Underwater Model & Dance
SSI’s newest specialty, and the one built for exactly what we do — graceful movement, posing, breath control and choreographed performance, for aspiring underwater models, dancers and mermaid performers.
The pathway
Start here
This specialty builds on a base certification — here’s where you fit.
- New to the water? Start with Try Mermaid or a Freediver cert first.
- Already an SSI Mermaid, Freediver or Open Water diver? Jump straight into Underwater Model.
- Done Model? Add Underwater Dance for the full specialty.
- Want to teach it? Instructors can add this rating — go pro.
Every rung, in detail
Before you start — your base certification
Underwater Model & Dance builds on an SSI entry-level certification — Mermaid, Freediver, or Open Water Diver. It gives you the breath-hold and water comfort to move freely and hold a pose.
Where this takes you next: once you’re certified, step into Underwater Model.
Start with SSI Mermaid →Or start with FreedivingUnderwater Model
The first level. Learn to pose for in-water and surface photography and film — natural body positioning, breath control, working with props and styling for the camera, so you can create striking imagery with a photographer.
Age: 12+. Prerequisite: an SSI Mermaid, Freediver or Open Water certification. Structure: covers pool sessions 1 & 2 of the specialty. What it gives you: the SSI Underwater Model rating.
Where this takes you next: add fluid, choreographed movement with Underwater Dance.
Book Underwater Model →Underwater Dance
The advanced level. Move beyond static posing into fluid, weightless choreography — graceful transitions, expressive movement and sustained breath-hold that turn underwater performance into an art form.
Age: 12+. Prerequisite: Underwater Model. Structure: adds pool sessions 3 & 4 on top of Model — do them together or in stages, and earn the full specialty. What it gives you: the SSI Underwater Dance rating.
Where this takes you next: perform — join a photo shoot, or go pro and teach it.
Book Underwater Dance →Teach it — going pro
Already an SSI Mermaid Instructor or Basic Freediving Instructor? You can add Underwater Model & Dance to your teaching credentials by co-teaching or a seminar led by an Instructor Trainer who holds the rating. As New Zealand’s Instructor Trainer, that’s a rating we can propagate — an instructor-training line nobody else in the country can offer.
Explore going pro →Ages at a glance: 6+ Explorers & tasters · 10+ Basic Freediver · 12+ Mermaid & Freediver certifications · 15+ Advanced · 18+ Performance & all instructor ratings · 21+ Instructor Trainer.
Move like the ocean made you
Start with Underwater Model — you’ll need a Mermaid, Freediver or Open Water cert first, and we’ll help you get there.
Book Underwater Model →