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IDEA Scuba is committed to providing the highest quality educational materials for the recreational diver, instructor and dive professional. These products are produced under the supervision of an experienced team of educators and technical divers from all around the world.
Those wishing to learn more about IDEA’s affiliate stores, diver training, IDEA equipment, educational programs, and educational products should contact IDEA Scuba headquarters at 727-855-IDEA (4332) or info@idea-scuba.com.
The International Diving Educators Association (IDEA) was originally established in 1952 as part of the Florida Skin Divers Association (FSDA). FSDA is a group of politically active Florida dive clubs. FSDA has been the voice of the diver since 1952.
In the early days, Scuba Instructor training and certification was handled by the FSDA Scuba Training Committee which was also in charge of Standards & Procedures and new diver certifications. As FSDA grew, so did the Scuba Training Committee. By 1976 there were more FSDA instructors outside of Florida than within the state. Florida is home to many military bases and military personnel and with many FSDA Scuba Instructors in the military, the Scuba Training Committee began to grow internationally. As our military members transferred throughout the world, so did FSDA Scuba Instructors. In a short period of time the instructors had also spread to the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, the Antilles and Barbados and South America. It was at this time the committee members decided that the FSDA Scuba Training Committee had outgrown FSDA.
In February of 1976, the membership voted to expand the Scuba Training Committee to an international certification agency. The name was changed and the International Diving Educators Association (IDEA) was formed. A new name, a new logo, and a new direction lead to a new “IDEA.”.
In the year 1979 IDEA was reorganized and incorporated. IDEA made its first international appearance as a member of the Diving Equipment Manufacturers
Association (DEMA) in Las Vegas in 1980. IDEA grew into over 30 foreign countries and across the continental United States. In 1996 IDEA became the fourth largest certification agency worldwide.
In 2022, with retirement looming for longtime agency head David Scoggins, IDEA passed to a new generation of divers. The new leadership is committed to building on the impressive history and heritage, while transforming IDEA to meet the challenges of the new millennium.
IDEA is proudly American owned and operated by US Military Veterans and First Responders. Other agencies may be owned in the far East, but IDEA is still based in Florida, where it all started.
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