How is Sea Colony different from other facilities?

Owner / Course Director / Instructor Examiner John Kiser

John is considered one of the most experienced scuba instructors in the country. He has personally trained more divers in the world than any other instructor. Many awards have been presented to John for his achievements over the past 30 years from PADI and NAUI. As a PADI Course Director, John trains instructors for several dive stores in the Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania areas. He travels for PADI as an Instructor Examiner evaluating new instructor candidates. John's standards are very high. Because of this, Sea Colony has a perfect safety record !

Sea Colony Staff

Our staff of Professional Instructors, Assistant Instructors and Divemasters, are all hand picked and trained by John. All of our instructors are very experienced and have a PADI Instructor rating of at least Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

Exclusive use of Pools

We always make sure that there is extra staff available in the pools for student make-ups and students needing individual help. We do not teach in pools where lap swimming or other activities are taking place as this causes distractions to the students. We believe that the students should have the use of the entire pool for class and practice at the end of each pool session. This builds confidence and helps students become more comfortable in the water.

Open Water Diving Locations

Our open water dives are conducted at Lake Rawlings in Virginia. During the summer into early fall, the water temperature can be quite warm (into the 80s). This allows students to wear thin wetsuits (usually 2 to 3mm). Hoods and gloves are not required. Even more important, visibility at Lake Rawlings can be as good as 75 feet. Lake Rawlings is definitely NOT your typical Quarry diving experience.