IANTD Southern Africa

• Click to enlarge Click to enlarge
• Click to enlarge Click to enlarge
• Click to enlarge Click to enlarge

IANTD’s mission is to explore the opportunities and challenges of Sport and Technical diving in order to foster openness and individual responsibility, and to provide a standard of care for instruction in the diving community. IANTD and its members strive to be honest, ethical and fair in all our venues. We also believe that there are universal principles that are more absolute. We try to live by them.

Don Shirley, a world-wide known and highly experienced Instructor Trainer Trainer. He holds the license to IANTD Southern Africa Region. Don started diving in 1974 and has extensive experience in all levels of diving.
Don has dived in all types of environments. From Oasis to Ice, Tropical to Antarctic. He has organized and led many major diving expeditions. His main areas of specialization are Rebreathers, Trimix, Cave and all forms of Technical diving.

Francois Dekker started diving in the 80's. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to become an Instructor. He crossed over to IANTD in 2007, and was very taken in by IANTD's training and ethics. He decided to run the Sport or Recreational section in Gauteng. Besides all his diver qualifications, Francois also holds a skipper's license, a Bauer Compressor Operator and Safe Transfer of Oxygen ticket.
He also has an honorable career for the past 12 years as the Station Commander of the Attridgeville Fire Station.
Francois likes in water video photography, and his favorite dive sites are inland and in Mozambique.

Andre Shirley started diving in 1992, fell in love with it, and left the world of Information Technology to enter the scuba industry full time in 1996. She qualified as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and became a dive business owner. Don asked her to become his life partner in 2000, which was an offer she couldn't refuse! She became his business partner in 2001, and is considered the backbone of administrative support within IANTD Southern Africa.
Andre is also an IANTD Nitrox and Cave Instructor and other technical courses include Trimix and Rebreather.

IANTD Southern Africa’s focus is on creating well-rounded divers that can look after themselves, and instructors that can pass on their skills and knowledge to their students safely and confidently in a relaxed and enjoyable way.