You train with a mentor
Every session is one diver and one mentor. Direct correction is how the craft is taught - not a setback.
Flagship
XBASE
BASE is the foundation path: six modules, taught one diver at a time by a mentor, each earned in order. It is for divers who want to be held to a real standard - not for collecting another card.
A private, mentor-led path through six modules - for divers serious about mastery, not another certification card.
Before you enter the path
Serious training, deliberately offered
XBASE is the foundation path - the result of years of hard work by a group of highly skilled divers who have dived and taught at the highest level across many of the world's training systems. It is built to be the only training most divers will ever need. Niche specialties such as mixed gas deep or cave diving go further, but they rest on the same building blocks, and XBASE is where those are learned. Six modules, taught one diver at a time by a mentor, each earned in order.
You meet the same bar
Online or in person, the modules and competency gates stay the same. Your mentor confirms each skill before you advance - not a weekend, not a purchase.
You choose how you train
Start at your own pace with online learning material, then apply for coaching - or train one-on-one with a mentor in person. Mix the two, module by module.
How training begins
- Hold an Open Water Diver certification from any recognised agency and valid SCUBA insurance.
- Choose your FlowState Divers mentor and a track - in person at the mentor's location, or online at your own pace. In-person training includes theory delivered in session; online learning material is an optional add-on. Online coaching requires purchasing that module's online learning material, studying it, then applying - buying the materials does not automatically enroll you. You may mix the two module by module; the curriculum and competency gates stay the same.
- Begin with Genesis. Each module is two days and sixteen hours of one-to-one tuition across four in-water sessions. You advance when your mentor confirms readiness - not when you completed the required hours.
Driftar and Furian keep purchasable online learning material as an optional add-on, but their in-water sessions are in person only. Trained elsewhere? Starting at a later module requires assessing all preceding skills and knowledge in our system. Contact your mentor to clarify what will be evaluated.
The curriculum
- Genesis - divers mentality, written dive and gas plans, backplate-and-wing configuration, gas analysis and cylinder labelling practices, entry protocols, weight checking procedures, turn-pressure discipline and general gas awareness, Hogarthian regulator use.
- Equilibria - trim checking procedure, breathing and buoyancy control, DSMB deployment, vertical control line setup, team descent procedures, team ascent procedures.
- Mantras - regulator and mask skills in correct trim, light and hand signals, gas-sharing protocol.
- Velocis - horizontal control line setup and utilisation; frog kick, modified frog kick, flutter kick, back kick, and helicopter turn; holding formation while you manoeuvre and relative team positioning.
- Driftar - multilevel gas planning, site scouting, running the dive from briefing to debrief, compass and natural navigation, and basic mapping. In-water sessions are in person only at this point.
- Furian - runaway BC, unconscious diver rescue, surface tow, regulator failure, lost-diver protocols, and catastrophic-failure abort discipline. In-water sessions are in person only at this point.
Thirty-seven skills across six modules. One system, no wall between recreational and technical.
Who XBASE is for
Most divers leave their certification course believing they are independent divers. In reality, very few are. Their courses are built for throughput, not for a diver who can plan, move, and respond without a guide - which is what XBASE builds. It suits divers who welcome correction and prefer depth to badge counts. It is a poor fit if you want the fastest card, a holiday novelty, or a group course by price.
Succeeding here takes resilience, mental toughness, and the willingness to work through your own inner difficulties. This training teaches much more than diving: it will push you past your limits in ways that pay off in every part of your life.
Who XBASE is not for
If you want a quick result, stay away. There is no quick result in diving - anyone who promises one is selling something else. The same goes for divers who want praise for meeting the bare minimum. Your mentor will tell you where you stand, not what you want to hear.
XBASE is designed to be the hardest thing you have done in diving so far. Divers who see it through come out the other side as different divers, and often different people. That outcome is not handed to you. It costs real sacrifice, and it only comes if you are willing to go the extra mile, physically and mentally, every time it is asked of you.
