{"id":18886,"date":"2021-09-02T20:45:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T00:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.world.dan.org\/?post_type=dan_alert_diver&p=18886"},"modified":"2023-06-20T15:25:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T19:25:19","slug":"dan-member-profile-tec-clark","status":"publish","type":"dan_alert_diver","link":"https:\/\/world.dan.org\/fr\/alert-diver\/article\/dan-member-profile-tec-clark\/","title":{"rendered":"Profil d'un membre du DAN : Tec Clark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tec Clark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ville d'origine :<\/strong> Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Ann\u00e9es de plong\u00e9e :<\/strong> 39 years
Destination de plong\u00e9e pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9e :<\/strong> Turks and Caicos
Why I\u2019m a DAN\u00ae Member:<\/strong> As a dive professional who specializes in training, education, safety and risk management, DAN\u2019s core values resonate with me. I\u2019ve supported DAN ever since I became a pro and learned about how DAN serves the dive community, and I continue to be an ambassador to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dive legend Tec Clark has built a memorable career and legacy around training excellent divers. He describes his underwater experiences as \u201cabsolutely worshipful\u201d and \u201cotherworldly.\u201d It\u2019s the place where he feels closer to God than anywhere else on Earth. Helping others safely and professionally experience this same life-changing magic is his focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark seemed destined for a life revolving around water and teaching. As a child, he stared off his grandfather\u2019s fishing boat into the deep, wishing he could be down with the fish. At 12 years old, he went on his first dive and instinctively resecured his instructor\u2019s loose tank. He was certified at age 14 and an instructor by age 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a young instructor, he progressed quickly to become the managing director of the University of Florida Academic Diving Program, one of the nation\u2019s largest university dive training programs. Clark honed his skills and philosophy on safety while teaching to auditoriums of over 200 students and certifying hundreds of divers each year. He is now the associate director for Aquatics and Scuba Diving at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he directs the academic diving program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clark has a face-to-face encounter with a shark in Exumas, Bahamas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Through these leadership roles and as national director of the YMCA Scuba Program and captain of the first U.S. Freediving Team, Clark emphasized strong skills, proper education and safety. Now, as the founder of ScubaGuru.com<\/a><\/em> and the host of several dive-themed podcasts, he shares his knowledge to benefit all divers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScuba education is foundational, and continuing skill set development allows for proficiency and enjoyment,\u201d Clark said. \u201cWhen I see things such as \u2018three-day scuba classes,\u2019 it doesn\u2019t compute well with me because I\u2019ve seen the product of three-day scuba classes: divers who are uncomfortable and don\u2019t have longevity in the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clark evaluates a staff in-service training at Nova Southeastern University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Proper training, mentorship and many contact hours with students in the water are the keys to instilling values and creating better ambassadors for the sport, Clark said. Nobody is born a great diver; mentorship makes them into one, he added. This approach is where his teaching philosophy shines.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Clark was a speaker at the International Conference on Underwater Education.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThe thing that most people will remember me for is how I approach teaching and supervising,\u201d he said. \u201cI open their eyes to a different way of looking at dive education and risk management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark practices and teaches a three-pronged approach: Understand everything that can go wrong on a dive, look at how to mitigate every risk, and be prepared with a response if a problem arises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dive professionals throughout the years have learned this approach to risk management for every dive they do,\u201d he explained. \u201cOnce you do, it will change the way you teach, supervise and manage risks on every dive. Risk management is an area where the divemasters and instructors I\u2019ve taught are different from most dive pros.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Clark hangs out at the bottom of the Nova Southeastern University Aquatic Center competition pool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Clark also provides the rationale behind every educational principle he puts in place so his dive professionals understand why they do things a certain way. Mask clearing, for example, is a fundamental skill. The typical industry method calls for divers to perform the skill a certain number of times up to a certain standard, and then they are considered to know how to clear their masks. Clark instructs divers and trains dive professionals to teach one-handed and sideways mask clears in addition to the traditional two-handed clear. He wants to instill true mastery of the skill, which he defines as \u201cabsolute comfort\u201d in its performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe only way to achieve absolute comfort is to do skill variations and repeats with changing dynamics,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I teach mask clearing, it isn\u2019t good enough to do just the prescribed amount. I teach other situations such as one-handed, neutrally buoyant and to the side. If a student has only done it with two hands but now has to hold on to a line in real life, they\u2019ll drift away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at his life\u2019s work and knowledge, Clark considered the unique skill set he had developed and how to share his tips with others. That thought led to the founding of ScubaGuru.com<\/a><\/em>, a website dedicated to helping people become better dive professionals, which leads to better divers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Clark breathes up at the U.S. National Freediving Championship in San Diego.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

ScubaGuru gathers into one place all the tips and techniques that Clark and other dive industry leaders have learned from their experiences and incorporated into their teachings so divers of any level can enhance their skills. Dive professionals have a duty of care for people in their charge that requires them to stay informed about the best safety and teaching practices, Clark said. The site includes PDF resource manuals, podcasts with founding members of the industry, and the ScubaGuru Academy with online courses addressing things that training agencies may not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ScubaGuru\u2019s motto, \u201cGo beyond the standard,\u201d grew from the idea that stronger, more confident divers benefit from going beyond agency standards in their training. The platform\u2019s goal is to promote excellence in professional dive services to prevent divers from leaving the sport or experiencing injuries and fatalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScubaGuru is a brand that celebrates what it means to be at a high level of diving,\u201d Clark said. This professionalism and excellence minimize risk and allow people to flourish in diving and develop a love for the sport that will last their entire lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clark summed up the philosophy behind all his advice to new dive professionals: \u201cGreat training is the key to great diving. Don\u2019t cut corners. Offer excellent training. Go beyond the standard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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En savoir plus<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Learn more from Tec Clark in these videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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