Alex DulavitzManaging Partner
Alex Dulavitz's Gallery:
Background:
Alex’s diving journey has spent nearly three decades immersed in every corner of the dive industry, from gritty New England training dives to deep technical wrecks in the Florida Keys. As a co-owner of East Coast Divers and the Director of Technical and Professional Training, Alex has helped build one of the most respected programs in the country for divers looking to go deeper, train smarter, and dive with intention.
Early in his career, Alex cut his teeth in the Keys, teaching Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures, and rebreather courses at the International Diving Career Institute at Hall’s. He also served as their course director for the instructor college, training aspiring professionals while logging hundreds of dives in the 110–180’ range—mostly on remote wrecks and reefs few people even knew about. From little-known deep-fishing trawlers to the Spiegel Grove, Thunderbolt, and USS Wilkes-Barre, Alex wasn’t just checking sites off a list—he was learning how to plan, execute, and mentor at the highest level.
When he returned to Boston in 2009, Alex brought his deep-diving expertise with him and began exploring the local offshore wrecks with surgical precision. Over the next few years, he added cave diving to his toolkit—earning his full cave diver and cavern instructor certifications, and eventually leading annual cave expeditions in Mexico with some of ECD’s closest clients and friends. During that journey, he also became a strong advocate for sidemount diving, teaching both open- and closed-circuit sidemount, and became one of the region’s most trusted rebreather instructors—working with both the Hollis Prism 2 and the German-engineered SF2.
After a surprise decompression sickness episode and the discovery of a PFO (patent foramen ovale), Alex shifted his focus toward decompression theory and diver safety. Now, in addition to being one of the most sought-after tech instructors in the region, he’s on a mission to help divers understand, manage, and reduce risk—so they can enjoy deeper, longer dives without cutting corners.
Alex leads the ECD technical dive team, teaches at the highest levels of recreational and technical diving, and continues to push the standard higher—not just for his students, but for the dive community as a whole.
Favorite Dive Site:
Ask Alex to pick a favorite dive site and he’ll probably give you a thoughtful pause, a little grin, and then two answers.
First: Four Kings in Raja Ampat. Surging pinnacles wrapped in swirling fish and soft coral so dense it looks like a technicolor explosion. It’s wild, vibrant, and absolutely alive—everything a dive in the tropics should be.
Second: the caves of Mexico. Every year, Alex leads a group of close friends and ECD clients down to Tulum for a few weeks of pure cave diving. It’s the opposite of Raja—calm, still, surreal. Quiet tunnels that stretch into the unknown. For Alex, it’s not just about the geology or the diving—it’s about the trust, the precision, and the shared experience of navigating those spaces together.
Favorite Creature:
For Alex, it’s the octopus. Smart, methodical, and always a step ahead—he can relate. Whether it’s watching one shape-shift into a crevice mid-dive or casually unscrew a jar just to show it can, octopuses are proof that mastery doesn’t have to be flashy. They’re problem-solvers, camouflage artists, and total weirdos—in the best possible way. Just like a good dive plan, they’re quiet, calculated, and always adapting.
Favorite Certification Course:
With a background as deep as his dives, it’s no surprise that Alex gravitates toward the courses where big breakthroughs happen. He loves teaching Advanced Rebreather programs, especially when students graduate from basic CCR skills to full trimix execution and start to realize just how far they can go. Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures are also at the top of his list—courses that force divers to think differently, plan critically, and become accountable for every decision they make underwater.
And then there’s Cave. Whether it’s guiding someone through their first real cavern dive or refining a sidemount setup mid-training, Alex loves the detail, the challenge, and the transformation that comes with cave diving. The common thread in all his favorite courses? Watching a diver step into their own potential and come out the other side sharper, calmer, and more capable than they thought possible.
Goals In The Dive Industry:
Alex isn’t here to pump out cert cards or run divers through a checklist. He’s here to help them get better—smarter, safer, more self-aware. After his own run-in with decompression sickness, his outlook shifted. Now, he pushes for a more conservative approach to decompression diving—not just in how he teaches, but in how he talks about risk, planning, and the mindset needed for longevity in this sport.
He’s also driven by a bigger vision: building a generation of divers who think like pros, even if they never plan to teach. Divers who can run a gas plan without flinching, who can read a site and make smart calls in real time, and who can stay calm when things don’t go as planned. His students don’t just finish courses—they finish changed.
And that’s the whole point.