Private scuba instruction · Montréal, Québec
Become a calm,
confident diver.
Founder-led, safety-first scuba instruction for adults who want real skill in the water, not a rushed weekend card. You learn privately or in a small group, at a pace that fits you.
Courses & services
Instruction built around you.
Every course is taught privately or semi-privately. The instructor travels to you and arranges pool or open-water access, so your training fits your life and your comfort level.
Beginner instruction
Never breathed underwater? You start in calm, shallow water and build one skill at a time, toward your Open Water certification with no rush and no pressure.
Refresher & reactivate
Certified, but it has been a while? A private refresher rebuilds your skills and confidence before your next trip, so you step in ready rather than rusty.
Advanced training
Ready for more depth, navigation, and new environments? Advanced instruction sharpens the skills that make diving feel effortless.
Rescue & EFR
Rescue training and Emergency First Response turn a good diver into a calm, capable buddy who can prevent problems and respond well.
Private & semi-private coaching
The core of Dive Pura Vida. One-to-one or with a partner you choose. Full attention, faster progress, a plan shaped around your goals.
Confidence coaching
For divers who feel anxious in the water. Gentle, structured sessions focused on breathing, control, and trust before anything else.
About the instructor
Taught by one real instructor, start to finish.
Dive Pura Vida is led by Jennifer, who teaches every course personally. You are not handed off to rotating staff. The person who plans your first breath underwater is the person who signs off your certification.
Her focus is nervous and returning divers: people who want the ocean but need to trust the water, and themselves, first. The proof behind that calm is real depth of training. Jennifer is a PADI Master Instructor (member #373050) with IDC Staff Instructor and EFR Instructor ratings, over 15 PADI specialty instructor ratings, and TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures technical training. She has been teaching since 2016, has 1,000+ dives logged, and has issued 200+ certifications. She teaches full courses in English, French, and Spanish, including live trilingual classes.
Jennifer learned to dive in the Galápagos, where her first giant stride off San Cristóbal dropped her into water full of sea lions and life. She felt home instantly. That feeling is what she teaches toward: helping people meet the 70% of the world that lives in the ocean, calmly and safely.
Safety first, ego never. Skills are mastered in calm water before they are tested in open water. Nobody is pushed past what they are ready for, and nobody is made to feel slow for needing another session. Calm divers are safe divers.
Request a consultWhat you can expect
- A private plan shaped around your goals and comfort.
- Skills broken into small, achievable steps.
- Honest guidance on when you are ready, and when to wait.
- Standards held high, because the water does not negotiate.
For nervous divers
If the water scares you, you are exactly who this is for.
A lot of people quietly want to dive and quietly believe they can't. Maybe deep water tightens your chest. Maybe the idea of a mask on your face feels like too much. Maybe you tried once, panicked, and decided diving wasn't for you. None of that means you can't learn. It means you were rushed.
Here, nothing happens before you are ready for it. We start on land, then in water you can stand up in. You keep your head above the surface until staying under feels like your idea, not a demand. Every step is small enough to say yes to.
You set the pace. If a skill needs three sessions instead of one, that is fine. There is no clock, no audience, and no version of this where you are made to feel ashamed for being human.
We spend real time on the two things that calm a body underwater: slow breathing and a sense of control. Once you trust that you can breathe, clear your mask, and surface whenever you choose, the fear loosens its grip. That is when diving starts to feel like the quiet, weightless thing people fall in love with.
And if you decide diving isn't for you after all, that is a completely respectable answer, taken from calm rather than panic.
Pricing & packages
Private instruction first.
Private & semi-private coaching
The heart of Dive Pura Vida and the fastest way to become a calm, capable diver. Full attention, a plan built around your goals, progress that fits your schedule. Pricing is shaped to your course path and group size.
The simplest next step is a short consult. No obligation.
Get a private-instruction quoteWhat shapes your quote
Your course path, private or small-group, the number of sessions you need, and certification-agency fees. Every quote is built for you and confirmed before anything is booked.
Prices are not listed here on purpose. The right number depends on your goals, and a short consult is the fastest way to it.
Request your quoteStart right now
Dive Theory Decoded
Stuck on the physics and physiology side of your certification? Dive Theory Decoded is a self-paced study guide that breaks dive theory into seven plain-language modules, with a formula sheet and a full practice exam. There is a free 10-question quiz on the page if you just want to test yourself first.
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need to own gear to start?
No. You can begin with no equipment of your own. We will sort out what you need for each stage, and you can decide later whether and what to buy. Buying gear is never a condition of training.
Can I learn if I'm anxious in the water?
Yes, and many of the best students start exactly there. Training moves at your pace, starting in water you can stand up in, with real time spent on breathing and control. See the For nervous divers section. There is no shame and no rush.
Where do the courses happen?
Instruction is based in the Montréal area. Confined-water sessions take place in a pool, and open-water sessions take place at suitable local sites. The instructor travels to you and arranges access, within the service region discussed during your consult.
How long does certification take?
It depends on the course and on you. Some certifications can be completed over a few sessions; others take longer, especially when we slow down to build confidence first. Your consult includes a realistic timeline for your goals.
What is eLearning?
Several certifications let you complete the knowledge portion online, at home, before your in-water sessions. That keeps pool and open-water time focused on actual skills. We will tell you which parts of your course offer an online option.
What languages are courses taught in?
Instruction is available in English, French, and Spanish, including live trilingual classes. Tell us your preferred language when you request a consult and we will confirm the fit.
What is the refund and cancellation policy?
In short: let us know as early as you can if plans change, and we will work with you. Certain agency materials and fees become non-refundable once issued. The full terms are in our Cancellation policy.
Contact & book
Request a consult.
Send a short note and we will reply by email to set up a no-pressure conversation. We collect only what we need to respond.
Prefer to book a time directly?
When online booking is live, you will be able to pick a consult time here.
Book a consult Booking link coming soon