry.
04
Evening sessions
The STILL fear rehearsal, The Instructor's Hour, and the quiet reading before sleep.
Two tracks, one boat
Track P — Professionals
Active dive professionals from any agency. MD-1 to MD-3 aboard plus water verification, disembarking as Founding MDI PROs.
Track D — Experienced divers
Advanced Open Water (or equivalent) and 30+ logged dives. The full MD-1 to MD-3 pathway at sea.
The people who hold the week
Prof. Luis Miguel Gallardo
Director, MDI Research Lab · World Happiness Foundation · Universidad de Zaragoza
He will ask you fewer questions than you expect, and better ones.
Magui Rodríguez
Co-founder, Mindful Diving™
She holds the circles, the pace of the week and the quiet that makes it work.
Joined aboard by an MDI PRO-2 and the vessel's CDWS guides.
Day by day
Eight days, one arc. Certification milestones are marked; the sea may reorder the sites, never the arc.
What's included
- Seven nights aboard, full board
- Approximately 18–20 dives
- Marine-park fees (all diving on air — the practice is the breath as it is)
- MD-1, MD-2 and MD-3 certifications (€444 value)
- Printed workbook and The Ocean Within
- Guided evening sessions and circles
Not included
- Flights to and from Marsa Alam (RMF)
- DAN diving insurance (required)
- Equipment rental, at the boat's published rates
- Crew tips, at your discretion
- MDI PRO membership for Track P (€111, activated aboard)
The price
€2,222
The founding retreat price, per diver. Track P adds €111 for MDI PRO membership, activated aboard. Flights and DAN insurance are not included.
Everything counted
- Berth-only market benchmark, comparable Red Sea liveaboard~€1,350
- MD-1, MD-2 and MD-3 certifications€444
- The retreat itself — guiding, circles, ceremonies, research debriefincluded
€2,222, everything counted
Refund terms →First edition
There are no testimonials yet. This is the first edition. Founding weeks belong to those who come before the proof — and their names will open every retreat that follows.
Prof. Luis Miguel Gallardo · Director, Mindful Diving Institute
Safety
The vessel is vetted to the Institute's charter standard: post-2019 build or refit, current CDWS licence, day-one muster drill. DAN insurance is required. Every practice is optional at every step and fits entirely inside your agency's standards and the dive plan. Slow, continuous breathing only — never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba. Safety is the first mindfulness practice.
Research note
Participants may choose to join the FP20 pre/post study. Consent is taken aboard, participation is voluntary, and declining changes nothing about the week.
Join the waitlist
No payment now. Leave your details and we write with the final dates, the vessel and the full daily plan.
Questions? Write to us → hello@mindfuldiving.org
Questions
The boat is small, the sea is large.