What is technical diving?

In order to understand what technical diving is you must first understand what recreational diving is. Recreational SCUBA diving is the most popular type of SCUBA diving; it is diving done for leisure and enjoyment. Recreational divers stay within the so-called no-decompression time limit, meaning that they are free to ascend directly to the surface at any point in the dive without risking decompression sickness. Recreational divers limit their depth to about 130ft and do not usually dive in overhead environments, such as caves or shipwrecks. Recreational divers also breathe from a single cylinder of air or Nitrox. Technical diving differs from recreational diving, technical divers may conduct long, deep decompression dives, engage in cave or wreck penetration, use complex equipment, or multiple breathing gases. Technical diving is complex than recreational diving and requires a more experience and training. The equipment used in technical diving is also more complex. Divers pursue technical diving for a number of reasons both personal and professional, but most will agree that it is a desire to experience the unknown that drives them.

If you want to learn more about what technical diving is, please have a look at Wikipedia's definition of Technical Diving.

What prerequisites do I need to meet in order to get into technical diving?

Technical diving course build on one another, at the beginning level the diver need only be 18 years old (15 with parental consent), be certified as an Advanced Diver and have more than 25 open water dives outside of training.
In addition to the above, aspiring technical divers must demonstrate the proper mindset for conducting dives outside the recreational diving envelope. Your instructor will work with you to understand your goals and discuss the type of mindset that goes into this sort of diving.

What are the basic equipment requirements for technical diving courses?

In general, technical diving courses require that the diver have:

• Mask and fins
• Exposure suit appropriate for training conditions
• High capacity single cylinder with an H-valve or doubles
• Two regulators with pressure gauges
• Ascent reel
• Lift bag

What courses does “The” Dive Shop offer?

“The” Dive Shop offers a wide range of technical diving courses including:

• TDI Intro to Tech
• TDI Advanced Nitrox
• TDI Decompression Procedures
• TDI Trimix
• TDI Extended Range
• TDI Semi-Closed Circuit Rebreather
• TDI Fully Closed Circuit Rebreather
• NSS-CDS Cavern and Cave

If you don't see a course listed that does not mean we do not offer it, we are able to arrange instruction at almost any level, please contact us to ask about specific courses.

What is trimix?

Developed in the early 20th century, trimix is a breathing gas that substitutes some of the nitrogen in air with helium. Limiting the amount of nitrogen in breathing gas limits the effects of nitrogen narcosis. The reduced narcotic effect of the gas allows the diver to dive to greater depths much more safely. Trimix diving is complex; it requires special math skills and an advanced understanding of physics and physiology.

What is the difference between the basic Nitrox certification and an Advanced Nitrox certification?

Basic (recreational) Nitrox certifications allow the diver to use Enriched Air Nitrox mixes containing no more than 40% oxygen. Recreational Nitrox courses assume that the diver will breathe only one gas during the dive and will remain within the no-decompression time limits. Advanced Nitrox courses teach the diver to use breathing gases containing up to 100% oxygen, the diver will also learn how to use multiple breathing gases during the dive and how gas selection impacts decompression.

What is a rebreather?

A rebreather is a diving apparatus that preserves exhaled gas, chemically scrub the toxic elements and replenish the Oxygen the diver consumes. Rebreathers produce no bubbles, allow divers to stay longer at depth and provide accelerated decompression.

Rebreathers are actually the oldest means of breathing underwater, the earliest systems date back to 1620, open circuit diving has only been around since 1943.

What technical diving equipment lines do you carry?

“The” Dive Shop is proud to carry the following technical dive equipment lines:

• Dive Rite
• Apeks
• DeltaP (VR Dive Computers)
• Shearwater Research
• Whites Cold Water
• Diving Concepts
• OmniSwivel (M&J Engineering)
• Molecular Products
• Jetsam KISS Rebreathers
• Worthington Cylinders
• PST Cylinders