About Me

Years of Diving Experience

Years of Teaching Experience

A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER

My journey under the surface began in 1976, during an era when scuba gear was rugged and the spirit of exploration was the primary guide. After earning my first certification in 1977, I spent the next five decades diving through nearly every corner of the recreational and technical world.

The philosophy of Scuba Quest WI is built on the belief that the ceiling is a myth—no one truly “masters” the water; we only become more disciplined students of it. My approach was forged in the strict academic and environmental discipline of the YMCA Scuba Program and refined at the epicenter of the technical diving revolution in Key West. Training directly under pioneers like Billy Deans and Dick Rutkowski taught me that excellence is found in the “why,” not just the “how”.

At Scuba Quest WI, we don’t just teach you how to use equipment; we bridge the gap between being “certified” and being truly competent. Whether I am working with a brand-new student or evaluating an instructor candidate, my commitment remains the same: providing clear, precise, and historically grounded instruction that respects the reality of the underwater environment.

We aren’t here to collect certifications—we are here to build a lifetime of safe, skillful, and deeply enjoyable diving.

LARRY WHEELER'S DIVING HISTORY

A LIFE IN DIVING

A narrative biography for Scuba Quest WI

Larry Wheeler’s diving story begins in 1976, at a time when scuba gear was rugged, training was demanding, and the sport still carried the spirit of exploration. A year later, in 1977, he earned his PADI Open Water Diver certification, unaware that this first step would grow into a five‑decade journey through nearly every corner of recreational and technical diving.

In 1978, Larry continued his development through the YMCA Scuba Program, the first nationally organized diver‑training system in the United States. The YMCA’s emphasis on strong academics, environmental awareness, and disciplined watermanship shaped his early approach to diving. He completed the Environmental Diver program and served as a Teaching Assistant, gaining his first experience helping new divers build confidence and skill. These early years instilled the values of stewardship, precision, and personal responsibility that would define his teaching philosophy for the rest of his career.

By the early 1990s, Larry had become a seasoned diver with extensive cold‑water experience, deep wreck dives, and a growing interest in the emerging world of technical diving. In 1991, he earned his first Instructor Trainer credential, marking the beginning of a professional path focused not just on teaching divers, but on developing instructors, the educators who would shape the next generation of the sport.

Everything changed in 1992, when Larry traveled to Key West, Florida, for a five‑week intensive technical‑diving residency at Key West Divers on Stock Island. This was the formative era of technical diving, when mixed‑gas procedures, decompression strategies, and deep‑wreck protocols were being defined by a small group of pioneers.

LARRY WHEELER'S DIVING HISTORY

Larry trained directly under Billy Deans (diver) – Wikipedia, widely regarded as one of the architects of modern technical diving, known for his deep wreck exploration, military diver instruction, and groundbreaking work on the SS Andrea Doria, USS Monitor, and U‑2513 submarine. He also trained with Dick Rutkowski – Wikipedia, former NOAA Diving Safety Officer and the man who introduced Nitrox to civilian diving. Their combined influence placed Larry at the center of the technical‑diving revolution and shaped his future work in deep, wreck, nitrox, advanced nitrox, and extended‑range training.

In 1993, Larry expanded his professional reach into dive‑medicine education, completing the requirements to become a DAN Oxygen First Aid Instructor‑Trainer. Awarded Instructor‑Trainer Number 66 and certified by Dan Orr, then Director of Training at Divers Alert Network, Larry became part of the early cadre responsible for teaching hundreds of divers and certifying instructors in DAN’s flagship emergency‑care programs including Advanced Oxygen First Aid, AED Training, Hazardous Marine Life Injuries and On-Site Neurological Assessment for Divers. This expertise became a cornerstone of his cross‑agency teaching for decades.

Over the next thirty years, Larry’s professional footprint grew across nearly every major training agency in North America and Europe. He earned senior‑level credentials with ACUC, IDEA, CMAS, SDI, TDI, IANTD, NASE, PDIC, and PADI, holding roles such as Instructor Trainer, Instructor Trainer Evaluator, Course Director, Specialty Instructor Trainer. His specialties spanned the full spectrum of recreational and technical diving, including Ice Diving, Wreck Diving, Deep Diving, Dry Suit Diving, Navigation, Search & Recovery, Buoyancy & Trim, DPV operations, and multiple levels of Nitrox and Advanced Nitrox.

Larry’s technical background expanded into Extended Range, Advanced Deep Air, Technical Wreck, and Technical DPV, supported by his early lineage through IAND/IANTD and TDI. His cold‑water expertise grew through decades of Great Lakes diving, ice diving, and deep wreck exploration, giving him a practical, operational understanding of environments that demand precision and discipline.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Larry also served in senior roles with PADI, earning the rank of Master Instructor and IDC Staff Instructor, and teaching a wide range of specialties from O2 First Aid, Deep Diving, Wreck Diving to Ice Diving. When the YMCA Scuba Program closed in 2008, Larry carried forward its legacy of strong academic and environmental responsibility, integrating those principles into his modern teaching approach.

Today, Larry brings more than 50 years of diving experience and over 30 years as an Instructor Trainer to Scuba Quest WI, where he continues to teach, mentor, and develop new generations of divers and instructors. His career spans the foundational era of U.S. recreational diving, the birth of technical diving, the rise of Nitrox and mixed‑gas procedures, and the modern integration of standardized training across agencies.

