More and more divers today are feeling an itch to explore more of the underwater world in a responsible way and this is exactly what the PADI Tec Deep Course offers. It is a challenge to any seasoned diver whether he/she is an instructor or experienced advanced open water diver. Here is a closer look at exactly the steps involved in the PADI Tec Deep Course, starting with a look at how the program is structured.
PADI Tec 40
The first level in the PADI Tec Deep Course is Tec 40 which will take you about 3-4 days to complete. Consider this level the gateway into technical diving. The depth limit is 40 meters with nitrox blends up to 50%. Divers at this level can complete the training in a standard technical rig or with one high capacity cylinder and a stage tank. Once certified, a PADI Tec 40 diver can complete dives up to 40 meters with limited decompression. In order to qualify for enrolling in the PADI Tec 40 course, a diver needs to be advanced and nitrox certified with at least 10 dives to 30 meters. It’s the perfect step to expanding your knowledge about deep diving and gearing up towards further levels of technical training within the PADI Tec Deep Course program.
PADI Tec 45
Once qualified as a PADI Tec 40 diver the next level is PADI Tec 45 that again will require about 3-4 days to complete. By now it must be obvious that the 45 stands for the diving to 45 meters. For recreational divers, this depth is well out of range, but as part of the PADI Tec Deep Course you can now explore up to this depth with a lot of extra time. With this portion of the PADI Tec Deep Course, divers can use any blend of nitrox up to 100% oxygen and learn to plan decompression dives based upon gas supplies. Gas switches are made during these dives as well to extend no stop times or add conservatism to the decompression profile. During this course divers make a full transition to a standard technical rig in either the form of a twinset (double tanks) or sidemount, so in total divers carry 3 tanks during the PADI Tec 45 course. You will need to have 50 dives, the Tec 40 certification (or equivalent from another agency) and rescue training to enter this level of training.
PADI Tec 50
The last part of the PADI Tec Deep Course is Tec 50, which again is about the same length of time as the other PADI Tec coures. This final leg of the program certifies tec rec divers to a maximum depth of 50 meters and requires the use of 4 tanks. Divers will have two decompression tanks to help accelerate their decompression profiles. During the PADI Tec 50 course you will be putting to the test all your previous skill and planning training and reap all the benefits of diving to greater depths safer and longer. This level is not for the faint hearted, but also not limited to macho divers. To qualify for this level you need at least 100 dives and training to the Tec 45 level (or equivalent).
The PADI Tec Deep Course is structured in such a way that you can break it up along the way, working in fun technical dives at each level to gain experience, or just go full on and take all three courses in one go. The second option will require a minimum of 9 days in order to get you very well acquainted with all the theory, dive planning, equipment and skills. Regardless of how you choose to learn, the PADI Tec Deep Course will offer you more insight into dive theory and get you thinking more about what you are doing every time you break the surface to dive under.
Learn more about the PADI Tec Deep Course in future blogs…
