TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Excellent diver training combines comprehensive knowledge, hands-on experience and a strong focus on safety to equip divers with the skills for confident, responsible diving.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ultimately a person needs to be competent to be a safe diver and in order to achieve that goal, that individual must participate in a complete learning experience that incorporates much more than just formal academic training. Bill’s programs embrace a set of core values that include training, attitude, skills and knowledge ensuring all of the fundamental elements for success are embraced. Clients graduating from Bill's programs are guaranteed to develop a level of proficiency that exceeds minimum standards.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

If you are looking to give your style of diver instruction a cutting edge, Bill can help. Since 1985 Bill Nadeau has been supporting the technical diving community in Canada and the rest of North America. Multiple generations of professionals have graduated from Bill’s Instructor and IT Training programs, many of whom have gone on to continue with pioneering efforts of their own making underwater exploration the dynamic venture it is today.

“I believe we are all students and the learning process is perpetual - to that end I have committed to ensuring that every resource I have found useful or essential in making those life-staking decisions be made available to my clients.”

Bill Nadeau

We offer a diversity of specialty recreational diver programs. Click below for more information and to learn how you can work towards your Master Diver rating.

Specialty Courses

REBREATHER

Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) diving allows for extended bottom times by recycling and scrubbing carbon dioxide from exhaled air, which conserves gas. It provides a quieter underwater experience, enabling closer encounters with marine life due to fewer bubbles. Additionally, CCR diving offers better control over gas mixtures, leading to reduced decompression times and enhanced safety at deeper depths. Bill has been diving and instructing semi-closed and closed circuit Rebreathers for 25 years. He was one of the first Rebreather instructors in Canada and offers training on multiple units including AP Diving’s Inspiration.

Dräeger, AP Diving Inspiration
Air, deco and mixed gas - back and sidemount CCR programs
SCR and CCR Try-Dives
CCR Trainer Units Available

CAVERN & CAVE

Taking a cave diving course is essential for learning the specialized skills and safety protocols needed to navigate overhead environments, where direct ascent to the surface is impossible. These courses teach critical techniques such as gas management, proper buoyancy, and handling complex navigation, which are vital for avoiding potentially life-threatening situations. Additionally, a cave course allows divers to explore unique and stunning underwater caves safely, expanding their diving experiences in environments few get to see.

Cavern, Intro Cave, Full Cave and Technical Cave Programs
Programs offered in Canada and Mexico
Orientation to sensitive karst environments
Cave Camp and group travel programs

TECHNICAL WRECK

Technical wreck diver training is crucial because it teaches divers how to safely penetrate and navigate inside shipwrecks, where narrow passages, entanglement hazards, and poor visibility can pose significant risks. The training covers advanced skills like gas management, laying guide lines and handling restricted exits; all necessary for operating safely in overhead environments. This specialized instruction not only enhances safety but also opens up opportunities to explore deeper, more complex wrecks that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Wreck and Technical Wreck Diver Training
Conducted on BC’s premier shipwrecks like the Cape Breton, Capilano, Gulfstream and the Transpac
Offered in side-mount, back-mount and CCR configurations
Equipment rentals available (lights, reels, stages, etc)

SCOOTER DIVER

A Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) or scooter diver course teaches essential skills for safely operating underwater scooters, which allow divers to cover greater distances with less effort. The course focuses on handling the scooter, maintaining buoyancy and managing gas consumption at faster travel speeds. Additionally, DPVs enhance exploration possibilities, enabling divers to reach sites like distant wrecks or caves more efficiently while conserving energy and extending dive time.

DPV and Technical DPV Programs
Includes DPV maintenance and care
DPV rentals available
DPV try-dive program
Offered in free-diving, side/back-mount and CCR configurations

SIDEMOUNT

Taking a sidemount diver course is an integral part of the process as it ensures divers know how to configure tanks properly, offering increased flexibility and streamlining underwater. The sidemount setup improves accessibility to the tanks and valves, making gas management easier, especially in confined spaces like caves or wrecks. Sidemount diving also provides better balance and trim, reduces back strain compared to traditional backmount setups, and adds redundancy with multiple tanks, enhancing safety and comfort during technical or extended dives.

Streamlined, Improved Accessibility, Flexibility, Enhanced Safety and Comfort
Open-water sidemount, overhead and sump diving sidemount
Various sidemount configuration systems (tanks and BCD) to try during the program
Sidemount try-dive program

DECO DIVER

Taking a Decompression Procedures and Advanced Nitrox course is the mandatory first step for divers who want to safely plan and execute dives that exceed recreational no-decompression limits. The course teaches advanced gas management, allowing the use of high oxygen (Nitrox) mixes to accelerate decompression and reduce nitrogen exposure. Additionally, it covers essential skills for managing extended bottom times, handling multiple gas cylinders, and conducting staged decompression stops, enhancing diver safety and expanding access to deeper and more challenging dive sites.

Prerequisite for all levels of technical diving
Offered in side-mount, back-mount and CCR configurations
Equipment rentals available (lights, reels, stages, etc)

MIXED GAS DIVER

A mixed gas diver course is one of the core programs for divers seeking to explore greater depths beyond 100 feet or 33 meters, as it trains them to safely use gas mixtures like Trimix (oxygen, nitrogen, and helium). The course covers advanced dive planning, gas management, and the physiological effects of deep diving, such as mitigating nitrogen narcosis and oxygen toxicity. With this training, divers gain the skills and knowledge to safely execute deep technical dives, enabling exploration of wrecks, caves, and other sites at depths where air or Nitrox would be unsafe.

Normoxic, Heliotrox and Full Trimix Gas Programs
Overview Blending Operations for Mixed Gas also provided
Offered in side-mount, back-mount and CCR configurations
Equipment rentals available (lights, reels, stages, etc)