The history of WOSD

The World Organisation of Scuba Diving (WOSD) was founded in 2005 to develop a new, innovative method of (diving) training that takes the international diving industry to the next level with modern tools and techniques.

Gerard OijnhausenFred SiebersGerard Oijnhausen, former manager of a large supermarket chain and scuba diving Instructor Trainer, and Fred Siebers, training expert and scuba diving Instructor Trainer, met each other in 2004 and were both concerned about the development and growth as it developed in the recreational diving industry.
Due to the rapid development of diving equipment, the textbooks regularly lagged behind the facts, so that the information was often outdated. Both believed that the lack of digital teaching resources was holding back growth in the diving industry.

After several attempts to 'sell' their ideas to the mainstream diving organisations, they decided to set up their own diving organisation in 2005: the World Organisation of Scuba Diving ( WOSD).

Our mission: Provide training with modern, digital teaching resources so that they always remain up-to-date, ensure that the student always has this information available 24/7 and continue to innovate in the safety and protection of the underwater world.
Since the Founding WOSD, we have always remained true to our mission. For example, we were the first diving organisation in the world to introduce digital learning for diving courses. We were also the first to use QR codes for certifications and stopped providing plastic certification cards. We will continue to monitor this mission. See also our timeline.