Diver rescued from Blue Springs cave - Jackson County Floridan : News

Diver rescued from Blue Springs cave - Jackson County Floridan : News

Diver's Alert Network

Well, after years of working a non traditional job, playing all the time and living the dream as a SCUBA Instructor, I finally did it.  I decided to start looking into real careers, finding something that would better support myself and my family through out the year.

Don't get me wrong, teaching SCUBA is great and I have made good money doing it for the past decade, but it is not consistent money.  The industry that I love so much is very dependent on the weather, the economy, the attitudes of the people involved... so I decided to dig into my closet and find my nice shoes, and my long pants, and to hang up my board shorts for a while. 

Hello corporate America, I am now holding down a desk chair, and watching all of my former co-workers posts on facebook so that I can feel a bit more connected to the water and sand that I have left behind.

Now, for all of you who are covering your mouths, wondering "why, what have you done???" do not worry.  I looked long and hard before choosing the career I did.  I am now a representative for DAN.  Many of you who know me are now thinking "Todd, a sales rep?" nope, that is not what I said, I said I am a representative for DAN.  I will be working with the dive professionals out there in the field, helping to educate them on what DAN can do for them.  I will be travelling to Dive Centers around the country explaining how DAN works, discussing ways to implement programs, and teaching SCUBA Instructors how to teach dive safety.  I will be working with Course Directors, Instructor Trainers and Key Staff in the dive centers to teach them how to better reach the diving public with DAN's mission and goals. 

Not only will I be reaching out to educate them on the Insurance and Training side of DAN, but I will also be introducing them to the Medical and Research teams, and informing them of all of the work that DAN does behind the scenes to strive to make every dive accident and injury free. 

So, I hope you can see that I did not give up training divers, I have just found a way to make my training more focused and to reach a much larger population than ever before.  I so look forward to coming out and talking with you.  If you have any questions, please contact me at tyarbrough@dan.org

PADI Elite Instructor

I am very happy to have received my PADI Elite Instructor Badge for issuing more then 200 certifications in the year 2013.

Over the last few years, I have managed to issue 200 or more certifications every year, and this is a new award that PADI is sending out to their instructors to allow them to distinguish themselves as performing instructors.  Many of the people who become SCUBA Instructors never issue very many certifications at all, many people see it as just a goal to attain.  It makes me very proud of the organization that I teach through that they want to recognize their instructors.  I just hope next years has a 300 in the middle of it.

Marine Debris Clean-Up Underwater/Shore | Project AWARE

Marine Debris Clean-Up Underwater/Shore | Project AWARE

TEC, Rebreathers, and Doubles

I have recently become a Tec diver, with training from advanced deco procedures up to Trimix which is a gas mixture of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Helium. 
Helium is an inert gas that has no narcotic effect at depth, so by replacing some of the nitrogen in what you are breathing with helium, we are able to dive much deeper without endangering ourselves by doing something we would not normally do.  This does not shorten our decompression needs though, so at the deeper depths, it is important to have more than enough breathing gas.  Depending on the depths and times you are trying to achieve, this becomes a real drag.  My equipment was double lp 108s and a 40 ft^3 bottle of Oxygen, just because I did not want to do really long dives, but some of my friends regularly dive with doubles and two or more full size scuba bottles hanging on them. 

I am very excited to start my journey into technical diving, but I do not see myself ever getting into the really deep stuff, I believe my personal enjoyment is in the realm of 150 feet or shallower.  I did love being able to extend my dive time into deco without worrying.  I see so many great applications for this style of diving in our area.  We have many sites in the 100 ft plus range that I would love to spend more than 20 minutes exploring.  32 % nitrox allows for 30 minutes, but with deco procedures, we can now stay down much much longer.  With trimix, we can even have a completely clear head on dives that are exceeding 100 feet.  The options are amazing, I cannot wait to explore more.

