TECHNICAL DIVING
Taking fun more seriously
MORE TIME, DEPTH & SAFETY
Technical Diving has many definitions, but all are based on these same ideas
The term 'Technical Diving' has been around since the early 1990s, but divers were engaging in technical activities for many years before then. The reason for this is rather simple - human nature always makes us ask questions like "Can I reach that place?" and "What is around the next corner?". As divers began asking these same questions, they had to develop new ways of diving to achieve their goals. Divers adopted new procedures required by our physiology, while developing new equipment to support these new limits.
Above all else, 'technical diving' is an approach to diving that has the philosophy of making the dive as safe as possible while allowing the diver to enjoy the wonders of the underwater world. Technical Diving is also a mental discipline that requires a concerted effort to calculate a variety of variables and to consider the "what ifs" of diving problems. Technical level training is not for everyone, but the core concepts and skills DO apply to all divers.
Technical Diving International (TDI) is the largest technical diving agency in the world and has developed a series of training courses designed to build the knowledge and skills that every technical diver needs to make safe and effective technical dives. Take a look through the courses available and see what might be right for YOUR technical training and diving goals.
TDI INTRO TO TEC DIVER
3 to 4 days
Discover what all the fuss is about
This is the first step in any diver's technical education and introduces you to the equipment, approach, theory and skills required by the technical diver. It will also give you a taste of what is to come in technical level training to see if it is for you.
You will build a solid diving foundation by developing precision buoyancy, trim, positioning, awareness and a complete range of propulsion techniques for maximum efficiency with minimum environmental impact.
Diving in a full technical 'rig' with redundant gas supplies, you will become familiar with the setup and operation of technical equipment and become proficient with handling common emergencies and performing essential skills such as SMB deployment.
You will not be certified to dive deeper than your current qualification, but you WILL be ready to take the next step in your technical training.
TDI ADVANCED NITROX
4 to 5 days
Air is for tires, Nitrox is for divers....
Extend your diving options by carrying additional gas and richer Oxygen mixtures to extend your existing recreational Nitrox knowledge & skills.
Building from your technical base, you will learn to handle a third cylinder and manage your Oxygen exposure when diving with hyperoxic gas mixes.
Making safe, in water gas switches is a critical skill for technical diving and will become a trained and automatic process. You will learn to make more advanced dive plans to include gas usage calculations, as well as management of Oxygen exposure and risk mitigation.
You will be qualified to make dives up to 40m within the no-decompression limit and use up to 100% Oxygen.
TDI DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES
4 to 5 days
Your first step beyond the recreational tables
If you are looking to extend your bottom time to enjoy more of what the dive has to offer, then it is essential that you learn the techniques, skills and planning to safely make these dives.
As a Decompression Procedures diver, you will learn the theory to effectively plan your dives and the skills needed to complete required "decompression stops" during the most critical part of the dive - the ascent.
As you will be exceeding your existing recreational dive limits, it is essential to be able to manage likely problems in the water in order to safely complete your ascent, since direct access to the surface is not always the best option.
You will be qualified to make dives requiring staged decompression to 45 meters.
TDI HELITROX
4 to 5 days
Enjoy your dive with a clearer mind
As you dive deeper, you may experience some "gas narcosis" brought on by elevated pressures of the gas you breathe. By adding Helium "into the mix" you can offset this narcotic effect and be free to focus on the dive and all it has to offer.
You will be diving beyond the recreational decompression limits and using Helium in the breathing gas in addition to Nitrox to create a normoxic or hyperoxic Helitrox mixture.
While still subject to Oxygen limits, you will now be managing Helium exposure, which in turn will affect your decompression schedule and calls for a higher level of skill and contingency planning.
You will be qualified to make dives requiring staged decompression to 45 meters with up to 20% Helium in the breathing gas.
TDI EXTENDED RANGE
4 to 5 days
What lies beneath...
You are already a skilled Decompression Procedures diver, but you want to make dives beyond the 45m range and reach areas previously off limits, so you can see that wreck or submerged artefact. Extending your knowledge and skills will allow you to safely make these deeper dives.
Moving on to carrying four cylinders and three gas mixes requires additional equipment setup, dive theory and water skills. There will now be additional gas switches to handle and increased decompression obligations for the dive.
