Scuba as School: The Story of Aquatic Wunderkind Braeden Burt

by Tara Burt. Photos courtesy of the author unless noted.

🎶Predive Clicklist: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children🎶

Standing a mere 1.2 m/4 ft tall and barely weighing 36 kg/80 lbs, Braeden Burt was not your typical diver when he achieved his open water certification at 12 years old. His love of water shined through at an early age when he was caught skipping bedtime to plan out his fish store at three years old. As a homeschooler, his mom had made him a deal: if he found a passion, then he could narrow his studies and goals to advance his learning. 

As a newer member to Scubanauts International—a youth science diving organization—Braeden learned of the Brian Grindey Inaugural Scholarship; if he won, it would mean that he would be able to earn an open water junior certification at no cost with some of the basic gear included. Luckily, he had tons of practice writing essays. As a brother of a special needs sister, he had been filling out applications and essays all year for camps and funding for extracurriculars as her medical needs took monetary priority. 

Braeden won one of the scholarships from Mac’s Sports Scuba and would be joining the first group of young divers deserving of this incredible gift. He completed the online and classroom learning just as every kid did, but the difference immediately shined through in the water. 

We were all watching this very wiggly and distractible young man master every skill and task with ease. He was always the last out of the pool and the first to raise his hand to prove mastery. Their cert dives took place in January 2023 at Rainbow River with an air temperature of 34ºF. Because the crew was all in rental gear, their suits were 3 mil and no one was prepared for the chill the little guys would actually feel even though the water was 72ºF.  

The first day was completed thanks to a bit of hot water and layers, but the next day, they would face the same difficulty. Because of height and weight, most kids were again in 3 mil wetsuits but were more prepared with hoods, vests, layers, and a thermos of hot water; the kids were ready to wrap up skills testing. As Braeden exited the water, one of the dive masters pulled his mom aside and insisted that in all his years and dive experience he had never seen anyone so zen and in control in the water. His accolades came with one piece of advice: keep Braeden diving.

“As Braeden exited the water, one of the dive masters pulled his mom aside and insisted that in all his years and dive experience he had never seen anyone so zen and in control in the water. His accolades came with one piece of advice: keep Braeden diving.”

With a newfound love and determination to dive as much as possible, Braeden signed up for all the dives and classes his family could afford. He continued participating in Scubanauts and added another youth organization dedicated to science diving, Curious Minds Dive Foundation, to his docket. Curious Minds had an online meeting weekly that he loved attending; their program challenged him to learn and build technology that could one day be prototypes for exploration. They had competitions and talked to individuals from within the dive industry.  

Bring It On, No Pressure

By happenstance, Braeden had learned of Project Neptune, when Dr Joe Dituri went into Jules UnderSea Lodge for 100 days to measure the overall effects of compression on the human body. Braeden requested to Zoom with him as he knew that Dr Dituri was meeting with youth both online and in person. And truth be told, one of Braeden’s favorite YouTubers had stayed there as well and had pizza delivered. He was more worried about whether the cheese pizza was good than about how Dr. Joe was feeling—pretty typical for his developing brain!

Shortly after the Zoom and confirming the pizza was not soggy, Braeden was contacted by Mrs Shoultz, the head of Scubanauts. He was informed he had been selected as one of the four divers within the organization that would be able to head to Key Largo and dive down to say hello to Dr. Dituri while also working with an underwater archaeologist. The kids would also be required to get their Full Face Mask (FFM) certification so they could broadcast live on this expedition. Braeden’s favorite mantra throughout his journey was no different at this point: “Bring it on, no pressure!”

As FFM certification wrapped, Braeden’s mom was being pulled to the side again. This time she thought it would come with criticism as he was a bit wiggly in the pool; instead, she was assured that wiggles and reminders of expectations were typical at 12 and that Braeden had handled not only himself but a situation that the instructor had seen most adults panic in with ease and control. Then he became the helper to the instructor as he was able to prove more than mastery. The event went off the next day with the divers measuring anchors and meeting with Dr Joe and the legendary Ian Koblick; the live feed equipment was the only cause of any issues on the dive. He yet again had impressed all in the water with him and left with an open invitation to come back for fun as well as a nod that there is so much more coming for him.

