TOM STEINER VAN DEN OUWEELEN

Teaching diving for me is more than a lifestyle; it's my passion and it's a part of me.

“One important key to extreme diving is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is training and to never overestimate your self-confidence...”

                                                                                                                                                                                 — Tom Steiner

Tom Steiner van den Ouweelen is a Technical and Recreational Course Director Instructor Trainer and Examinator living on Gozo, Malta. His passion is teaching technical diving and cave diving either in backmount or sidemount configurations. After 45 years in the water, Tom's extensive 36 years experience as a full time professional will provide you with the most interesting and demanding courses that you could possibly ask for. The training is tough but through this, you will become a very good diver.

Tom was born in 1965, in Switzerland, 1 km from Bulle (which means Bubble in French!). He speaks and writes seven languages fluently (EN, F, D, SP, NL, I & HUNG) and also has good knowledge of Arabic. Tom started diving during a holiday in 1979 with his first course in Barbados. After returning to Switzerland, he continued his diving education in Lake Geneva, (Montreux). 90% of all of Tom's diving education took place in the cold, dark Swiss lakes with the other 10% in the Mediterranean Sea. He started with CMAS adding additional agency certifications with PADI, TDI, SDI, EDA, NRC, IANTD, BSAC, PROTEC, ISE, and ANDI Instructor.

After over 36 years of professional diving, Tom has now completed over 15,600 dives and a total of 2,500 hours on rebreathers. He has worked in the diving industry all over the world and has also presented seminars on technical diving at a number of international dive shows and events. He was an EDA Examiner, CMAS *** Instructor Course Director & Examiner, TDI, SDI, PADI TECREC Course Director Instructor Trainer, INNERSPACE Explorers Instructor Trainer, PADI Master Scuba Instructor, Master Freediving Instructor and finally a BSAC, ANDI & IANTD Instructor.

Tom has trained instructors all over the planet and is one of the most experienced and highest-profile Technical Diving Instructor Trainers in the world. Tom has also trained Astronauts at the European Space Agency and performed rebreather training for the Greek Navy and Coast Guard.

In addition to his work as a technical diving instructor, Tom has been involved in providing dive safety at a number of high profile events. In 2000, he organized the AIDA Freediving World Championship at Lake Geneva where his team was responsible for the safety of 48 freedivers. During this event his team had to endure four hours non-stop underwater at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. Tom has personally acted as safety diver for world-renown freedivers Loic Leferme, Fred Buyle, Şahika Ercümen and Sarah Campbell. He has also provided safety diver services to Pascal Bernabe (former world deepest dive record holder at 330 meters), assisting him during his training sessions and deep trimix courses and dives.

Tom has been involved in a number of prominent marine movie projects including "330 Metres Below the Sea" and "22 minutes". He has written and translated books on Rebreather and Nitrox Diving and developed the first Tec Sidemount course in the diving industry. He has also build the first fresh water reefball project in Lake Leman Switzerland. He moved to Gozo in February 2012 after having spent 16 years diving and working in Sinai, Egypt. 

In Egypt, he was the Manager of Dahab Divers Lodge and then the owner of two dive centers; Fantaseatec and Dahab Divers Technical. 

Tom is now located on Gozo, Malta, from March to end October and teaches technical diving courses around the world during the winter in the northern and southern hemisphere.

Total number of dives: +15,600
Rebreather hours: 2,500 (Inspiration, SF1, Draeger, OMG "Azimuth", Voyager)
Cave dives: +2,500 (Spain, France, Mexico, Malta, Egypt)
Dives between 40 to 100 meters: +6,000
Dives between 100-150 meters: +250
Dives between 150-200 meters: 5
First dive: 1979
Training agencies : TDI/SDI and PADI

Adel George Hallak

Diving takes me to another world. The feeling of being on the moon, suspended, weightless, in another dimension.

I started diving at age 24 in Kuwait in 2000 and it quickly became a big part of my life, a way to connect with the sea and myself every weekend whilst running my own businesses in the Middle East. After 8 years of professional courses to develop myself as a diver, I became an instructor in 2008 with NAUI (National Association of Under Water Instructors). In less than three years, I taught 207 divers, some of which I trained until they reached instructor level.

I became a technical diver in 2007 and a cave diver in 2015, training with instructors like Tom Steiner in Egypt. I started diving sidemount in 2011 and became a sidemount instructor with Tom in 2012. In 2015, I became a full-time technical diving instructor, teaching sidemount, tech sidemount, advanced nitrox, and deco pro. I guide any technical dives, including trimix. I work in English and Arabic.

Total number of dives: 3,000+
Dives between 40 to 100 meters: 500+
Training agencies: SDI/TDI, SSI, NAUI, PADI 

TUPAC MENDOZA

Teaching diving is for me more than sharing my passion, it’s to connect with the underwater world.

