INTRO TO TECH • HELITROX • Deep Air • TRIMIX 240′ • Adv Wreck
Train with me in 2027 to prepare for the Wreck dives you really want to make!
I teach Open Circuit divers the way I actually dive. With thousands of dives on world famous shipwrecks like the U-869, the Andrea Doria, the Lusitania, and the Britannic, as well as the shipwrecks of exotic diving destinations like Chuuk, Scapa Flow, and Bikini, I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t.
I teach stand alone TDI Certification courses in Intro to Tech, Helitrox, Extended Range (Deep Air), Trimix to 240′, and Advanced Wreck. I also combine the hard ceiling training of the Advanced Wreck course, with the soft ceiling training of the Helitrox, Extended Range (Deep Air), and Trimix to 240′ courses. I believe in the courses I teach, and work to make them modern, comprehensive, and fun! My job is to help students develop the knowledge and skills to accomplish their wreck diving goals while minimizing the inherent risks.
Responsibility
Safety
Wreck diving is inherently dangerous. Nothing is more important than Student Safety. Every decision matters.
UnderstandingKnowledge
“It takes considerable knowledge to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” Thomas Sowell
Specialty
Wrecks
Wreck Diving is not Cave Diving. It is not better or worse but different. Shipwrecks are manmade constructs.
ApproachPreparation
The Plan is our foundation, and everything rests on it. The odds are against you executing a dive that is better than the Plan.
Why TRAIN WITH ME?
Real exploration experience, translated into serious diver training
In more than 40 years of diving shipwrecks, somehow I have been able to make 174 Andrea Doria dives, I was a member of the Starfish Enterprise team that travelled to Ireland for the first technical dives on the Lusitania, and was the first rebreather diver on Britannic, among other accomplishments. For me, wreck diving is about creativity and innovation. I bring that real world experience to my classes, and I love what I do.
Real-World Wreck Experience
The late Bill Hamilton said it a million times, “What works, works.” We may not be able to understand how everything works, but we do need to understand why we do what we do.
Discipline
Divers will never be better than their mastery of fundamental skills like trim, buoyancy, propulsion, situational awareness, planning, gas management, communication, and decision-making.
Focused, High-Level Instruction
Designed for divers who desire to go deeper, stay longer, and safely return from places that not every diver can visit. Smaller classes and direct coaching keep the training personal, practical, and demanding in the best way.
Training programs
Advanced Training for Serious Divers
My training is designed to help divers acquire new capabilities with confidence, discipline, and purpose.
Intro to Tech & Advanced Nitrox
This is a course specifically designed for recreational divers who want to become technical divers but have little to no experience using twin cylinders with a backplate and wing.
- Perfect First Step
- Learn the basics of tech diving before diving deeper
- View program details →
Advanced Wreck Diving
For divers ready to sharpen penetration techniques, situational awareness, wreck protocols, and execution under pressure.
- Advanced Wreck for Certified Deco Divers
- Combo Advanced Wreck with Helitrox, Trimix, or Deep Air
“Deep Air” and Helium Diving
Build the planning habits and in-water discipline needed for staged decompression and deeper technical profiles.
- Helitrox
- Extended Range
- Basic Trimix
About John
One of the world’s most accomplished wreck divers
John Chatterton has spent decades exploring, documenting, and diving some of the world’s most challenging shipwrecks, from U-869 and Andrea Doria to Britannic, Lusitania, and Titanic. His background includes commercial diving, deep wreck exploration, television production, and technical diving instruction through TDI/SDI.
Today, John brings that real-world experience into the classroom and the water, training divers in advanced wreck, decompression, and helium diving. His courses are built around sound judgment, disciplined planning, and the practical decision-making required for minimizing risk.
- Diving instructor since 1986
- Co-host of History Channel’s Deep Sea Detectives
- Featured in Shadow Divers and major wreck exploration documentaries
- Training technical divers in Florida and other select locations