Patrick Widmann
Patrick is originally from a small town in Austria called Fusch some 10min away from Zell am See which is a quiet town next to a lake. There, at an early age, he discovered a passion for diving during a demo dive with the local rescue team. Joining his father, he became part of that team and took advantage of the free equipment and easy access to the lake.
On a family vacation in 1998 he finally got certified as a Padi Open Water Diver. Most of his early diving was in the cold and dark lakes of western Austria at high altitude except for some family trips to Croatia. In the summer of 2002, after graduating from a natural science school, he went to Croatia to get experience as a dive guide.
In the fall of 2002, he moved to Egypt to turn his passion into his full time occupation. There he met his first real mentor, Luigi Iannone who pushed and trained him day in day out. While living on the Red Sea, he taught recreational diving in big factory style diving centres. He spent almost all his free time diving and pursuing his career goals, constantly learning new skills and doing ever more challenging dives. Taught by Janice Sherriffs, he completed his IDC Staff Instructor training in 2003 and started teaching Padi courses up to IDC (Instructor Development Course).
Almost simultaniously, Oscar Galletto an IANTD ITT helped him getting into technical diving. First mainly as recreation but soon after also teaching it to people who share the interest. After a year of focusing all his time on this pursuit and training weekly, he started to perform solo deep mixed gas dives in open water, deep wreck penetration dives and to participate in a collection of exploration projects. Doing solo dives not by choice but simply due to the lack of a dive partner.
Getting slightly burned out of the recreational diving industry and more and more interested in technical diving he decided to do a cave diving course after reading Bill Stones Book about deep cave explorations and Closed Circuit Rebreathers (CCR). In 2005 he came the first time to the Yucatan and was immediately hooked on every aspect of this sport. In 2006 after starting to dive a CCR in Egypt he bought his first Unit, an ISC Megalodon, and came back to Mexico to train on it for cave and Trimix diving.
In March 2007 he finally decided to move to Playa del Carmen permanently to be able to cave dive on a daily basis and hasn’t regret that decision ever since.
In 2009 he became part owner of Protec with the goal to create a training facility with the highest standards while supporting exploration and conservation.
Patrick is actively travelling the world to participate in projects and teach in foreign locations. Therefore he spends most summers in Europe teaching throughout Spain, France, Austria among others.
Patrick is also a very active member in the QDT (quiet diver team) and the DRSS (dominican republic speleological society) and has dived, explored and taught in caves in Mexico, Florida, Belize, France, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Austria, Sardinia, Bahamas, Haiti, Hungary, Zanzibar, Australia and Mallorca.
Patrick is the co-creator of the xDeep Stealth 2.0, one of the most sold Sidemount rigs on the market and is also involved in the R+D of many other products of xDeep
Furthermore he is the country licensee of PSAI for Hispaniola and Mexico and is part of the Board of Advisors and helps create and refine course materials for PSAI
PSAI Instructor for:
Open Water through Divemaster, Nitrox Diver, Deep Diver, Sidemount Diver
Advanced Nitrox Diver, Trimix Level 1 Diver.
Cavern Diver through Cave Diver, Technical Cave Diver.
Basic & Advanced Sidemount Cave Diver , Stage & Multi Stage Cave Diver, Basic & Advanced DPV Cave Diver
CCR Cave Diver.
CCR Classic Kiss Diver
CCR KISS Sidewinder Diver
PSAI Instructor Trainer for:
Openwater Instructor, Nitrox Instructor.
Advanced Nitrox Instructor, Trimix Level 1 Diver
Cavern Instructor, Introductary Cave Instructor, Technical Cave Instructor, Basic & Advanced Sidemount Cave Diver Instructor, CCR Cave Instructor, DPV Cave Instructor.
PSAI Instructor Trainer Evaluator for:
All recreational Levels
PADI Instructor for: (not renewed)
Open Water through Assistant Instructor, Deep Diver, Nitrox Diver, U/W Photographer, Digital U/W Photography, Cavern Diver, Night Diver, Wreck Diver, Dry Suit, Drift Diver, EFR Instructor.
