Welcome
to Our Site

DIVE ARMY was originally founded in 2008 by Chris Adams as a scuba diver retention tool to keep students interested in scuba diving and continuing their formal dive education. Since that time, DIVE ARMY has become synonymous with the training of scuba divers and instructors for certification in the field of scuba diving as well as world class dive excursions to locations all over the United States and the world. DIVE ARMY has also grown into a large scuba diving community with over 1000 members and is continually growing with branded clothing and dive apparel all while recognizing and adhering to the strictest of PADI standards and the promotion of conservation awareness through Project AWARE.

DIVE ARMY has created and authored one of the most successful VA approved training programs and catalog for U.S Armed Services veterans to utilize their well-earned, well-deserved VA educational benefits through the utilization of their GI Bill or Vocational Rehabilitation. These programs have been successfully utilized in California and the Florida Keys since 2010. We pride ourselves on helping dive shops setup these amazing programs for our veterans.

AFFILIATES

Our Team.

DIVE ARMY takes divers on expeditions all over the world to discover the unseen world under the sea as well as exotic adventures on land. We also provide training for a plethora of certifications, including recreational diving, conservation diving, enriched air diving, and rebreather diving as well as CPR/First Aid courses. DIVE ARMY also works very closely with Diveheart to promote diving to adaptive divers and those who would assist adaptive divers in their pursuit of scuba diving.

Chris Adams

Owner and Trip Coordinator

Sarah sIsco

Trip Coordinator and Leader

Meet The Army

DIVE ARMY is a collective of instructors based all around the US. Wherever you are, we want you to receive the best training.

Course Director

Thomas Koch

Aqua Hands founder Thomas Koch, a lifelong adventurer, is known to say, “If you don’t dive, you haven’t lived,” to anyone who listens.

A Texas native, Thomas first jumped into a swimming pool at the age of two not yet knowing how to swim. This started a neverending love of water. In 1995, when The Sonny Carter Training Facility neutral buoyancy lab was built in Houston, Thomas saw scuba divers at work. He promised himself he would be a scuba diver.

In 1996, he took his first diving course and enhanced his passion for water. A Worldwide First Deaf PADI Course Director, and love to dive with sharks and anywhere he could show others the beauty of the ocean.
Article about Thomas:
PADI Blog: Thomas J Koch – PADI Course Director with a mission  - 27 September 2015
In Depth Interview with 1st Deaf PADI Course Director Tom Koch  - 31 August 2015
PADI ASIA Blog: Thomas J Koch, first deaf PADI Course Director  - 26 August 2015

Master Scuba Diver Trainer

Shelbie Schilling

Hello! My name is Shelbie and I grew up going to Maui with my family every other year. When my sister turned 12, her and my dad got their open water certifications and started diving together. I was crushed. I wanted nothing more than to go with them and see for myself all the things they would tell me they would see on their dives. When I turned 10, I did a Discover Scuba Diving and went on my very first open water dive. I was obsessed. I started begging my parents to get certified and once we got back home they took me to Monterey and I became a junior open water diver. And boy was it was COLD! Monterey was nothing like the warm waters of Maui and it made me want to go back to Hawaii but also made me start thinking about what other places might be like.

Master Scuba Diver Trainer

Jeff Adams

The year was 1997, when I was a wee little lad, I attended a discover scuba in my hometown. I fell in love with the freedom and well, the whole experience really, that I signed up for classes and got my Open Water the following year. Fast forward a few years to 2006 when I started diving more regularly, got my Advanced and Rescue certifications, and met a lot more local divers (which became dive buddies and now are good friends). In 2007, I went on my first diving trip to Roatan, Honduras, and immediately knew this was not a one time thing. Next up was Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon and Palau in 2008, followed by Centoes, Cozumel, Belize and Isle Royal National Park in 2010. At this point, I decided to start my professional career by working towards my Divemaster rating. Finished that up in 2016, then I signed up for IDC in January 2017 in Key Largo at Rainbow Reef. This is where I meet Chris (he was my course

Open Water Scuba Instructor

Andy Adams

Master Scuba Diver Trainer

Nicole Procopenko

Nichole is a PADI MSDT with hundreds of certifications and thousands of dives. For her, diving is sublime: therapy, education, and existing outside of gravity all in one. She recently traded the warm waters of Maui for the Kelp Forests of Southern California and loves to teach; especially introducing kids and fellow women to the mermaid world. Outside of teaching - she loves to dive with anyone who wants to be there