Technical Diving

Discover Tec provides those curious about technical diving with an introduction to the equipment and techniques used by technical divers. We will also discuss stage decompression and gas planning and management. It is a way for divers to explore an interest in tec training before assuming the expense of purchasing a tec rig and tec class. Your Discover Tec dive may be counted towards your Tec 40 certification.

Prerequisites

• Minimum 18 years of age
• Open Water Scuba Diver certified
• Minimum 10 logged open water dives

Technical Nitrox has a vital and specific role for the technical diver–to facilitate off-gassing and shorten required decompression. Because this course is so important and specifically relevant to decompression diving, it is normally incorporated into other tech diving classes, like DSAT Tec Deep Diver and NAUI Decompression Techniques.

Prerequisites

• Minimum 18 years of age
• Nitrox Diver certification or equivalent
• Deep Diver certification or equivalent
• Enrollment in PADI or NAUI technical diving course
• Be in good health
• Have a desire to learn

This course is to provide the diver with a working knowledge of the theory, methods and procedures of planned stage decompression diving.

As a part of the course students will plan and conduct a standard stage decompression dive not exceeding a maximum depth of 40 metres/130 fsw utilizing Nitrox mixes from 40-100% oxygen to accelerate decompression. Equipment requirements, team requirements, equipment configuration, decompression breathing gas mixtures (including technical nitrox and oxygen) and decompression techniques are presented.

This course provides the training and experience necessary to gain the knowledge and understand the hazards of using a mixture of helium for dives to a maximum depth of 45 metres/150 fsw that may require stage decompression. Also included is the use of technical nitrox and oxygen for accelerated decompression or to increase safety.

This course provides the training and experience necessary to gain the knowledge and understand the hazards of using a mixture of helium for dives to a maximum depth of 55 metres/180 fsw that require stage decompression. Also included is the use of technical nitrox and oxygen for accelerated decompression or to increase safety.

Trimix Diver Level I will teach you the skills and knowledge to manage the risks of using helium-based normoxic trimix for dives to a depth of 200 fsw / 61 msw requiring stage decompression and using technical nitrox up to 100% oxygen for stage decompression.

Trimix Diver Level II will teach you the skills and knowledge to manage the risks of using helium-based hypoxic trimix, travel gasses, and technical nitrox up to 100% oxygen for stage decompression.

The entry point into the technical range, Tec 40 provides a transition from recreational to technical diving. Although the use of full tech gear (doubles and wings) is preferred, use of modified recreational gear may be permitted. The intended working limit for a diver at this level is 40 metres/130 feet with up to 10 minutes of non-accelerated decompression using any EANx mix with up to 50% oxygen content or air. You’ll learn to:

• Use decompression software and dive computers to plan and make decompression dives with no more than 10 minutes of total decompression and not deeper than 40 metres/130 feet.
• Use a single cylinder of decompression gas with up to 50 percent oxygen (EANx50) to add conservatism to the required decompression.

Since it’s part of the course, your PADI Tec 40 course training credits toward the PADI Tec 45 and Tec 50 courses. The Scuba Gear You’ll Use You use recreational scuba equipment, with some minor additions to enhance your ability to deal with tec diving conditions. This class will use the PADI Tec Deep Diver Crew-Pak, which introduces you to

• tec diving lingo
• emergency procedures
• decompression and stage cylinder handling
• gas planning

The pak includes a manual, dive planning checklist and dive planning slate. The optional Equipment Set-up and Key Skills video on DVD is a great tool to help you practice at home in between your tec diving adventures. You’ll continue to use the Tec Deep Diver Crew-Pak through Tec 50.

The Tec 45 course picks up where Tec 40 leaves off and takes your training as a tec diver further and deeper and is the second part of the full PADI Tec Diver course. The Tec 45 course must be completed in full tec gear.

You will learn

• The skills and equipment and planning to dive to a maximum of 45 metres/145 fsw
• The knowledge to plan and execute single and repetative decompression dives using a single stage cylinder of EANx or oxygen to accelerate or add conservatism to the decompression stops
• Dive without limits to the amount of decompression required
• Prepare for and respond to foreseeable technical diving emergencies
• Master the basic skills and procedures you will need as you move into deeper technical diving

The Learning Materials You’ll Need You’ll use the Tec Deep Diver Crew-Pak, which introduces you to

• tec diving lingo
• emergency procedures
• decompression and stage cylinder handling
• gas planning

The pak includes a manual, dive planning checklist and dive planning slate. The optional Equipment Set-up and Key Skills video on DVD is a great tool to help you practice at home in between your tec diving adventures. You’ll continue to use the Tec Deep Diver Crew-Pak through Tec 50.

The Tec 50 course completes your training as an entry-level tec diver, taking you well past the limits of recreational diving.

During this course, you will

• Make actual decompression dives as deep as 50 metres/165 fsw
• Use multiple gasses (EANx and oxygen) for decompression
• Use desktop decompression software to create custome dive tables and plan your dives
• Qualify to make technical decompression dives independently

The Learning Materials You’ll Need You’ll use the Tec Deep Diver Crew-Pak, which introduces you to

• tec diving lingo
• emergency procedures
• decompression and stage cylinder handling
• gas planning

The pak includes a manual, dive planning checklist and dive planning slate. The optional Equipment Set-up and Key Skills video on DVD is a great tool to help you practice at home in between your tec diving adventures.

The PADI Tec Deep Diver course may be broken down into three components PADI Tec 40, PADI Tec 45, and PADI Tec 50. With each step you will be introduced to new gear, planning, and proceedures appropriate to extend your diving limits.

Each of these courses will take you beyond recreational diving and immerse you deeper in the world of technical diving. You will learn about and understand the hazards and risks involved in technical diving, as well as how to prepare for and handle reasonable foreseeable technical diving emergencies.

Ultimately, you will also learn how to plan, conduct and manage Gas-switch extended no-decompression dives, Decompression dives, and Accelerated Decompression Dives up to 165 fsw (PADI Tec 50) using air, Enriched Air Nitrox, and Oxygen.

These three courses may be taken consecutively as a series or individually with time in between to practice and hone your skills.

Prerequisites

• Minimum 18 years of age
• 100 logged dives
• PADI Enriched Air Nitrox or equivalent
• PADI Deep Diver or equivalent
• Medically fit for tec diving (physician’s signature required)
• Willing to accept the added risks that tec diving presents
• A mature, responsible person who will follow the required procedures and requirements strictly and faithfully
• Have a desire to learn

There are inherent hazards and risks associated with exploring an underwater wreck. The Wreck Penetration Diver course will give you the skills and knowledge you need to safely dive inside a sunken vessel, aircraft or similar structure at depths up to 130 fsw.

You’ll learn about safety, hazards and special risks of overhead environments; gas management, entanglement, limited visibility, deep diving, equipment, sources of information, search methods, underwater navigation, legal aspects, artifacts, treasure, salvage, archaeology and appropriate material from other specialty courses as well.

Prerequisites

• Minimum 18 years of age
• Minimum 50 logged dives
• NAUI Nitrox Diver or equivalent
• NAUI Advanced Openwater Diver or equivalent