Arthur Koch -- Owner, SSI Instructor Trainer, PADI IDC Staff Instructor

In 1984 I learned to scuba diving on a whim. A friend needed someone to be her first student and offered to train me just for fun. Who knew it would become a lifelong passion and career? Shortly after that I went to work for three little Devils in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where I earned my Scuba Instructor rating.  In April of 1987, I went out on my own, opening Sea Level Diving.

As a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) IDC Staff Instructor I can teach everything from Discover Scuba through Assistant Instructor and many specialties including, Deep, Photographer, Wreck, Navigation, Search and Recovery, Ice Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Dry Suit, Boat, Drift, Full Face Mask, Equipment Specialist, Emergency Oxygen Provider, Emergency First Responder, Peak Buoyancy, and Night Diver.

In 2020 I took on a new challenge and became a Master Instructor for SSI (Scuba Schools International) with the goal of becoming an Instructor Trainer by the end of 2021. Goal achieved! I earned the Instructor Trainer certification in October 2021 at the IT Course in Cozumel, Mexico. As an Instructor Trainer for SSI I can teach everything from Try Scuba through Open Water Scuba Instructor and many specialty courses including, Altitude Diver, Deep, Diver Stress and Rescue, Dry Suit, Nitrox, Wreck & Advanced Wreck, Equipment Techniques, Full Face Mask, Ice, Navigation, Scooter and DPV, Computer, Night, Perfect Buoyancy, Photography, React Right, Independent Diving, Waves Tides and Currents, Search & Recovery, Night and Limited Visibility, all of SSI’s ecology courses including, Fish Identification, Sea Turtle Ecology, Shark Ecology, Manta Ray Ecology, Marine Ecology, and Coral Identification. 

After over 35 years of teaching, I still enjoy teaching all certification levels and I am looking forward to teaching the next generation of Scuba Instructors.