PADI Master Instructor
DSAT Instructor for:(not renewed)
Tec Deep Diver
Specialized User for:
Poseidon Cis Lunar MK VI
Pelagian DCCR
KISS Sidewinder
Prism 2
SF 2
AP Inspiration and evolution Vision
Diver Levels:
GUE Fundamentals
GUE Cave One
GUE Tec One
TDI Advanced Trimix
IANTD CCR Trimix
Participant in the following exploration, expeditions and projects:
2005 Reef Formation Study on Gorgonian Reef (-100M/-330FT to -85M/-280FT) Hurghada, Egypt
2005 Black Canyon Mapping Project (-120M/-400FT) Hurghada, Egypt
2006 Mapping the Interiors of the Wreck Hebat Allah (-45MSW), Hurghada Egypt
2007 Cave Exploration in Akumal and South of Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2007 National Geographic video documentary production safety diver, Playa del Carmen, Mexcio
2008 “The Pit” Deep Cave Diving Project (105MSW/350FT) Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2008 AIDA sponsored international free diving competition deep safety diver, Bacalar, Mexico
2009 “The Pit” Deep Cave Diving Project, one hour bottom time at an average depth of 90MSW/300FT with use of decompression habitat, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2009 Cenote 307 Exploration Project, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2009 Polish distance record 17km, Diving Safety Officer, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2009 Diving Safety Officer for Tube Inspection Project, Toluca, Mexico
2010 Exploration Project Cenote Balan Ak, Chemuyil, Mexico
2010 Exploration Project Cenote Palomita, Chemuyil, Mexico
2010 Exploration Project Sistema Lycka, Tulum, Mexico
2010 Exploration Project Sistema Lorenzo, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2010 Exploration Project Sistema Under the Bridge, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2010 Designed Cave Diving Specific Sidemount Equipment named Stealth
2011 Exploration Project Sistema Lycka, Tulum, Mexico
2011 Exploration Project Sistema Ek Be, Akumal, Chemuyil, Mexico
2011 Deep Cave Exploration (230ft/70m) and archeological research project, Cara Blanca, Belize
2011 Exploration Project Cenote Sand Crack, Tulum, Mexico
2011 Exploration Project Cenote Rojo, Tulum, Mexico
2011 Exploration Project, Systema Maya, Tulum, Mexico
2011 Together with Polish Equipment Manufacturer XDeep designed and developed the STEALTH 2.0
2012 Exploration Project, Cenote Ak Tulum, Tulum, Mexico
2012 Exploration Project, Cenote Caterpillar, Muyil, Mexico
2012 Exploration Project Cueva Mulata, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
2013 Exploration Project Cenote Caterpillar, Muyil, Mexico
2013 Exploration Project Cenote Drunken Snake, Muyil, Mexico
2013 Exploration Project Sistema Chi Keen, Muyil, Mexico
2013 Exploration Project Sistema Choko Pek, Tulum, Mexico
2013 Exploration Project Sistema Nohoch Pek, Muyil, Mexio
2013 Exploration Project Sistema Doggi, Muyil, Mexio
2013 Exploration Project Sistema Escalera, Cabarete, Dominican Republic
2013 Exploration Project El Torro, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic (extended cave to over 10.000ft in a 9h sump project)
2013 Exploration Project Cenote la Bajada, Sistema Caterpillar, Muyil, Mexico
2013 Exploration Project Cenote Style, Sistema Doggi, Muyil Mexico
2014 Exploration Project Sarodrano, Tulear, Madagascar
2014 Exploration Project Binabe, Tulear, Madagascar
2014 Exploration Project Aven, Anakao, Madagascar
2014 Exploration Project Vintany, Itampolo, Madagascar
2014 Exploration Project Malaza Manga, Anakao, Madagascar
2014 Exploration Project Cenote El Mango, Tulum, Mexico
2014 Exploration Project Cenote The Nest, Muyil, Mexico
2014 Team Expedition to Mahafaly Karst, Nat Geo Film and Science Project, Anakao, Madagascar
2015 Exploration Project Cueva Negra, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
2015 Exploration Project Cueva Taina, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2015 Exploration Project El Toro, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic (climbed 2nd dry cave in 11h sump project)
2015 Exploration Project Hoyo Binet, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
2015 Exploration Project Cenote Galaxian, Muyil, Mexico
2015 Exploration Project Sistema Tres Rios, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
2015 Exploration Project Nacimiento del Rio Sonador, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (deepest cave of the DR 330ft/100m)
2015 Exploration Project Nacimiento del Rio Balata, Los Haitises, Dominican Republic (max 170ft/52m)
2016 Exploration Project El Zebu, Secret Location, Africa
2016 Exploration Project Parazyte Lake, Secret Location, Africa
2016 Exploration Project Malaza Manga, Anakao, Madagascar (expanded cave to 13.000ft, max depth 158ft/48m, on CCR)
2016 Installment of first under water paleontology museum in Aven cave, Anakao, Madagascar
2017 Exploration Project Anjanamba, Tulear, Madagascar filmed Spirits of the cave One (https://youtu.be/eDYdchsrLEo)
2017 Various small Projects in Muyil, Q.Roo, Mexico
2018 Exploration Project Haiti, found deepest cave of Hispaniola currently 110m/360ft deep with more depth potential and strong flow
2018 Exploration Project Anjanamba, Tulear, Madagascar filmed Spirits of the cave Two (https://youtu.be/A_4OO5kNhGg), made Anjanamba the longest submerged cave of Africa
2018 Various small Projects in Muyil, Q.Roo, Mexico
2019 Exploration Project Anjanamba, Tulear, Madagascar filmed Spirits of the cave Three (https://youtu.be/_O5gLZzPZbU), cave is now over 10km/33k ft long with a single entrance!
2019 Various small Projects in Muyil, Q.Roo, Mexico
Articles published by or with Patrick:
Hebat Allah – The Gift of Allah in the German and English version of the H2O Magazine
Into the Pit – UWS Magazine
Various Articles – Quiet Diver
An Ancient Watery Underworld – New York Times
Der Hoehlentaucher – Kronen Zeitung
Sidemount 1×1 – Wetnotes Magazine
CNN – Mahafaly Project
NBC – Mahafaly Project
Learning to Sidemount – UWS Magazine
Washington Post – Mahafaly Project
National Geographic – Mahafaly Project
Red Bull – Exploring the deepest cave of the Dominican Republic
Scuba Diving Magazine – To Parts Unknown
