Courtesy Mike RomanoA horde of “zombies,” including Tinsley (center), leans into the theme of the Zombie Apocalypse Diver distinctive specialty. Note that the course does not include being pulled into the water by zombies.
PADI Zombie Apocalypse Diver started as a joke, but it soon became one of the most popular distinctive specialties in the world. The course is serious fun, with tongue-in-cheek survival strategies and practical skill-building.
Woodrow “Woody” Tinsley, a police officer and public safety diver in East Hartford, Connecticut, was inspired to write the PADI Zombie Apocalypse Diver distinctive specialty about 15 years ago.
“It was a year or two before The Walking Dead [television show] came out. I was in Utila with some dive buddies,” Tinsley recalls. They were discussing some of the unique specialties out there, such as Underwater Basket Weaving, when inspiration struck. “I came up with the idea, and everyone seemed to like it.”
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“I wrote the course when I got home. I came up with a lot of different obstacles for students to overcome and ran my first class at a dive shop in Portland, Maine,” Tinsley says.
Unfortunately, the class was too challenging. The dive center and students were disappointed, and Tinsley refunded everyone’s money. “I was devastated.”
But like any good zombie, the idea wouldn’t die. Tinsley refined and simplified the course to focus on basic rescue skills such as situational awareness, assisting tired divers and first aid.
“I taught the revised course for the first time in Utila. Word spread, and within a few months, I got a call from an instructor in Guam who wanted to teach the course,” Tinsley says. “Thanks to word-of-mouth, Zombie Apocalypse Diver is now offered on every continent except Antarctica.”
The specialty course is open to any certified diver age 10 or older. It can be completed in one day and contains no blood, gore or violence (just some zombie makeup and slime).
The course begins with a thorough briefing and skill practice. When topside training is complete, divers receive an assignment: Recover two cylinders of zombie gas and find a missing diver. Those who complete the mission can put on zombie makeup for their C-card photo.
Zombie aficionados around the world, including World War Z author Max Brooks, celebrated Tinsley’s success, but the specialty has its critics.
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“The course is surprisingly polarizing,” Tinsley says. “Some people think diving has to be serious, but recreational diving is supposed to be fun. Why not bring some levity into learning safety and rescue skills?”
Tinsley’s training has some real teeth behind it. A 10-year-old diver used her zombie survival training to help a panicked diver during a real-life emergency.
“A diver she didn’t know swam up to her, panicked and out of air. The diver grabbed her alternate, but she remained calm and helped him get neutrally buoyant,” Tinsley says. “She later told me she knew what to do because of her zombie training.”
Zombie Apocalypse Diver is offered at dozens of PADI Dive Centers and Resorts around the world. Divers who want to join the ranks of zombie defenders can email [email protected] to find the closest training program. Tinsley also teaches the specialty at Kids Sea Camp.
To prepare, divers review a 36-page textbook, Zombie Apocalypse Diver Student Manual and Survival Guide. The text includes a brief history of zombies, with a surprising marine life tie-in—you’ll have to sign up to learn what it is. Successful divers also receive an award certificate.
“In a worst-case scenario,” Tinsley says, “the certificate is edible.”
Unless, of course, you hunger for braaaaaaaaains.
When to Go
There’s never a bad time to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, but it’s better to do your training during daylight hours, because zombies are more active at night.
» This column features unique scuba courses at PADI dive shops around the world. To recommend a course for this column, please email [email protected].