Learning to manage the equipment, perform the skills and execute the required emergency procedures will make you a well-rounded and skilled technical diver.
You will be qualified to make dives requiring staged decompression to 55 meters using any Nitrox gas.
TDI TRIMIX DIVER
4 to 5 days
Maximum depth requires maximum skill
Diving with any type of Enriched Air is limited by the depth limits for Oxygen and the narcotic effects of the breathing gas. As a Trimix diver, you will add Helium to your breathing gas to offset this narcosis and further reduce the Oxygen content to extend your depth limits.
Since you now have a third gas in your mix, you are breathing a "tri" mix. This breathing gas has increased risks associated with the presence of Helium which requires an increased level of diver knowledge and extensive dive planning.
As a Trimix diver, you will have excellent core skills, perform multiple gas switches, handle up to five cylinders and be able to deal with the widest range of equipment failures and dive emergencies.
You will be qualified to make dives requiring staged decompression to 60 meters using any amount of Helium with no less than 18% Oxygen in your breathing gas.
ADVANCED WRECK DIVER
Advanced Wreck Diving expands your skills and awareness of diving in these man made overhead environments.
As an existing Decompression Procedures diver, you will learn to safely make dives involving penetration into an overhead environment.
You will learn basic overhead safety protocols and use a guideline to allow a safe exit at all times. You will learn navigation techniques and be able to conduct zero visibility exits and handle out of gas situations during zero visibility situations.
DIVER PROPULSION VEHICLE - DPV
DPV diving extends the size of your dives and can take the effort out of swimming long distances or carrying multiple cylinders. Making safe DPV dives requires good control of your DPV as well as understanding what your new limits will be.
Covering more ground means that should a failure occur, then you have to have planned enough gas reserves to make it safely back to your exit - ideally with the failed DPV (!)
DPV training starts with a recreational based course followed by a technical level course covering more failure scenarios and enhanced control techniques.
PADI TEC REC COURSES
Founded in 1966, PADI is reported to have issued over 25 million diving certifications
PADI have developed Tec Rec courses for Technical Divers diving beyond 40 metres, execute staged decompression, use accelerated decompression or use multiple gas mixtures during a dive.
Take a look through the available courses and see what sounds right for YOUR technical training and goals.
If you aren't sure if you should train with PADI or TDI, then please contact me to discuss what would work for you.
PADI TEC 40
4 to 5 days
This is the first level in the Tec Deep diver program and introduces you to the equipment, procedures and skills of the technical diver.
You will dive in a full technical rig using independent back mounted or side mounted cylinders, a redundant buoyancy device and a single stage/decompression cylinder.
The course will qualify you to dive to 40m using up to 50% Enriched Air Nitrox and allow up to 10 minutes of decompression time using your bottom gas.
PADI TEC 45
4 to 5 days
Building on your foundations as a Tec40 diver, you will develop your dive planning and in water skills to handle greater depth and variety of dive related emergencies.
You will dive in a full technical rig using independent back mounted or side mounted cylinders, a redundant buoyancy device and a single stage/decompression cylinder.
The course will qualify you to dive to 45m and use up to 100% Oxygen with unlimited decompression times.
The Tec45 course can be taught with the addition of Helium to the breathing gas for reduced gas narcosis as part of the Tec 45 Trimix program.
PADI TEC 50
4 to 5 days
Extending your abilities as a Tec45 diver, you will develop the skills to manage increased depths and the hazards this presents.
You will dive in a full technical rig using independent back mounted or side mounted cylinders, a redundant buoyancy device and two stage/decompression cylinders.
The course will qualify you to dive to 50m and use up to 100% Oxygen with unlimited decompression times.
The Tec50 course can be taught with the addition of Helium in the breathing gas for reduced gas narcosis as part of the Tec 50 Trimix program.
PADI TEC 65
4 to 5 days
This is the pinnacle of Open Circuit training and removes many of the limitations on the Technical Diver.
As a Tec 50 diver, you will be comfortable with the equipment and dive planning, but now your skills will be fine-tuned to handle the risks associated with even greater depth and a less forgiving breathing gas.
Using Helium in the breathing mix will offset the gas narcosis experienced at depth. Using less than 21% Oxygen in the breathing gas will allow you to dive deeper than the air limit.
The course will qualify you to dive to 65m and use up to 100% Oxygen with unlimited decompression.