How TIDES Works

TIDES is open to all students ages 12-18 the program is nonsequential, and each experience naturally builds from one year to the next.

As students progress through the program, they will take courses in both marine science and scuba diving, which together will be utilized as they move from the classroom and pool into the field and become citizen scientists.

With six programs to choose from, the flexible format truly gives students the freedom to explore the aspects and questions that inspire them the most!

About the Experiences

Dive In! - Prerequisite courses

Students will dive into the program as *Explorers, earning their Open Water Diver scuba certification and learning how we are connected to the ocean with the 7 principles of Ocean Literacy.

*Students who have already earned their Open Water Diver scuba Certification may skip the Explorer experience and enter into the TIDES program as Advanced Explorers.

Students will then move on to become Advanced Explorers, building on their scuba skills with Enriched Air Nirtox and Perfect Buoyancy and expanding their marine science skills with Marine Ecology.

Go Deeper! - Choose your own Adventure

Once Students have graduated from Explorer and Advanced Explorer, they are free to choose any of the 4 focused ecology experiences depending on their individual interests. See our TIDES Experience chart above for more information on each experience.

Course Structure

TIDES Courses are made up of four components

Home-Study - of SSI’s online scuba coursework and Ocean First Education’s immersive Marine Science short courses.

Classroom - workshops to reinforce concepts students learn at home and to provide an opportunity for students to ask questions and interact with their instructor.

Pool Training - where students get to breathe underwater and practice their scuba skills in a safe and controlled environment.

• For the Explorer experience, students outside the Denver Metro area can either travel to Ocean First or complete their confined water skills at a dive center in their area. For all other TIDES experiences, confined water training can be completed on the expedition.

Open Water Diving Expedition - Four open water checkout dives are the final step before graduating from the TIDES Explorer experience.

• For all other experiences, students will participate in a place-based learning expedition at a unique ocean-based location. Students will get the opportunity to participate in citizen science projects and log several amazing dives.