« Any diving gear is a tool. Don’t be a slave of your tools, master them »

Tupac was born in 1979, in France. He speaks French, English, Spanish and has a good understanding of Dutch and German.
Tupac started diving in 2004 during a holiday in Malaysia. Since then he kept diving while traveling in South-East Asia, Australia, Central and South-America and also in Europe. Being a recreational diving instructor and always looking to further his education, he started technical diving in 2012.

After almost 10 years of professional diving, Tupac has now over +4,000 dives and a total of over 200 hours on JJ rebreather. He has worked in the diving industry mostly in Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and now Malta. He is a PADI Master Instructor, SSI, SDI/TDI instructor, Advanced Trimix diver, Full cave diver, CCR diver.

Total number of dives: +4,000
Rebreather hours: +200 (JJ)
Cave dives: +500 (France, Mexico, Malta)
Dives between 40 to 100 meters: +1,000
Dives between 100 to 150 meters: +50
Dives between 150 to 200 meters: 1
First dive: 2004
Training agencies: TDI/SDI and PADI

PHILIPP OTTO BREICHA

Scubadiving is like space traveling. you are in fascinating but quixotic surroundings – completely depending on your equipment. and if you can manage it – you are totally weightless

Philipp was born in 1966 in Austria and raised in Vienna. Since his childhood, he was fascinated by the underwater world but, due to a perforated eardrum he was not allowed to dive. During his time, he spent endless hours exploring the shallow waters and the shorelines during his family vacations in Croatia. 

As soon as he got the medical go ahead, he started training and became addicted to diving. In 2007, he became a Divemaster and in 2008 he reached the Assistant Instructor rating. 

In 2010 he became a partner of Under Pressure at the Attersee in Austria and became an Instructor in 2011  after finishing his IDC with Ben Walzinger and the IE by Dive Asia in Phuket. Since 2012, he spends his time on the fascinating island of Gozo. In 2018 he got the opportunity to become part of Gozo Diving, leading recreational diving activities. He now spends two months in spring and two months in autumn on Gozo.

Total number of dives: +2000
First dive: 2006
Training agency: PADI

THOMAS LOUVRADOUX

“Learn, Practice and Master. Put the ego on the side and become the best diver you can be!”

Thomas was born in 1991 in France. He speaks fluently French and English. Thomas always loved water, as a kid he used to spend hours and hours in the water, doing free diving, fishing sea urchins and playing with fishes. That’s why, at the age of 14, when he had to choose what he wanted to do at a summer camp, he chose scuba diving. From there, he was hooked! After 2 weeks in Marseille, Thomas obtained his level 1 certification of diving from the french CMAS. Diving became a big part of his holidays and trying to get his parents to go somewhere where one can dive became his speciality! 

Later, during his study, Thomas took a year off and went to Bali to do his PADI divemaster and worked there as a guide for a year. When he came back to France to finish his studies, he wanted more.
Addicted to learning new stuff and becoming the best diver he can be, he went to Malta on holidays to learn Technical diving with Tom Steiner. For the next 7 years, Thomas was finishing his studies in France and going to Malta each year to learn more! He reached the levels of Trimix diver (on sidemount and twinset configuration) and Full caver diver over the years.

Finally Dr. Thomas finished his PhD in Quantum Physic and started working in Paris. After a year or so, Thomas decided that his passion for diving was greater than his passion for physics and decided to become a full time Technical Diving Instructor at Gozo Technical Diving. During 6 months in Gozo, Thomas became an Intro to Tech, Tech Sidemount and Advanced Nitrox instructor!

He has a passion for learning and for teaching, during his studies he taught physics to students from middle school to Masters’ level. And now, he wants to teach diving the same way he teaches physics, with passion and accuracy!

Total number of dives: 2000+

Dives between 40 to 60 meters: 100+

Training agencies: SDI/TDI

First dive: 2005

ALEX MORIGgI

“As soon as my head is underwater, nothing else exists but my
immediate surrounding.”

Alex was born in Switzerland in 1974 and speaks French, English and has basic knowledge in German as well as in Spanish.

After having travelled the world and lived in several countries for years, he thinks that the underwater world is worth experiencing. In 2010 he decides to explore it and never once has this wonderful world failed him. Diving became his passion. In 2018, after few years in Cambodia, he moves to Indonesia to make his passion his work.
Alex did many dives all over the world: Egypt, Corsica, Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo, The Philippines, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, but also in Panama, Argentina, Switzerland, Spain, Croatia and Malta.
He started technical diving with Tom in Switzerland, then in Malta and Spain. So far, he attended courses to reach the level of full cave and trimix diver.

First Dive: 2002 (Thailand)
Dive Master: 2015 (Switzerland)
Dive teaching in Switzerland, Indonesia and Malta
Total dives: ~ 600
Dives between 40 – 60 meters: 16
Training agencies: TDI/SDI, PADI