My approach to SCUBA training is much different than the dive shops you’ll find around Nashville, TN. I offer actual training, not just a certification. Dive shop owners have high overhead costs and are profit motivated, which can result in students being pushed through courses quickly to make room for the next class. Taking the time to ensure that a diver can not only perform all of the skills in a curriculum, but masters those skills, is what sets my program apart from others. As a highly active Technical and Cave diver, I can offer unmatched instruction from Basic Open Water to advanced Technical Diving. I will give you the time, guidance and support to become confident and comfortable underwater and flourish as a diver. Read below for more about what sets my programs apart from dive shops.
“Continuing education is important to me, I take at least one new certification course annually. I enjoy taking the best of what each agency and instructor has to offer and implementing it into my diving and SCUBA courses. The training that I offer recreational divers is a culmination of several hundred hours of course work and underwater time with some of the best SCUBA instructors in the country.”
C.J. Pierce holds certifications from PADI, GUE, SDI, SSI, IANTD, PSAI and TDI. Training with a diverse group of instructors has allowed C.J. to gain experience from several different perspectives.
C.J. Pierce holds the following certifications:
✓ PADI Open Water Diver- Instructor Jim Purdue, Facility Island Hoppers Scuba (Nashville, TN)
✓ PADI Advanced Open Water- Instructor James Redd, Facility Island Hoppers Scuba (Nashville, TN)
✓ First Response Training International -Oxygen provider certification ✓ First Response Training International -Adult, child and infant Emergency Care ✓ Emergency First Response- Primary Care (CPR) ✓ Emergency First Response- Secondary Care First Aid ✓ Emergency First Response- CPR &AED ✓ Emergency First Response- Emergency Oxygen Provider
What set us apart from other dive shops/instructors?
1. I don’t have a shop full of gear for sale. I will assist you in the process of choosing and purchasing the best gear for you, if I cant order the gear you need, ill help you acquire it from local dive shops or online sources. The gear you buy should be the gear you want and need, not just what some dive shop happens to have in stock.
2. Training in the DIR gear system – The majority of advanced and technical divers gravitate towards a certain gear setup known as DIR. I offer Backplate/wing BCD’s, Long hose primary regulators, DIN regulator connections, etc. on all rental gear. Why not start off in the gear you will end up in instead of the cheapest gear out there, commonly found in other rental gear fleets.
3. Extensive computer training- The Personal Dive Computer has revolutionized SCUBA diving over the last 2 decades. I will teach you how to operate a dive computer and how to interpret the data. If you have your own computer we will go over every setting and function together so that you are confident with your personal computer choice. I strongly recommend Shearwater computers, and I have several that students can use for courses.
4. Going above and beyond minimum teaching requirements. The agency you will be certified through requires that certain standards be met to issue certifications. I will go further than required teaching you additional skills and techniques, all to make you a more competent and confident diver.
5. Experience- As a technical and Cave diver, I regularly execute deep wreck dives, as well as penetrate cave systems in Florida and Mexico. Most of the diving I do involves Trimix or decompression gasses. With this experience, you can rest assured that you’ll receive high quality training for recreational and technical SCUBA diving.
6. Continuing support- When you take a class with me you gain support and advice for life. For past students, I am always happy to discuss dive plans, dive sites, gear choices or anything else diving related. Many of my former students are current dive buddies who strive to be mentors for new divers.
7. 100% independent. There is absolutely no reason for me to cut corners in your training. I do not have student quotas, limits on training duration, busy pool schedules or sales commissions to distract from your training.
My approach to SCUBA training is much different than the dive shops you’ll find around Nashville, TN. I offer actual training, not just a certification. Dive shop owners have high overhead costs and are profit motivated, which can result in students being pushed through courses quickly to make room for the next class. Taking the time to ensure that a diver can not only perform all of the skills in a curriculum, but masters those skills, is what sets my program apart from others. As a highly active Technical and Cave diver, I can offer unmatched instruction from Basic Open Water to advanced Technical Diving. I will give you the time, guidance and support to become confident and comfortable underwater and flourish as a diver. Read below for more about what sets my programs apart from dive shops.
