Kathryn Waring – England

I did the SSI Instructor Crossover Course with Gaz. I found him to be well prepared, our time was used well & at no time did I feel over loaded with information.

I take away from the course confidence in my ability to teach an SSI course & grateful that Gaz has been clear he is always available for questions.

Enjoyable & educational.

Simone Wirthmann – Germany

I have just done my SSI Crossover in Master Divers with Gaz Lyden.

Being an Instructor for several years it was very revealing to see the difference in teaching methods & flexibility in scheduling SSI courses offer.

Gaz as our trainer was great. Very approachable & knowledgeable, patient enough to answer all of our questions. Consequently, I definitely recommend an SSI Crossover with Gaz, there is some work involved but it is worth it.

Mark Stinner – U.S.A.

Go Pro SSI was invaluable in helping me make the right decision to become a diving professional. It answered all the questions I had and provided me with a strong support network while I moved up the diving ranks. From the time I completed my SSI Open Water course to the time I became an SSI Dive Control Specialist, Go Pro SSI was there every step of the way to make sure that I was well informed of the requirements in becoming a dive professional.

Ben Falconer – New Zealand

Working with Gaz would have to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had in the diving industry. Being an underwater videographer, working with many dive instructors, Gaz measures up to being the most safe, fun and knowledgeable diving instructors out of them all.

His attitude towards teaching students is outstanding, from people slow at learning new skills, too teaching people who are afraid of fish; Gaz is an outstanding role model for all.

Roland Potts - England

Gaz Lyden was my mentor for my Dive Con course, he taught me both the theory and practical skills I required to qualify as a SSI Dive Control Specialist. I benefited greatly from his expansive knowledge of diving as well as his vast experience in the water while at the same time enjoying the learning experience. Through Gaz's tutelage I felt able to go straight into work as a Dive professional upon completion of the course.

Kento Watanabe - Australia

Hey Gaz,

Thank you for all your help getting me to Open Water Instructor. You went above and beyond and made sure I was well prepared for my IE. I will recommend your ITC to everyone I know.

Thanks again mate!

Karl Ang - Canada

I had the pleasure of doing my Divemaster certification with Gaz as my mentor. Long story short: Gaz is a truly top notch instructor. Not all certifications are created equal-- some outfits choose to treat their dive training with a lack of seriousness. My training with Gaz was focused, detailed, and very practically-oriented in a real world way. In a word, it was *professional*. The focus was on earning a certification that wasn't just a piece of paper, but one that showed I had a set of skills and a body of experience that would enable me to be a working diver if I so chose (which I did!). I also had an absolute blast doing it. While he runs a tight ship, Gaz also has a killer dryyyyyyy sense of humour (built around his overall 'no b.s.' attitude). While we took the training seriously, we never took ourselves too seriously and had a lot of laughs. It was a great time with lots of great memories. Seriously excellent.

Haje Jan Kramps – Holland

Dive instructors come in many different guises. Most competent instructors are able to explain diving concepts. Things get interesting when the students - due to language or other barriers - fail to understand what is being explained. Gaz is one of those rare instructors who is able to make even complicated diving concepts come to life, and he does it by adapting his explanations to fit the audience. I did my Divemaster with Gaz , and was happy to have the opportunity to observe him interact with students. I saw him explain the same concepts in a dozen different ways, until the students had a firm grasp of everything they needed to learn about diving. Obviously, this has several advantages, but the most important one is that students are granted a deep, intuitive understanding of diving and dive theory.

By being able to teach diving on a deeper level - one of understanding, rather than just reciting what is in the SSI books - Gaz is certifying divers that are safe, keen to learn more, and eager to explore the deep blue sea.

I would warmly recommend Gaz to anyone who wants to learn how to dive. In fact, I frequently have.

Ziah Fogal – U.S.A.

I went from not having ever dived before in my life to being a certified Dive Master with Gaz, and can say that at every step through the process he knew exactly how to make me feel comfortable and safe while learning as much as possible. His advice and encouragement throughout my training was invaluable.

Gaz is an excellent instructor, and has a talent for imparting his knowledge about diving, physiology, equipment, and all aspects of scuba diving to his students. He places a heavy emphasis on safety, (as it should be), and also manages to make the process of learning to be a safe diver fun and entertaining. I'd happily recommend Gaz as an instructor at any level to my friends and family.

Annemarie Morak – Holland

Gaz Lyden is known for his standards and that was what he delivered! I did my DiveCon with Gaz. It's amazing how every single day you learn, if you're fun diving or practicing how to demonstrate skills.

Gaz is a tough teacher. He'll only settle for the best, which will make you a truth professional.

I can recommend everybody to follow this program, and especially to go for Gaz as your mentor!

Pieter Van Ael - Belgium

I was on Koh Tao from January till May 2011 to start my diving experience. Me and my friend and college Joey, both cameramen in Belgium were on the Island to follow our diving courses as well as the Underwater Videography course at Oceans Below. Afterwards I was very glad I took my diving lessons at this small but very professional dive school. All the instructors are very friendly, fun and professional. One of their lead instructors is Gaz Lyden. I was lucky to get to know him as my instructor during the rescue course and as my mentor during my Divemaster training.

Gaz is a really fun guy and you can tell immediately that he is an instructor with a lot of experience. He taught me a lot about diving and most of all about diving safely and I m still grateful for all the things I learned from him. Gaz is a man with a huge passion for diving and you can feel he wants to pass on that passion to his students. Diving is a very safe sport when you follow the safety rules but in his long career as dive instructor, Gaz has helped in some emergency situations and you’ll notice if you have him as an instructor that safety is his number one priority. Gaz is great guy to joke around with, but when it comes to safety on the boat and during dives he is very strict. One of the things that struck me the most about Gaz as a person is his passion to make from each student the best diver that they can be in the period of course, whether it is an open water course of or a Divemaster training. He really wants you to be excellent divers!

David Trescot - USA

Gaz was an outstanding instructor for my Divemaster training. He has excellent technical skills as well as the patience and commitment required of a great teacher. If you want to learn, then Gaz is the person you want to learn from.

Julian Andrade - Argentina

Gaz Lyden was my DM instructor in Koh Tao in 2010. It was an intense and very constructive experience. Gaz was always focused both with theory and with practical experience, with special clarity with terms and more patience because of our different native languages.

He focused on my interest of being underwater videographer, so he made a lot of observations and gave me advice to improve my technique. He was methodic and focused instructor & helped me get through and make me a better diver.

Gaz is a great example of charisma, method and clarity on teaching scuba diving which I like to get someday.