In May of 2023, Braeden was invited by Junior Scientists in the Sea (JSIS) founder Les Burke to attend a camp with other youth to achieve his Advanced Open Water Junior certification. He would have to be the helper and the example for their full face mask (FFM) certification as well as just be an example of how to be calm and in control in the water. He would also have the opportunity to stay the night in Jules UnderSea Lodge; he would enter the day after Dr. Dituri exited on his 100th day. 

Braeden surfaced 24 hours later, asking, “How much would it be and how long would it take to be the kid who stays the longest underwater?” Not only were his skills developing, his passion was breeding new ideas and goals. As the week wrapped up, Braeden was walking away with new certifications, over 25 dives, newfound friends, compliments from staff and divers within the lagoon, and a whole lot of smiles.  

Braeden’s journey continued as his mom held up her end of the bargain and began to let scuba diving guide his homeschool journey. AAUS certification tests with Scubanauts as well as DAN first aid and CPR training were starting to fill his transcripts and course requirements. But the opportunities to dive with other youth were lacking, so she began signing him up for any dive she could with trusted stores and she founded the Aqua STEAM homeschool group that leaned into youth recreational diving. Because of this group, Braeden got the opportunity to help with a certification camp and experience with JSIS.  

Again, he proved not only his skills but the ability to teach, help, and inspire others underwater. An unforgettable moment came when the captain of their charter asked who was helping on a dive at Pickles Reef as the ratios were not right per his itinerary. Braeden raised his hand and he got the nod from the instructors and dive safety officer on the boat. As soon as he climbed back on the boat at the completion of the dive, the captain shook his hand and told him how impressed he was and that he had major doubts until seeing him in action.  

Although the cold weather started to roll in, Braeden had achieved one of his first major goals: hitting 50 dives in September the day before his 13th birthday. Dives slowed, but his mom wasn’t going to let the cold air hamper his education. Braeden and his homeschool group found themselves Zooming with some of the top known individuals in the dive industry, such as Treasure Hunter Carl Allen, as well as attending in-person demos by the Citrus County Sheriff dive team.  

The families were invited to Commercial Dive Technologies Institute and many were now dreaming of jobs that would take them all over the world and keep them underwater. The youth were diving as much as possible and continuing education, and new goals became Braeden’s priority. He was slowly working toward his Junior Dive Master until he faced another fork in the road.

When Opportunity Knocks

Christine Tamburri of Dive911 reached out to Braeden’s family in late 2023.  She had joined the homeschool group on a whim due to her love of educating others and experience teaching all ages in the water. She requested to both work with Braeden in the water as well as help feed the group with a bit of guidance and connection to the technical diving world. One of her stipulations for coaching him was that he would participate in a group dive with Christine, Wally, and the team at Dive911. He would need to show his comfort and respect for the water and for diving as a whole. Braeden was thrilled and nervous, and he definitely had no idea that diving as he knew it—including all of his goals—were about to rapidly change. 

The day was freezing: high winds and even higher nerves for Braeden. But he was ready to gear up and experience Hudson Grotto for his first time and, as luck would have it, the day offered awesome visibility. He wanted so badly to impress them and show his capabilities. After they exited, it was communicated that he certainly was comfortable in the water, and a few more challenges would be coming, but they absolutely could not wait to work with him. Christine, his primary teacher, had started to work with him on his air consumption rate, streamlining, trim, basic equipment maintenance and necessity, finning, and (of course) buoyancy. His love and interest in technical diving was ignited and fueled dive after dive. Being introduced to Manatee Springs and Ginnie Springs and places he had never been only had him desiring more skill, more dives, and more experience. 

Challenge day was upon Braeden: he had heard that Buck and Wally held some pretty fun records and competitions with mask clears and such. After one example, Braeden was holding his own four feet under, igniting both surprise and accolades when surfacing. Braeden, although still the same easily distracted and wiggly now-13-year-old, was still impressing his mentors in the water and more importantly enjoying every minute of it.

