Discover Your Future

We need all hands on deck to help solve the many and growing challenges faced by our oceans. But not everyone has the resources or access needed to obtain training in marine science. Our Scientific Diving Discovery Program (SDDP) provides training, mentoring, and professional development for students facing significant barriers to their dreams of becoming advocates for the underwater world.

Applications for the 2024 cohort are now closed. Check back in early 2025 for information on applying to the 2025 cohort.

2 scuba divers in full gear and black wetsuits, one holding a white underwater marker board, smile as they stand on the pier in front of an ocean cove

The SDDP Experience

Hear firsthand from SDDP students about their love for the ocean and how they’re reaching their goals as scientific divers.

Four scuba divers, two in full gear and two in hoodies and shorts, stand in front of the ocean. They are smiling and making the
Meet the Students of SDDP

Meet the Students of SDDP

“Sometimes it’s really difficult to push yourself to…these things that are very mentally demanding. Being able to get past that, it’s just an amazing feeling, and doing it together as a group, it’s such a great experience.” –Giuliana Umali, Mt. San Antonio College and SDDP 2023

About the Program & How to Apply

  • This month-long program, sponsored by the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, is dedicated to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in marine science. The program takes place at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and provides the opportunity for participants to earn their AAUS Scientific Diving authorization.

    Students receive pre-program funding to underwrite open-water scuba certification, dive insurance, and the purchase of equipment to keep. While at WMSC, they learn from the Wrigley Institute’s highly experienced team of diving instructors and mentors and gain hands-on experience with species identification, transects, first aid, dive rescues, hyperbaric medicine, and more. Students who successfully complete the program will earn their American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) diving authorization upon graduation. Ongoing mentoring and professional development are also part of the program.

  • The Scientific Diving Discovery Program is open to Southern California-based STEM undergraduates from underrepresented or historically marginalized backgrounds. Students must be proficient swimmers, but prior diving experience is not required. As of the beginning of the program, participants must also:

    • Be 18 or older
    • Be a continuing student in an undergraduate program at a Southern CA institution
    • Pass a diving physical by a physician
    • Obtain certification in open-water scuba diving*
    • Have dive accident insurance*

    *Costs covered by program

  • Applications are now closed for the 2024 cohort. Check back in early 2025 for information on applying for the 2025 cohort.

     

Thank you to the NOAA Ocean Exploration’s National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for funding the 2022 and 2023 SDDP.