About Me
Sandra Clopp
I wanted to spend more time under water so I started a scuba training facility called Urban Manta in NYC, Raleigh NC and Marianna, Florida. I’ve been divemastering all over the world since 2004 and teaching since 2006. I’m a RAID and TDI Helitrox instructor and teach over 20 specialties. I’ve done over 2,000 dives in all kinds of environments all over the world. These include underwater photography dives in the tropics, local shipwreck exploration (including the Andrea Doria), rebreather trimix technical diving to 321′, cave diving to 277′ and ice diving beneath a frozen winterland.
I dive on the Lungfish backmount & front mount rebreather, Kiss classic rebreather, Kiss Sidewinder rebreather, Hollis Prism 2 rebreather, the Hollis Katana 2, Hollis SMS 75 or X Deep sidemount rigs, backmounted doubles or the Hollis Explorer rebreather. As a technical instructor I focus on proper trim and buoyancy control even with Open Water students on their very first pool session!
About Urban Manta – Scuba Dive NYC!
What separates my teaching style from check the box teaching styles is that my students learn proper trim, buoyancy and team/environmental awareness. No skills on knees (even for Open Water) or dropping like a rock feet first, fin or hand sculling, out of control and without your buddy.
These are all habits that you won’t have to unlearn in the future and you’ll learn why they’re important during training. If you learn to be in control of your body and buoyancy then you won’t have to dive stressed out. I do not run cattle call classes with students on their knees. I teach people how to actually dive. How and why? Cave divers tend to be more meticulous divers than anyone else on the planet. I’ve trained with some of the best ones around the world and I continue to train with them to fine tune skills such as scootering thousands of feet into caves with multiple open circuit stage or closed circuit bailout bottles.
Podcast Interviews
Dive in Podcast
Sandra Clopp is a talented technical diving instructor and owner of the scuba training facility Urban Manta. A deep, CCR, sidemount and cave diver, she is also a world traveler. When she’s not honing her technical skills or hunting for megalodon teeth, Sandra spends her time devoting new projects.
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Sidemount Pros
To hear more about my training philosophies & as a general knowledge source, check out the following podcasts: Speaking Sidemount with Steve Davis, episode #46.
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Blue Earth
Today’s episode introduces Sandra Clopp to the Blue Earth podcast! She talks about her wide range of skills, from her amazing diving stories to her fascination with Megalodon Teeth and the business of discovering them. Sandra is a fun conversationalist and a great diver and we’re incredibly lucky to have her on.
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Dive Deeper
Get your scuba license before you head off on your next trip! We offer classroom and pool sessions in NYC, Raleigh & Marianna and dive in a world class training lakes in Pennsylvania, NC & FL. Explore boats, airplanes, a firetruck, a helicopter, a school bus and more as your skill and comfort levels increase to earn your Open Water diver certification. Dive in a drysuit to stay dry and warm all year round!
Already certified and looking for a challenge? Try a deep diving class so you can explore further on your next dive trip. Learn the benefits of diving with Nitrox or hone your navigation skills with a navigation or Search & Recovery class. Take a wreck diving class and join us on a local adventure! Try it on side mount to get more bottom time or as the next step towards Technical or Cave diving!
RAID Certified InstructorSDI/TDI Certified Instructor
