PHILIPP OTTO BREICHA

Scubadiving is like space traveling. you are in fascinating but quixotic surroundings – completely depending on your equipment. and if you can manage it – you are totally weightless

Philipp was born in 1966 in Austria and raised in Vienna. Since his childhood, he was fascinated by the underwater world but, due to a perforated eardrum he was not allowed to dive. During his time, he spent endless hours exploring the shallow waters and the shorelines during his family vacations in Croatia. 

As soon as he got the medical go ahead, he started training and became addicted to diving. In 2007, he became a Divemaster and in 2008 he reached the Assistant Instructor rating. 

In 2010 he became a partner of Under Pressure at the Attersee in Austria and became an Instructor in 2011  after finishing his IDC with Ben Walzinger and the IE by Dive Asia in Phuket. Since 2012, he spends his time on the fascinating island of Gozo. In 2018 he got the opportunity to become part of Gozo Diving, leading recreational diving activities. He now spends two months in spring and two months in autumn on Gozo.

Total number of dives: +2000
First dive: 2006
Training agency: PADI

Tom Steiner Van Den Ouweelen

DIRECTOR OF DIVING

Teaching diving for me is more than a lifestyle; it's my passion, it's a part of me.

“One important key to extreme diving is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is training and to never overestimate your self-confidence...” — Tom Steiner

Technical Diving Instructor Trainer • Explorer • Expedition Leader

Tom Steiner van den Ouweelen is one of the world's most experienced Technical Diving Instructor Trainers and Course Directors, with more than four decades dedicated to diving education, exploration, and expedition leadership.

Born in Switzerland in 1965, Tom discovered diving in Barbados in 1979 before continuing his training in the cold waters of Lake Geneva. This demanding environment shaped the disciplined and methodical approach that has become his trademark as an instructor.

Today, Tom has accumulated more than 17,000 dives, including over 2,500 hours on rebreathers, more than 5,500 cave dives, over 6,000 dives between 40 and 100 metres, and numerous dives beyond 100 metres. His experience spans caves, deep wrecks, rebreathers, ice diving, expedition diving, and technical exploration across the globe.

A full-time diving professional for more than 36 years, Tom has trained recreational divers, technical divers, instructors, and instructor trainers from every continent. His teaching philosophy is simple: demanding training creates confident, skilled, and safe divers.

Throughout his career, Tom has held senior instructional and examiner positions with numerous international training agencies, including TDI/SDI, PADI TecRec, CMAS, IANTD, ANDI, BSAC, ISE, EDA, NRC, PROTEC, and INNERSPACE Explorers. His multilingual ability—speaking seven languages fluently—has enabled him to teach thousands of divers worldwide.

Tom's expertise extends well beyond recreational diving. He has trained astronauts at the European Space Agency (ESA), delivered rebreather programmes for the Greek Navy and Coast Guard, and instructed military, scientific, and professional divers in advanced technical procedures.

His expedition and safety experience includes organising the AIDA Freediving World Championship in Switzerland, leading underwater safety operations for 48 athletes in 4°C water, and acting as safety diver for world-renowned freedivers including Loïc Leferme, Fred Buyle, Şahika Ercümen, William Turbridge and Sarah Campbell. He also supported legendary deep diver Pascal Bernabé during his trimix training and record-attempt preparations.

Tom has contributed to numerous technical diving innovations, including developing one of the industry's first Technical Sidemount training programmes. He has written and translated books on Nitrox and Rebreather diving and participated in several diving documentaries, including 330 Metres Below the Sea and movies like 22 Minutes.

Before relocating to Malta, Tom spent sixteen years in Egypt, where he managed Dahab Divers Lodge before founding two renowned technical diving centres: Fantaseatec and Dahab Divers Technical.

In 2026, Tom served as Explorer-in-Residence and expedition leader during the inaugural organised technical diving expedition along Greenland's west coast, navigating from Nuuk to Ilulissat aboard an icebreaker. The expedition is believed to have been the first organised diving exploration of this remote coastline.

Today, Tom is based on Gozo, Malta, where he operates Gozo Technical Diving, specialising in advanced technical, cave, sidemount, and rebreather training. During the European winter, he teaches and leads expeditions around the world.

Experience at a Glance

• 17,000+ dives

• 2,500+ hours on rebreathers

• 5,500+ cave dives

• 6,000+ dives between 40–100 metres

• 250+ dives between 100–150 metres

• 5 dives beyond 150 metres

• Diving since 1979

• Full-time professional instructor for 37+ years

• Technical, Cave & CCR Instructor Trainer

• Expedition leader and explorer

• Based on Gozo, Malta