In 1996, Sergio Smith, a former US Navy diver and member of its Seabee program, established a fitness equipment shop called East Coast Dive Connection, located in Summerville, South Carolina.
It later expanded into a dive shop with scuba gear and offered recreational scuba classes as well as underwater welding certifications.
 The company was then turned into a school in 2003, establishing its campus in North Charleston, with underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence as a co-owner, and retaining the Summerville location as a dive shop.
In 2004, it was renamed to International Diving Institute.
Both Smith and Spence have served as instructors.

In 2016, 12 members of the Seabee Underwater Construction Team 2 (UCT 2) enrolled in IDI's wet welding course.
Of the 12, only two people had previous experience in surface welding.
In 2017, members of UCT 2's Construction Diving Detachment Alpha (CDDA) participated in the two-week underwater welding certification course.
In 1996, Sergio Smith, a former US Navy diver and member of its Seabee program, established a fitness equipment shop called East Coast Dive Connection, located in Summerville, South Carolina. It later expanded into a dive shop with scuba gear and offered recreational scuba classes as well as underwater welding certifications.  The company was then turned into a school in 2003, establishing its campus in North Charleston, with underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence as a co-owner, and retaining the Summerville location as a dive shop. In 2004, it was renamed to International Diving Institute. Both Smith and Spence have served as instructors.
In 2016, 12 members of the Seabee Underwater Construction Team 2 (UCT 2) enrolled in IDI's wet welding course. Of the 12, only two people had previous experience in surface welding. In 2017, members of UCT 2's Construction Diving Detachment Alpha (CDDA) participated in the two-week underwater welding certification course.
International Diving Institute