You hold the foundation each specialty assumes
Drysuit requires XBASE Genesis through Velocis; Guideline requires the full XBASE chain and XPERIENCE through Velmora. Trained elsewhere means an assessment day first.
XPLORE
PLORE is FlowState Divers' specialty path: drysuit and guideline, each taught as precision with a mentor rather than a checkbox add-on. Drysuit opens after the first four XBASE modules; Guideline after the full foundation and XPERIENCE through Velmora.
Drysuit and guideline taught as precision skills with a mentor - specialty extensions for divers who hold the XBASE foundation.
Before you specialise
New environments, same standard
XPLORE is mentor-led and environment-specific - drysuit and guideline, each taken after the foundation it assumes. We welcome divers who want to dive colder water and tighter places with the control they already hold.
You want new environments, not new cards
Cold water, overhead exits, and zero visibility are trained as precision inside your existing team protocols - not as tick-box add-ons.
Online learning material stays separate
Online learning material is sold separately and is not included with in-person training. Online coaching opens by application after you study the materials. In-water skills are confirmed with your mentor in the water.
How training begins
- Hold an Open Water Diver certification from any recognised agency, valid SCUBA insurance, and the prerequisites for the specialty you choose. Drysuit requires XBASE Genesis through Velocis; Guideline requires the full XBASE chain and XPERIENCE through Velmora.
- Choose a track. Online learning material is sold separately and is not included with in-person training. Online coaching opens by application after you have purchased and studied the materials. In-water skills are confirmed with your mentor in the water. Sessions are one-to-one, or with your regular dive team of up to three.
- Start with the specialty your diving calls for. XPLORE modules have no fixed order between them. You advance when your mentor confirms readiness - not when a weekend ends.
Trained elsewhere? Entry requires an assessment day covering every missing prerequisite module - dive planning, trim, regulator, mask, DSMB and gas-sharing skills, precision propulsion, and for Guideline the XPERIENCE team work - before training days begin.
The specialties
- Drysuit - sizing and setup with your existing harness and wing, maintenance and predive inspection, inflation and deflation without fighting your trim, buoyancy that coordinates suit and wing gas, the suit as backup buoyancy when the wing fails, ascent and descent discipline, trim and propulsion with air migrating in the suit, in-water comfort adjustments, weight checks with realistic undergarments, emergency procedures for runaway inflation, exhaust failure, and seal compromise, and entry and exit protocols that protect the suit. Eleven skills.
- Guideline - when a line is the plan and who does what before anyone enters the water, line laying with tension control and clean routing, tie-offs and jumps, navigation with directional markers when visual cues are gone, lost-line and entanglement procedures, broken-line procedures, complex multi-segment patterns, team spacing and communication on the line, and manoeuvring that keeps the line clear through obstacles and silt. Ten skills.
Twenty-one skills across the two specialties. Each is trained inside the control and team protocols you already hold.
Who XPLORE is for
XPLORE suits divers who hold the foundation each specialty assumes and want to dive places and conditions their present setup cannot take them - cold water, overhead exits, zero visibility - under the same mentor standard. It is not an entry point, it is a poor fit if the goal is another card, and it does not replace the XBASE control it builds on.
Where XPLORE sits
XPLORE adds environment skills; it does not gate other programmes. Drysuit sits earliest of any extension, after Velocis. Guideline sits latest, after Velmora. Take the specialties in the order your diving calls for.
Curriculum
2 modules · a guided preview
Two specialties in any order after the prerequisites. Online learning material sold separately; online coaching by application after study; in-water skills confirmed with a mentor.
drysuit
Sizing and setup with your existing harness and wing, predive inspection, inflation and deflation without fighting your trim, buoyancy that coordinates suit and wing gas, the suit as backup buoyancy, ascent and descent discipline, weight checks, and emergency procedures for runaway inflation and seal compromise. Online learning material sold separately; in-water with your mentor. Eleven skills.
guideline
When a line is the plan and who does what before the dive, line laying with tension control, tie-offs and jumps, navigation with directional markers, lost-line and entanglement procedures, broken-line procedures, complex patterns, and team spacing on the line. Online learning material sold separately; in-water with your mentor. Ten skills.
Where you would enter
Drysuit opens after XBASE Genesis through Velocis; Guideline after the full XBASE chain and XPERIENCE through Velmora. Answer a few questions and we will show which specialty you can start, which modules are missing, and what the assessment day covers.
Further reading
Journal & resources
Writing on preparedness, the plateau most divers never notice, and the presence that precision work demands.
FAQ
Choose the specialty you will dive and confirm you hold its entry standard. Drysuit requires Open Water certification, valid scuba insurance, and XBASE Genesis through Velocis. Guideline requires the full XBASE chain and XPERIENCE through Velmora.
Then choose a FlowState Divers mentor (see available options here). Online learning material is sold separately and is not included with in-person training. Online coaching opens by application after you have purchased and studied the materials. In-water skills are confirmed with your mentor in the water. If you trained elsewhere, your mentor schedules an assessment day covering every missing prerequisite module before training days begin.
No. Drysuit and Guideline are not sequential with each other - start with the specialty your diving calls for. Each has its own cross-bundle prerequisites, though: Drysuit needs XBASE Genesis through Velocis; Guideline needs the full XBASE chain and XPERIENCE through Velmora. Your mentor confirms you meet them before training days are scheduled.
Yes, as two separate steps. Each XPLORE module's online learning material is purchasable with lifetime access; buying it does not enroll you in coaching. After you have studied the materials, you apply for online coaching. In-person training does not include online learning material. The in-water skills - suit buoyancy and venting, weight checks, line laying, lost-line and entanglement procedures - are confirmed with your mentor in the water.
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.