What has never changed is his philosophy: diving should be safe, skill‑based, historically grounded, and deeply enjoyable. Whether he is teaching a brand‑new Open Water student or evaluating an instructor candidate, Larry brings the same commitment to clarity, precision, and respect for the underwater world that began with his first YMCA classes nearly half a century ago.

His story is not just a list of certifications — it is the story of modern diving itself, told through a lifetime spent underwater.

LARRY WHEELER’S – COMPLETE DIVING HISTORY TIMELINE

A structured, enjoyable, reader‑friendly chronology for Scuba Quest WI

1970s — The Beginning

1976 — First exposure to scuba diving during the formative years of modern recreational diving.
1977 — Earns PADI Open Water Diver, beginning a lifelong commitment to underwater exploration.
1978-1980’s — Earns under the YMCA Scuba Program, the first nationally organized diver‑training system in the U.S. – YMCA Environmental Diver and serves along with the YMCA Teaching Assistant certification, gaining early experience in diver development and environmental stewardship.
Builds foundational skills in cold‑water diving, navigation, and early wreck exploration with specialties under the YMCA Scuba Program.

1991 — Transition to Professional Leadership – ACUC ITE – CMAS 3 STAR INSTRUCTOR

Achieves his first Instructor Trainer credential, marking the start of a career focused on training instructors, not just divers.
Begins expanding across multiple agencies, building a cross‑agency teaching philosophy.

1992 — The Key West Technical Diving Residency

A defining chapter in your professional history.

Completes a five‑week intensive technical‑diving residency at Key West Divers, Stock Island, Florida.
Trains directly under Billy Deans — one of the architects of modern technical diving, known for deep wreck exploration, military diver instruction, and pioneering mixed‑gas procedures.
Studies with Dick Rutkowski, former NOAA Diving Safety Officer and the man who introduced Nitrox to civilian diving.
This residency places you at the center of the early 1990s technical‑diving revolution, during the period when mixed‑gas, decompression protocols, and overhead‑environment standards were being formalized.
The experience becomes a cornerstone of your later work in wreck, deep, nitrox, advanced nitrox, and extended‑range training.

1993 — DAN Instructor‑Trainer

Completes all academic and practical requirements to become a DAN Oxygen First Aid Instructor‑Trainer.
Receives Instructor‑Trainer Number 66, placing you among the earliest DAN instructor‑level educators.
Certification signed by Dan Orr, M.S., Director of Training.
Begins integrating emergency‑care training for all the DAN programs certified to teach with all the agencies affiliated with.

1990s–2000s — Multi-Agency Expansion

Over the next two decades, you earn senior‑level credentials across nearly every major training agency:

ACUC

Instructor Trainer Evaluator (ITE)
Instructor Trainer
Advanced Instructor
Specialty ITE in Wreck, Deep, Night, Rescue Leader, Equipment Maintenance, Navigation

IDEA

Course Director
Open Water Instructor
Specialty Instructor in Ice, Dry Suit, Wreck, Deep, Navigation, Search & Recovery, EANx, Night, Buoyancy & Trim, Boat

CMAS

3‑Star Instructor
3‑Star Instructor Training Levels 1 & 2
Specialties including O2 Administration, Rescue, EANx, Adv. EANx, Extended Range
2‑Star Instructor

SDI / TDI

SDI Open Water Instructor & Specialty Instructor (Ice, Dry Suit, Wreck, Deep, Navigation, Search & Recovery, Night/Limited Visibility, Buoyancy & Trim, Boat, DPV, Equipment, Photography, Video, Snorkeling)
TDI Instructor for Intro to Tech, Technical DPV, Nitrox, Advanced Nitrox

IANTD

EANx
Advanced EANx
Technical Diver

IAND IT – (Retired)

EANx Nitrox Diving IT – Retired
Advanced EANx Diving IT – Retired
Technical Wreck Diving IT – Retired
Advanced Deep Air Diving IT – Retired
Advanced DPV Driver Diving IT – Retired

PADI (Emeritus)

Master Instructor
IDC Staff Instructor
MSDT
Specialty Instructor in Deep, Wreck, Dry Suit, O2 First Aid, Photography, Equipment Specialist, Peak Performance Buoyancy, and more

PDIC

Instructor Trainer – (Retired)
Open Water Instructor – (Emeritus)
Specialty Instructor in Deep, Wreck, Rescue, Navigation, Night, Ice, Computer Diver, Boat

NASE (Retired)

Master Instructor
Specialty Instructor in Rescue, Wreck, Deep, Dry Suit, O2 First Aid, Photography, Search & Recovery, Navigation, Swift Water, Limited Visibility

2008 — YMCA Program Ends

YMCA Scuba Program closes after nearly 50 years.
Your YMCA credentials become part of a historical lineage that shaped modern diver training.

2010s–Present — Unified Training Philosophy

Continues teaching across SDI, TDI, ACUC, IDEA, and CMAS.
Develops a modular, artifact‑free training system emphasizing clarity, precision, and operational realism.
Integrates decades of cross‑agency experience into a unified, modern curriculum for Scuba Quest WI.
Focuses on instructor development, technical diving, cold‑water specialties, and emergency‑care training.
Maintains active involvement in wreck exploration, ice diving, and advanced diver education.

Today — Scuba Quest WI

Brings 50 years of diving experience and over 30 years as an Instructor Trainer to the Midwest diving community.
Continues to mentor divers and instructors with the same commitment to safety, history, and skill mastery that began in the 1970s.
Upholds a philosophy shaped by YMCA discipline, DAN emergency‑care expertise, and the pioneering technical‑diving culture of Key West.