Dene Ulmschneider

TDI/SDI Instructor Trainer • Recreational, Technical & Overhead Diving Instructor
Owner of Scuba Techie & The Overhead Environment.

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Dene’s diving career began in 2012, when an Open Water class ignited a drive to not only explore the underwater world but to eventually teach others to do the same. What started as a recreational journey quickly evolved into a commitment to reach the highest levels of technical and overhead training before ever considering becoming an instructor. After completing extensive technical coursework and earning full cave certification, Dene finally felt prepared to move into teaching—slowly, deliberately, and with standards rooted in real competence rather than speed.

 

Today, Dene has achieved the prestigious TDI and SDI Instructor Trainer ratings, allowing him to train not only divers but also dive professionals, from Open Water Scuba Instructor all the way through Overhead Instructor levels in both wreck and cave environments. His teaching philosophy centers on attention, precision, and student success, which is why he maintains a strict maximum 1:4 instructor-to-student ratio in all programs.

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Always pushing his personal limits forward, Dene is actively building hours and pursuing instructor-level training across several modern rebreathers. This ongoing development ensures his students benefit from the most current knowledge, techniques, and equipment in the field.

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Dene later expanded his mission by opening Scuba Techie in Marianna, Florida—a shop built to serve divers with honesty, expertise, and genuine care. He also founded The Overhead Environment, a community-focused dive destination created to support divers, visiting instructors, and students with an environment that prioritizes people over profit. Together, these two locations work to strengthen the dive community through education, mentorship, and high training standards.

 

Outside the classroom, Dene remains deeply engaged in the broader diving world. He volunteers at cleanups, participates in conferences and industry events, and frequently supports community education efforts for both divers and non-divers. His approach to diving is rooted in continual learning, building competent, confident divers, and fostering a culture where safety, skill, and respect for the environment come first.

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If you’d like to discuss training, upcoming programs, or your personal diving goals, Dene is always happy to talk.

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Here is a video project that he volunteered for to help spread the word on proper training and practice.

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Go No Farther

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The following is a list of courses I currently offer:

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Recreational Courses:

snorkeling, discover scuba, open water, sidemount diver, drysuit diver, deep diver, enriched air nitrox (EANx),wreck diver, night/limited viz, underwater photography, stress n rescue, search n recovery, navigation, drift diving

equipment specialist, peak performance buoyancy, boat diving, divemaster, advanced open water, (which would be a small selection of a few of the above listed specialties), open water DPV (diver propulsion vehicle)

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Technical Courses:

overhead sidemount, advanced sidemount, advanced wreck penetration, advanced nitrox / deco procedures, cavern diver, intro to cave diver, apprentice cave diver, full cave diver, stage diving / cave decompression, overhead DPV (diver propulsion vehicle)

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Professional Courses:

Professional development services offered for TDI & SDI instructor ratings for everything from open water through overhead. Reach out today and get in on the next IDC or make a plan to work on your technicakl instructor ratings.