Dolphins, Whales, Sea Lions. Most Divers Have Strong Feelings About Them and Limited Knowledge of Them.
A marine mammal encounter is the kind of moment divers remember for years, and most of us understand almost nothing about what we actually witnessed: how an animal that breathes air the same way we do can hold its breath for an hour, dive to depths that would injure a human, and surface without any of the problems we train against.
SSI Marine Mammal Ecology teaches you marine mammal classification, evolution from land to water, and the specific diving physiology that makes their underwater lives possible. Self-paced academics, with an optional open water application dive. $150. Open to everyone, certified diver or not. Minimum age 10.
What You’ll Train
Primarily an academic course, with an optional open water application dive.
Classifying marine mammals, and how their ancestors transitioned from land back to water over evolutionary time.
The real challenges of diving, oxygen deprivation and pressure, and the specific adaptations, increased myoglobin, blood shunting, bradycardia, and collapsing lungs, that make deep breath-hold diving possible.
Osmoregulation in a marine environment and the thermoregulation strategies marine mammals use to stay warm.
An optional dive applying what you have learned, wherever local conditions and marine life allow for meaningful observation.
This Is Knowledge, Not a Skill Gap
Marine Mammal Ecology is not about being a more advanced diver. It is about finally understanding the animals behind the encounters divers talk about for years afterward.
This course exists to turn a memorable but poorly understood encounter into genuine knowledge you can carry into the next one.
Is this you?Marine Mammal Ecology Is for the Diver Drawn to These Encounters
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Recognize yourself here? This is usually where divers go next.
You have shared the water with a dolphin, seal, or whale
This course turns that memory into real understanding of what you actually witnessed.
Your destinations include marine mammal hotspots
Understanding diving physiology and behavior improves every future encounter, wherever it happens.
You care about marine mammal conservation
Understanding the physiology and pressures these animals face is the foundation for understanding what threatens them.
You want to know how they dive so differently than we do
Adaptations like blood shunting and lung collapse are genuinely remarkable, and this course explains them clearly.
Not sure?Choose Your Explore-Lane Course
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You want to understand dolphins, whales, and seals
Best for divers drawn to marine mammal encounters and their remarkable underwater physiology.
You want to understand large, gentle pelagic animals instead
Best for divers focused on manta and ray encounters and behavior.
You want to replace fear with genuine understanding
Best for divers curious about one of the ocean’s most misunderstood groups.
Setting the record straightWhat Marine Mammal Ecology Actually Covers
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"I will never see a marine mammal while diving."
Encounters depend heavily on destination, but the knowledge in this course applies to any sighting, in the water or from a boat.
"They are basically just fish that breathe air."
Marine mammals have distinct physiology built for breath-hold diving: increased myoglobin, blood shunting, and even the ability to collapse their lungs at depth.
"This is the same as general Marine Ecology."
Marine Ecology covers ocean zones broadly. Marine Mammal Ecology goes deep on one specific and physiologically remarkable group.
"I need advanced diving experience to take this."
There is no diving skill prerequisite. This is an academic course open to any certified diver, or even non-divers interested in marine science.
Where this fits in your pathwayMarine Mammal Ecology Sits in the Explore & Enrichment Pathway
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Explore & Enrichment is about conservation and knowledge, open to everyone regardless of experience level. Marine Mammal Ecology pairs naturally with Manta & Ray Ecology and Shark Ecology for a complete picture of the ocean’s most encountered large animals.
Control / Comfort
Buoyancy, navigation, boat procedures, and other confidence-building skills.
Explore & Enrichment
Marine ecology, marine mammal ecology, and other ways to understand what you are seeing underwater.
Optimize
Nitrox, computers, equipment, and other tools that make diving more efficient once your basics are dialed in.
Why Tom’s Dive & SwimWe Build Divers We Would Trust With Our Own Families.
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The best divers don’t chase certifications. They build capabilities. Understanding marine mammal physiology is a direct example: it turns a lucky encounter into something you can genuinely appreciate.
Tom’s teaches ecology with a focus on the encounters divers actually talk about, not abstract theory. Tom’s has been Austin’s only SSI Dive Center since 1982. We were teaching scuba in Austin before any of the other Austin dive shops opened. Over 18,000 certified divers and over 400 five-star Google reviews.
Built Around Encounters Divers Actually Have
Curriculum connects directly to the marine mammal encounters Austin divers experience on travel destinations.
Open Longer Than Any Other Austin Dive Shop
Four decades of experience helping Austin divers make sense of what they encounter underwater.
No Prerequisites Required
Academics are open to anyone curious about marine mammals, certified diver or not.
One of Austin’s Largest Instructor Teams
Available to answer questions and discuss the material beyond the self-paced curriculum.
We follow DAN dive safety protocols.
Marine mammal encounters are memorable for the right reasons when the dive is run safely: Tom’s follows DAN standards and recommends DAN accident insurance for every diver, since 1982.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do I need to be certified to take this course?
No. The academic portion is open to anyone. You only need Open Water certification if you choose to complete the optional open water application dive.
Will I definitely see a marine mammal on the optional dive?
No. Encounters depend on location and are never guaranteed. The knowledge from this course applies to any sighting, in the water or from a boat, whenever it happens.
How do marine mammals hold their breath so long?
Adaptations like increased myoglobin, blood shunting to essential organs, reduced heart rate, and even collapsing lungs at depth. This course explains each one directly.
Is this the same as general Marine Ecology?
No. Marine Ecology covers ocean zones broadly. Marine Mammal Ecology goes deep on one specific, physiologically remarkable group.
Can I bundle this with other Explore courses?
Call (512) 451-3425 to ask about current Ecology Class bundle pricing for combining multiple Explore-lane courses.
Ready to understand what you actually witnessed?
SSI Marine Mammal Ecology: $150 · Austin, TX
Self-paced academics, open to every diver. Call (512) 451-3425.