Hello! I am Jess Overbeck, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor teaching in Monterey and Lake Tahoe. I've logged 600+ dives since 2012. My teaching style is calm, thorough, and designed to help you feel ready for your next dive—with an extra dose of patience and encouragement.

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How I teach

• Skills over speed. We move when you're ready, not when the schedule says so.

• Calm is a skill. I teach you to stay relaxed and problem-solve underwater, because that's what keeps divers safe.

• Technical-diver habits. Good buoyancy, gas management, and solid buddy checks, from day one.

 

Whether you're nervous about your first breath underwater or ready to level up, I'll meet you where you are.

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Where I teach

Monterey — Most weekends you'll find me here. Cold-water kelp diving, sea lions, and some of the richest marine life on the West Coast. If you can dive Monterey, you can dive almost anywhere.

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Lake Tahoe — Freshwater, altitude, and visibility that feels unreal. A different kind of training ground, and a stunning one.

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I teach as an independent instructor with Marin Diving Center (San Rafael, CA) and Pacific Scuba Divers (Sunnyvale, CA).

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Courses & Specialties

From your first breath underwater through Divemaster, plus specialties to sharpen your skills.

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Core courses​

• Open Water Diver

• Advanced Open Water Diver

• Rescue Diver

• Divemaster

• Discover Scuba Diving

• ReActivate (refresher)

 

Specialties

• Adaptive Techniques

• Deep

• Drift

• Emergency Oxygen Provider

• Enriched Air (Nitrox)

• Fish Identification

• Night Diver

• Peak Performance Buoyancy

• Underwater Naturalist

• Underwater Photography

• Wreck

 

Conservation

• PADI AWARE

• AWARE Coral Reef Conservation

• AWARE Shark & Ray Conservation

• Dive Against Debris

 

Safety & First-aid

• Emergency First Responder (EFR)

• Care for Children with AED​​

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My Story

I took my first breath underwater in 2012 in Monterey, California, and never looked back. Over the next decade, diving took me from kelp forests off the California coast to Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Galapagos, and more! Recently, I completed several technical diver specialties to expand my skill set.

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I completed my PADI Instructor Development Course in Dauin, Philippines, where I taught and co-taught Open Water, Discover Scuba, Rescue, and Nitrox courses; then I came home to teach where I learned — the cold but beautiful waters of Northern California. My favorite site locally is Point Lobos, and Raja Ampat and the Galapagos are two of my favorite international dive locations.

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Topside, I am a California (and Bay Area) native who thrives on great conversations, good books, hot mugs of tea, snow-covered ski slopes, sunny weekends in wine country, and hikes with ocean views. I live on the Pacific coast with my husband (also a diver!) and our two spoiled cats. During the week, I work in tech as a Director of Internal/Employee Communications.

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Dive Certifications
Open Water Instructor #575866 (PADI)
Instructor Development Philippines, Dauin, Philippines

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Divemaster #575866 (PADI)
Marin Diving Center, San Rafael, California

 

Rescue Diver (PADI)
Lahaina Divers, Maui, Hawaii

Advanced Open Water Diver (PADI)
Explorer Adventures II, Turks & Caicos

 

Open Water Diver (SSI)
Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers, San Francisco, California

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Specialty Dive Certifications
Advanced Nitrox (TDI)

Decompression Procedures (TDI)

Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) (SDI)

Dry Suit (PADI)

Enriched Air (Nitrox) (PADI)

Equipment Specialist (PADI)

Intro to Tech (TDI)

Sidemount (TDI)

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Let's get you in the water

Ready to get certified, or just curious? Book a course with me through Marin Diving Center or Pacific Scuba Divers — ask to do your course with Jess! I am also available for private classes through the shops! I'd love to show you what's below the surface.