As the months rolled by, Braeden was primarily in the water with Dive911. He had new dreams and goals in the tech diving world, and he was working with his mom to achieve and plan what has been coined as “Scuba schooling.” The winter was spent making gear changes toward his new dreams, and Zooming more—this time with the likes of Edd Sorenson and Jill Heinerth. He was attending field trips with Karst Underwater Research as well as helping in the water with others training. The cold air had slowed diving with all his peers, but the support from the dive community was unmatched and created a much needed balance. People that the kids were learning about or watching on YouTube were making time in their schedules to both inspire and narrate all the harrowing and amazing adventures they had all completed.

Braeden’s mom had reached out to Paul Heinerth for a presentation or Zoom and Paul said he could do one better: he wanted to dive with the group. As Braeden had stopped counting and relied on his computer to keep track of his dives, he was surprised to hear that he was merely three dives short of 100. His main goal for his scuba schooling was just around the corner.

Braeden’s 100th Dive

Like all the GOATS (greatest of all time) and legends in the dive industry he had met, talked to, and even dived with over the previous 16 months, Braeden was totally laid-back about this pretty monumental achievement. He would be strategically hitting his 100th dive with Paul in Hudson Grotto. 

The day began with listening to Paul speak while watching his expeditions on video. Braeden was itching to get in the water, but he had been told the visibility was dismal. The group went down to 40 or so feet with Paul and his son Joe, Heinerth and Braeden being dive buddies of course. While the adventure was short-lived and included little exploration or showing off of his skills (thanks to the recent rainstorm), Braeden had still accomplished what few people his age do—100 dives! And said dives met the standards of being over 20 minutes and included standard required surface intervals between same-day dives. He now held certifications for SDI’s Advanced Open Water Jr, FFM, Deep Certification, Nitrox, Night and Limited Vis, Wreck, Search and Recovery, Jules Verne Lodge Saturation diving (twice), DAN CPR, and First Aid. He had met legends in the field as well as being coached by divers who are known for their abilities and skills. He was casually living out his dreams dive by dive.

He always asks his homeschool group presenters, “What was your favorite dive? And what’s next?” His favorite is the next dive, of course, but if he has to pick, it is any and everything at Manatee Springs, a favorite of his. As far as what’s next, he doesn’t seem to think 100 is a big deal, “But 1000? Now that’s something to brag about,” exclaimed Braeden! 

And as far as his career goes, well… It will have to be in the water, and it will depend on the funding and impact he and his peers can make in the dive industry. They hope to see more opportunities and funds supporting the field within the technical diving world. Or he just may end up funding the fun through commercial or salvage diving like so many before him.

Author’s Credits and Recommendations

Full disclosure, this article was written by Braeden’s mom. When given this opportunity, it was a no-brainer to write about all of his success. Lest readers take this as a proud mom gloating or exaggerating, please note that most of Braeden’s journey was viewed by me from land. I depended on those he encountered and worked with in the water to report on his accomplishments. 

My journey has led me to believe that there is a real need for a diving curriculum in both the homeschool and youth world. To that end, I began a casual one. There are several youth science diving organizations, but I have not found anything for our aspiring technical and commercial divers. The small group has since had ups and downs with camps, organizations, and shops, but we have ultimately found success by finding individuals and organizations who see the need for youth engagement. The future of our waterways depends on them.  

My ultimate goal would be to help shape the industry so it can become a career for these kids. I say to every speaker, presenter, and diver we encounter: scuba diving should be a career track and should have more support and monetary backing. What I am doing with Braeden is just a mere step towards these goals. Being a dive mom isn’t easy, but being a dive mom to a child that sees the inherent risk—but oh so great reward—and wants to become safer and more skilled, and have a future in diving? That’s easy.

DIVE DEEPER

Curious Minds Dive Foundation

Scubanauts International

Jr. Scientists In the Sea

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Tara Burt is a homeschool mom of two. She created a youth and/or homeschool scuba diving group after her son found he had both a passion and talent in the water. Tara hopes to make an impact on the industry by helping to introduce youth to the water as well as the world, so scuba diving can become a legitimate career path. She can most often be found spring hopping as her son continues training.