You must be at least a level of fitness and health to dive. You may need to have written permission from your physician if you have chronic health issues, take certain medications or are recovering from recent surgery.
Becoming a technical diver is equal parts training, experience and passion. If any of the three are lacking the added risks in technical diving aren’t worth it.
You don't need to worry about how all this will work. The course includes learning how to set-up your Sidemount equipment, as well as how to measure and adjust clips and bungees so that your tanks are in perfect trim. You will have your instructor to assist you in all aspects.
You can do eLearning and coursework at home to help support local dive shops. Then, travel to complete your training dives. For a referral, contact your local PADI Dive Center.
There are several more agencies that provide technical diver training which are more region specific. In general the recommendation is to find a reputable instructor, look for recommendations from trusted sources and choose your instructor accordingly. Trust and comfort during the course are invaluable and will help you to feel confident and comfortable to push your boundaries and gain the knowledge you need to go beyond your current certification level.
1. Your personal informations (name, email, etc). 2. Choose the date that you prefer. 3. Send an email to Submit your question/inquiry.
While technical diving is still fun, it's not for people who wish to go deeper. Cave and decompression dives carry more risk. The best way to reduce the risk is to plan your dives and train well. This is why divers who take these dives must be held to a higher standard. It takes practice to become a competent diver. There is no substitute for the practice and time in the water. Divers will be able to see that the minimum standards are frequently exceeded during training courses. Individual technical instructors sometimes do this. Technical training teaches divers how to redundancy. It enables them to solve problems at 1500 feet inside a cave. It's not easy and it's scary, but it's an important aspect of diving within that environment. Technical training can be challenging, but it can also be fun. At the end of it, the diver will have the ability to see areas that are completely closed off to the rest of the world.
The choice of equipment is very individual and different divers will recommend different styles. In general to go with a well known brand is useful as they stand for quality, performance and configurability. Some of the best brands are Apeks, Diverite, Halcyon, OMS, Scubapro, Hollis and some newer brands like xDeep or Tecline. The preferred divecomputers for tech divers at the moment are Shearwater products, whether it be the Petrel 2 or Perdix, the flexibility of the algorithm, handling and display.
They are not issued unless earned. Not just taking part in the course does NOT guarantee certification. For cave courses certification cards may be available from multiple training agencies. C-cards can be purchased for around $30 depending on their agency. An instructor will be able to tell you more.
Computer-aided instruction is an integral aspect of almost all courses we teach. The Why? The simple answer is that eLearning allows students to get in the water faster and spend more time there. This is why we include any applicable eLearning program -- typically a $140 value -- in all our courses at no extra cost. This is equivalent to an additional day's in-water training. This is what it's worth. Priceless.
Be aware of what you're paying: All prices include instruction and eLearning. The cost of eLearning by itself can range from $140 to $280. A $640 course purchased from us may cost you the same as $500 from someone else, if you need to pay for elearning separately.
Know what you're getting. Prices include instruction, eLearning fees and other costs. You should also consider that eLearning costs can vary from $140 to $280. In other words, a course that costs $640 may cost as much as a $500 course you purchase from us if you are required to pay for the elearning separately.
To become a technical diver, you need to have passion, experience and training. Technical diving can be dangerous if one or more of these factors is lacking.
Computer-aided instruction is an integral component of almost every course we teach. The Why? The Why? We include all applicable eLearning programs, usually $140 in value, in our courses at no additional cost. This directly translates into an additional day of in-water training. What is the value? Priceless.
2-3 hours
Even with small cylinders, you can usually dive for 2-3 hours (rebreathers typically have two 2/3l cylinders or one 3/5l cylinder).
Have a PADI Deep Specialty Instructor certification or have completed a PADI Deep Specialty Instructor course. Have at least 100 logged dives, including at least 20 enriched air dives, 25 dives deeper than 18 meters/60 feet, and 15 dives deeper than 30 meters/100 feet. You can become a Tec 45 diver.
According to experts, approximately 40% of technical divers enroll in additional education and training programs. This yields a reasonable estimate of approximately 160,000 active technical divers worldwide.