Stephen Kaplan and James Beck, both retired Navy SEALs, are the co-founders of Trident Adventures.  They founded TA in June, 2018 on Oahu, HI.  The journey started by introducing family and friends to the thrills of diving on the North Shore of Oahu, HI.  Their joy of diving, coupled with astute safety protocols forged as lead instructors in the SEAL Teams, allowed their guests the freedom to learn diving procedures in an invisible safety bubble created by Steve and Jim.  On countless occasions, Steve and Jim were told by their peers they should start a high-end adventure business that focuses on the same high standards held in the SEAL Teams.  This key fact is what sets TA apart from all other operations.

James Beck began his diving career in 1988 while attending Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in San Diego, California.  With over 30 years of Naval service as a SEAL, he held supervisory qualifications in every Naval Special Warfare (NSW) skillset and had the opportunity of teaching most of those skill sets to fellow United States (US) and Foreign National (FN) Special Operation Forces (SOF), as well as State and Federal Law Enforcement Officers (LEO).  Mr. Beck’s last tour of duty was as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of NSW Advanced Training Command, Detachment Hawaii, where he oversaw all formal advanced dive training to include usage of various full-face masks with communications; open circuit underwater breathing apparatuses (UBAs); closed circuit UBAs; semi closed circuit UBAs; dive medicine; basic and advanced dive physics to include multi-level/multi-UBA dive table management, submersible operations, curriculum development and instructor development and mentorship.  His unique experiences together with 17+ deployments have given Mr. Beck an unrivaled ability to assess dynamic situations and mitigate risk on the fly allowing clients the ability to relax, have fun, and learn in a safe environment.  

Stephen Kaplan began diving 2002 while attending Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) in San Diego, California.  He has recently retired from the Navy spending 16- years in the SEAL Teams.  The last four years of his Naval career he served as the lead instructor in all dive (closed circuit and open circuit) training, maritime operations, Close Quarter Combat (CQC), explosives, breaching, HRST/Cast operations, small unit tactics, weapons, and various other lead instructor roles while functioning as a department head at Training Detachment THREE (TRADET-3), based on Oahu, Hawaii.  As a veteran of many combat deployments throughout the world, Steve carries a unique perspective, and high value for life.  Paired with his vast collection of experience, and a strong sense of wonder for creation is unavoidably contagious to those around him.  Of all the extreme sports and activities Steve does, skydiving, marksmanship, combatives, hunting, mountaineering, racing, and so much more, there is nothing that matches the excitement balanced with serenity that diving has to offer.  His passion is simply sharing that excitement with others. 

Beyond the realm of scuba diving, Steve and Jim worked tirelessly to bring all the “fun” aspects of being a Navy SEAL to the world through Trident Adventures.  In the beginning TA simply offered snorkeling and scuba diving tours.  TA has now grown to offer training and Navy SEAL-like experiences which includes, live fire gun shooting on their own private gun range on the North Shore of Oahu, HI, as well as Navy SEAL guided hunting tours on the island of Molokai, HI.  They also offer training in various hand-to-hand combat disciplines through Krav Maga and Jiujitsu while blending those skills into a CQC environment utilizing simulated gun fighting warfare.  Beyond that they also offer skydiving out of helicopters, night vision goggle training, helicopter casting into the ocean, and so much more.  Within the first 6-months of opening, Steve and Jim created the academic arm of Trident Adventures, developing a school offering elite training to its students who earn professional ratings in both scuba diving and helicopter casting, recognized by PADI and the FAA, respectfully.  As a schoolhouse, Trident Adventures has now certified thousands of students from all around the world!

On the island of Oahu, HI, Steve and Jim have an impeccable reputation, not only because of their elite, specialized military experience, but also because of their extensive civilian professional credentials, certifications and licenses.  While training lead actors in the television and movie industry in various Navy SEAL style techniques to include, weapons handling, hand-to-hand combat, small unit tactics, and scuba diving.  While also performing as both actors and stuntmen on Oahu, Steve and Jim caught the eye of the Ko Olina Resort Activities Director and their executive team in 2018.  Ko Olina wanted a dive operation that would make their resorts a premier dive destination in Hawaii, while supporting high-end VIP clientele such as government officials, dignitaries, celebrities, and influencers.  Trident Adventures officially opened its doors in June, 2018 and began its educational arm that December the same year.  The company quickly surpassed all expectations, developing a reputation of excellence across all the unique services Trident Adventures has to offer including scuba diving, fishing charters, snorkeling, helicopter jumping (Helo Casting), skydiving, shooting, hunting, self-defense courses, and more.  Trident Adventures has been featured numerous magazines, to include Forbes, Luxuo, Outside Magazine, Maxim, Uncrate, and many others.

Trident Adventures has expanded and is now located within the hub of Honolulu, very close to Waikiki at the iconic Aloha Tower.  This location puts Trident Adventures in a unique position, able to conduct training dives in the diverse Hawaiian archipelago utilizing various underwater terrain features made up of coral reefs, lava tubes, caves, caverns, sandy bottoms, drop-offs, and basalt boulders.  Training can be conducted year-round due to the high quantity and uniqueness of training sites available, ranging from calm lagoons, shallow reef dives, deep dives, wreck dives and even multi-level cavern diving.  Many of these dive locations utilized by Trident Adventures conveniently double as FAA approved helicopter cast Drop Zones (DZs), most of which are expediently located just outside the shoreline of the downtown Waikiki beaches.

Fostering an official ‘Platinum Status’ partnership with ScubaPro, Trident Adventures provides the most current, top-of-the-line dive equipment available in today’s market.  Paired with our 42ft Force Marine Catamaran, powered by two brand new Suzuki 300HP engines, Trident Adventures creates a top-tier experience both on and under the water.  All of TA’s equipment, service center, retail shop, showroom, classroom, transport vehicles, storage facilities and compressor are all located on the premises at the Aloha Tower Marketplace.  This keeps all the major components conveniently centralized.  The boat is berthed 1.5 miles from Aloha Tower in Kewalo Basin Harbor and is the perfect location for easy and quick access to all recreational and training locations.  Trident Adventures’ helicopter is located only four (4) miles away from Aloha Tower on the Magnum Helicopters’ airstrip in Honolulu. 

Our fleet of vehicles are available to transport students from the classroom to the various training areas as required.  Unlike other dive/adventure companies, TA has exclusive partnerships with high-end hotels such as the Four Seasons and Disney Resorts, as well as, exclusive access to confined water pools at the historic Palama Settlement.  This gives TA unique access to various lagoons and pools for confined water training, and other in-water training for both scuba diving and Helo Casting classes.  All class sessions requiring classroom time are conducted in our state-of-the-art multimedia classroom located at the Aloha Tower Marketplace.