What XBASE unlocks
XBASE is the entry condition for everything after it. XTEND (sidemount, twinset, stage) and XPLORE (drysuit, guideline) build on these modules; XPERIENCE (Velari through Noctane, in person only) requires the full foundation.
Curriculum
6 modules · a guided preview
Six modules in a fixed order. Each is two days and sixteen hours of one-to-one tuition; Driftar and Furian in-water work is in person only.
genesis
Mindset, essential configurations, and self-reliance from the first session. Written dive and gas plans, backplate-and-wing setup, gas analysis and cylinder labelling, entry protocols, weight checks, turn-pressure discipline, and Hogarthian regulator use. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor. Online learning material sold separately; online coaching by application after study, or in person.
equilibria
Buoyancy and trim as a discipline - not a checkbox skill. Horizontal trim, breath as the primary buoyancy control, DSMB deployment, vertical control line setup, and coordinated team descents and ascents. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor. Online learning material sold separately; online coaching by application after study, or in person.
mantras
Repetition until equipment control becomes instinct. Regulator and mask skills in trim, light and hand signals, and gas-sharing protocols. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor. After Genesis and Equilibria; online learning material sold separately; online coaching by application after study, or in person.
velocis
Propulsion as deliberate movement. Horizontal control line setup and utilisation, frog, modified frog, flutter, back kick and helicopter turn - when each one is right, how it is done without silting, and how to hold formation while you use it. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor. Online learning material sold separately; online coaching by application after study, or in person.
driftar
Planning, navigation, and leadership when the dive gets complex. Multilevel gas planning, site scouting, dive plan execution, compass and natural navigation, and basic mapping. Online learning material sold separately; in-water sessions are in person only. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor.
furian
Emergency readiness - calm decision-making when things go wrong. Runaway BCD, unconscious diver rescue, surface tow, regulator failure, lost-diver protocols, and abort discipline. Online learning material sold separately; in-water sessions are in person only. Two days, sixteen hours, one mentor.
Where you would enter
Everyone starts with Genesis. If you have trained elsewhere, answer a few questions and we will show which module you would be assessed against - and what that assessment day covers.
Further reading
Journal & resources
Writing on the XBASE standard, mentor-led training, and deliberate practice.
FAQ
Each module builds on the knowledge and skills from the modules before it. To begin with a module other than Genesis and continue through the rest of XBASE, you must demonstrate competency in every prior module. For example, starting at Mantras (module 3) requires an assessment day with your mentor covering Genesis and Equilibria before training days begin.
Two independent tracks: in person with a FlowState Divers mentor (see available options here), or online. In-person training includes theory delivered in session; online learning material is an optional add-on and is not required to attend.
The online track starts with purchasing that module's online learning material, studying it, then applying for online coaching - buying the materials does not enroll you. You may mix in-person and online coaching module by module. Once registered, you have a student profile on the FlowState Divers website where both you and your mentor track progress.
Every session is one-on-one with a mentor, or with your regular dive team (maximum three participants). Training includes structured theory, land-based skill development, and extensive in-water work. The schedule responds to your progression - modules advance when readiness is demonstrated, not when a weekend ends.
Your mentor holds standards, corrects in real time (or through online coaching on the mentorship platform), and confirms each competency before the next module.
To train with FlowState Divers, you are required to be a certified diver. The minimum certification accepted is the Open Water Diver certification from any recognised agency.
In order to train with FlowState Divers, it is necessary to have valid scuba diving insurance that is recognised in the country where you will be completing your in-person training. If you do not currently possess insurance, it is advisable to contact your mentor prior to booking your training to explore your options. Your mentor may be able to assist in arranging suitable insurance, or they may provide guidance on the specific insurance requirements for the country in which your training will take place.
FlowState Divers requires a minimum equipment set that must adhere to our standards. Some programmes have special equipment requirements that you need to verify on that programme's page before you start training. For the generic equipment list, check out our standards.