The practice program
Dive Into Presence
Open to everyone, by the World Happiness Academy. No prerequisites, no credential — the first breath of contemplative diving, for certified divers and complete beginners alike.
Join Dive Into Presence →Academy
Teach presence where it's most natural to find.
Become a Mindful Dive Instructor™.
Two doors, one water.
The Foundation opens the practice to everyone; the Institute holds the professional path. They meet in the same water.
The professional path
Mindful Diving Instructor Academy
MD-4 and MD-5, held by the Mindful Diving Institute. For active instructors and divemasters who want to teach the standard inside their own agency.
See the certification pathwayWho it's for
Active instructors and divemasters of any recognized agency who want to bring a wellbeing layer to the diving they already teach.
Curriculum
Mindfulness applied to diving
How attention, breath and intention integrate into real dive plans, from briefing to debrief.
Neuroscience of wellbeing
The physiology of calm and presence, explained in language you can teach.
Emotional regulation & group state
Reading and steadying a group's arousal before, during and after a dive.
Breath techniques within scuba safety
Slow, continuous breathing only — never breath-holding or skip-breathing on scuba.
Designing Before / Below / Between / Beyond
Building a session around the four moments of the Mindful Diving arc.
Measurement & ethics
Using validated instruments to measure outcomes, honestly and responsibly.
Instructor self-care
We train you to care for yourself, not only your divers.
Format
Online learning plus a 3-day in-water intensive at partner centers. First cohorts open in 2027.
First cohort locations
Canary Islands
El Hierro — Mar de las Calmas, the Sea of Calm.
Bali
Volcanic walls, temple reefs and a deep contemplative culture.
Riviera Maya
Cenotes — stillness, light and silence in fresh water.
Red Sea
Desert coast, warm water and some of the richest reefs on earth.
Before you apply
The Academy builds on MD-4, the Mindful Dive Instructor™ certification.
Join the waitlist
Leave your details and we'll reach out as cohort dates are confirmed.