Jon Kieren

Kieren runs Kieren Technical in cave country, was previously training director for TDI, SDI and ERDI, and writes widely on decompression theory including for DAN's research programme. In practice he teaches as half of a pair with Lauren Kieren, and the accounts that exist name them together. The fullest is from a parent who watched a full TDI Cavern course: the two work very well as a team, obviously share the enthusiasm, and went "well above the minimums" — his daughter, who had specifically asked for them, rated it her favourite course to date and never felt rushed or over-stressed. What that reviewer took away was not the cavern skills but the emphasis on communication and working as a team, which he thought made the course worth taking even for divers with no intention of going into an overhead. A former student's summary is that the Kierens end up friends with their students. He is recommended for Playa del Carmen and Tulum alongside Kelvin Davidson and Roger Williams, and for GUE Fundamentals by divers who took it with him. He also comes up in a thread about the elitism some cave agencies attract as a counter-example — named among "the most humble people" the poster had met in the community, which is a specific thing to be said in that context.