Welcome to 2011 - Off to a great start!

I would like to welcome any of you who have found this blog to view our informative website at www.internationaldivinginstitute.com and to become fans of ours on Facebook. This blog is occaisonally updated while the Facebook page is updated on a daily basis with new and exciting videos and photographs of our school activities. The year 2010 brought many exciting new changes to International Diving Institute. New underwater training projects, additional wet tank facilities, and additional staff members have helped to make our school the best in the US for training professional divers. To see more of the great things that have happened at International diving Institute over the past year please log into our site at Facebook and scroll through the many entry of photos, videos, and comments made by students and faculty. International Diving Institute is proud of the fact that we graduate a select group of highly qualified commercial divers with emphasis on quality of classes not high numbers of students. With International Diving Institute students receive a large amount of individual instruction as well as hands on training. International Diving Institute has developed a reputation as a leader in diver training and we are routinely contacted by Commercial diving companies, Film Companies, law enforcement, and other industries to consult with them on their underwater projects. Over the years International Diving Institute has consulted and assisted in training on underwater projects with many well known names such as Disney Filmakers, Myth Busters TV Series, and Discovery Channel. As we begin the New Year, we welcome 2011 for the exciting promises, potential, and adventure that it may bring to this wonderful world of commercial diving.

Sergio Smith & IDI receive Navy Award

On December 4, 2009

Us Navy divers from the Trident Refit Facility presented Sergio Smith & the staff of International Diving Institute with an award plaque for assisting in treatment of a Navy Diver from the unit on October 7, 2009. International Diving Institute provided emergency equipment and one of the school's recompression chambers to the Navy for use in treatment of the diver.

Main Wet Tank retrofit nears completion

January 20, 2010



Very soon the main wet tank at International Diving Institute will be filled again with approximately 48000 gallons of filtered water. For returning alumni the tank may appear very different with its new retrofit.


The tank has been stripped down, cleaned , and is now being re-coated with an epoxy paint. But along with this obvious facelift there are many improvements that have been made to the interior of the tank. These include:

- a new improved ladder
- multiple mounting hardware for projects
- 3 fixed flange projects
- a new observation window
- an overhead crane system to hoist objects into and out of the tank.
The most notable addition is a horizontal tube which is approximately 4' diameter X 13' long which is attached to the side of the Main Wet Tank with a 24" bolted flange. Divers will use this for advanced practice for penetration dives. The "penetration tube" has its own observation window.

After this retrofit International Diving Institute will no doubt have the largest Wet Tank Complex of any dive school in the US. The facility is comprised of 3 distinct Wet tanks

1. The new 9300 gallon Welding Tank dedicated to underwater welding
2. A 3336 Gallonn Confined Space Tank that is 22 feet tall
3. The newly retrofitted Main Wet Tank with over 48000 gallons of water at approximately 20 feet of depth.

Post & Courier Article on International Diving Institute

SUNDAY, January 10, 2009

International Diving Institute has made the front page of the business section of the Charleston Post & Courier for Sunday, January 10, 2009. The article talks about increased interest in the school now that the economy is in a slump. IDI's enrollment has steadily grown over the past year with workers now looking for new careers and the necessary training to acquire these jobs. Check ouyt the article and accompanying video at the following link

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/jan/10/taking-the-plunge/

American Welding Society at IDI - Sept 17, 2009

On September 17, 2009 International Diving Institute hosted the South Carolina Section of the American Welding Society with the debut of our brand new underwater welding facility which includes a 20 foot deep, 9,330 gallon wet tank. The society event included a cookout with over 100 members in attendance. Highlights of the evening included an informative lecture on Underwater Wet Welding by Instructor, David Sharpe as well as an in water demonstration of wet welding by Steve Mattson, the Southeast Regional Director for American Welding Society

Facelift for our Wet Tank Facility

August 01, 2009 Today IDI wet tank facilities have begun to receive a face lift with fresh new paint. Along with this the newly added welding tank is being completed and readied for painting. The facility now includes 3 distinct wet tanks with additional facilities planned. With this quality commercial diver training facility it's no wonder that International Diving Institute has been used for training by many government agencies, law enforcement agencies, corporate entities and film production groups such as Disney, Discovery, and others.

New welding Tank Arrives !

July 10, 2009

Friday morning was an exciting one with the delivery of a 10" X 16" steel tank that will be fabricated into a 9300 gallon wet welding tank.
With this newest addition, wet welding exercises can be performed at any time without interference with other activities in the other wet tank facilities. This brings the total to 3 wet training tanks now. The main wet tank is 17' deep with a total capacity of 48,000 gallons of water and the other tank is a penetration tank for confined space training at 23' and contains 3336 gallons of water. As with the larger wet tank this new welding tank will include a poly carbonate observation window as well, a super sized filtration system, and will be equipped with standing rigging for hoisting large projects in and out of the tank. All heads tilted upward as the steel tank slowly ascended above the dive shop and was jockeyed into position beside the other two tanks. Students are now excited about being able to dive the tank and practice their underwater welding skills.