Underwater Photography

 

 

Digital Underwater Photography Course

Two Days of Diving

Three Certifications!!!

Weekend of March 7,8 and 9th

Come join me for two fun filled days of diving, learn about our local environment and take and edit as many photos as you can!!! 

At the end of this weekend, you will earn credit for the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Course, The Project AWARE, Fish ID Course and the PADI Underwater Naturalist Course.

Call me for more details 850 527 1307

Patricia Suggs, Master SCUBA Instructor

Patricia Suggs is the other half of TRY Diving.  She is a PADI Master Instructor who threw herself into diving.  Patti is a diver driven by ambition, she knew exactly what she wanted to be early on in her diving career. 

 Patti is one of the most active enthusiasts when it comes to protecting our aquatic environment.  She organizes and conducts several environmental clean ups every year.  She also has certified hundreds of divers, and been inspirational to thousands of divers.  Patti is one of the professionals instructors that makes PADI look so good, always taking the time to make sure her students are not only capable of completing the skills, but also comfortable with their place in the water.


Not only is Patti an accomplished diver, but she also has a Masters Degree in Professional Communication from Florida State University, with plans to continue her education with a degree in Maritime Studies.

Todd Yarbrough, SCUBA Instructor Instructor



Todd Yarbrough teaching an open water
class in the pool



Todd Yarbrough is a PADI Master Instructor and Course Director operating out of the North Florida region.  He has been teaching people to SCUBA dive for over ten years, and is responsible for introducing thousands of people to the water.  In 2012, Todd continued his education in SCUBA by attending a Course Director Training Course in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and earned the ability to teach others to instruct SCUBA.  Since earning this rating, Todd has passionately pursued seeking out others who are interested in sharing the underwater world with others.



Hovering

 Todd's diving started in Nacogdoches, Texas with the divers at Diver's Depot.  Classes were held at Stephen F. Austin State University by Sally and EK Sowell.  After diving with them for three years, he moved down the road to Lufkin, Texas and met
his mentor, Gerald Conner.  Gerald ran a small store and was extremely customer oriented in his business model.  Todd spent countless evenings pouring over materials in the back room of Gerald's store, "The Dive Shop."  At the end of this, Todd became a SCUBA Instructor.

Todd and Patti hanging out in Maui

All of this led Todd to a degree in psychology, permission to teach Scuba, and a need for a job.  This started the longest dry spell of his life.  After a year of teaching school and two years doing construction, Todd moved to Panama City Beach.  This offered the best of both worlds, construction was booming, and the best shore diving site around was right down the road.  Todd built houses, did repairs and dove constantly.  This was where he met Joe Yount, part owner of the Dive Locker.  Joe knew Todd was an instructor, and introduced him to the others at the store.  After about a year of diving and playing around, Todd started teaching.  In the first year, he taught almost 200 people to dive, and began adding classes to the list of things he could teach.  In the years since, Todd has been expanding his knowledge of the underwater world, delving into areas that push and expand his limitations.  His newest hobbies include technical, mixed gas diving spending extended times underwater and pushing his maximum depths. 





PADI Instructor Development Courses for 2014

Attention Divers!!! Have you ever thought about a career in SCUBA?

The all new schedule for Instructor Development Courses has been set!  Todd Yarbrough will be conducting four courses at the Dive Locker in 2014. 

The dates that have been set are immediately followed by an Instructor Examination in Destin, Florida.  This will allow you to have the most exposure immediately prior to testing.

1.       March 1-7, Test Dates March 8,9

2.       May 10-16, Test Dates May 17,18

3.       August 23-29, Test Dates August 30,31

4.       October 25-31, Test Dates November 1,2

Please contact the shop to sign up and purchase your materials.  You also will need to attend two online seminars at www.padi.com.

1.       IDC Online

2.       Dive Theory Online

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 850-527-1307 on my cell or at the shop at 850 230 8006.  I can also be reached by e mail at todd.reece.yarbrough@gmail.com