Technical Diving

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Technical Diving is the use of science, equipment, and techniques to safely perform dives beyond the scope of standard recreational limitations. This can mean exceeding depth limits of 40m, or exceeding No Decompression Limits, or both. It can also mean entering into overhead environments, and even use of equipment beyond the training limits of recreational standards.

Technical diving is diving for a purpose. Whatever that purpose may be, technical divers must understand the increased risks inherent in the activity. Considerable planning and preparation goes into every dive, additional safety requirements must be built in, and specialized emergency procedures exist that must be trained and maintained in order to perform dives safely. Just as there are an array of personality types and mentalities that are not appropriate for even recreational dive training, technical divers must have strong self-discipline, remain dedicated to continuous practice, improvement, and growth, be conservative in decision-making, humble, and be capable of holding themselves fully accountable and responsible for their own decisions and choices.

Technical courses require a very different mentality than that of Recreational diving. Candidates must be assessed for authorization to enroll before being accepted into a course, intensive study and practice are mandatory once enrolled, standards are far higher, and so are the expectations--Just like Leadership courses. Also just like Leadership courses, candidates can not begin Technical training until after all Core Recreational courses have been completed, and even then, candidates are constantly evaluated, and not guaranteed certification.

Candidates for all courses are expected from day one to show up with highly developed diving KSA's. They should already have well-developed knowledge of dive science (physics, chemistry, biology), equipment (types, function, use, benefits, etc.), mastery of ideal breathing, buoyancy (within +/- 0.1m), trim (within 0-30deg AoA), and finning techniques (with emphasis on frog kicks, helicopter turns, and back finning), a solid understanding of decompression theory, and considerable experience in a wide array of environments and conditions as a diver.

Students must supply their own equipment, and all equipment must meet safety requirements.

Course graduates will receive a lifetime internationally recognized certification for each course from the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD).

All courses have an enrollment cost, however, this is only the base cost of course enrollment. It includes academics, lectures, and practical instruction. It does not include the cost of facility use, dives, gases and fills, travel, accommodations, food, any expendable items, etc. These things must be paid by each participant separately.

The IANTD Technical Sidemount Diver course provides MSD or above Sidemount certified divers with the knowledge and skills necessary to use a sidemount equipment configuration for technical diving. It teaches equipment configuration for technical diving, standard practices and procedures, team diving practices and procedures, cylinder configuration, staging and mounting, and more.

The IANTD Advanced Nitrox (EANx) Diver course provides MSD or above certified divers with their first look into technical diving as a practice. It teaches equipment configuration for technical diving, standard practices and procedures, team diving practices and procedures, technical dive planning, simulated staged decompression, handling and management of higher oxygen-enriched mixtures up to 100% oxygen, and more.

This course then moves on to provide the diver with a working knowledge of the theory, methods, and procedures of planned staged decompression diving while using nitrox breathing gas mixtures up to 100% oxygen. As a part of the course, students will plan and conduct standard staged decompression dives not exceeding a maximum depth of 46m (150 ft.).

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates are considered competent to plan and execute dives that require staged decompression to a maximum depth of 46m (150 ft.) utilizing a blended breathing gas as bottom gas EANx and/or oxygen for decompression without direct supervision provided the diving environment, activities, areas dived, and equipment approximate those of training.

This Program is designed to train Advanced Nitrox (EANx) certified divers to conduct dives to depths between 30m (100 ft) and, at the instructor’s option, up to 51m (170 ft) using custom blend breathing gas mixtures, and technical decompression techniques and procedures. It provides a greater understanding of custom blend breathing gas mixtures, a complete knowledge of the limits of any EANx mixture, and the use of EANx and oxygen for decompression diving. The knowledge and skills taught in this program are more than adequate to qualify divers to perform dives unsupervised up to 51m (170 ft).

This Program is designed to extend the Technical certified diver’s knowledge in the use of Helium for diving by developing the skills for Recreational Trimix use. Divers will be trained in the safe use of EANx mixes, from 21% oxygen to a maximum of 1.6 PO2, combined with Helium, to reduce the total gas END to a maximum of 100 fsw (30 msw). The purpose of this program is to qualify divers to safely dive up to 150 fsw (45 msw) and perform mandatory required decompression dives.

This program is a continuation or add-on to the Advanced Recreational Trimix Diver program. The "Plus" program extends the range of ART divers to conduct mandatory decompression dives to depths up to 170 fsw (51 msw).

This Program is designed to give divers a better and deeper understanding of the models used for generating dive tables and dive computer profiles, and trains students to use dive tables, dive computers, and decompression software programs, for technical decompression use.

This Program have been designed to provide qualified divers with “self-supported - self-sufficient” training, and is intended for those who don’t rely on circumstances or a buddy system; also known as solo diving.

This Program is designed to provide responsible training for those persons wishing to supervise OC technical divers up to the EANx level.
These additionally include Open Water Divers, Advanced Open Water Divers, EANx Divers, and Rescue Divers.

This Program is designed to provide responsible training for those persons wishing to supervise OC technical divers up to the ART level.
These additionally include Open Water Divers, Advanced Open Water Divers, EANx Divers, and Rescue Divers.

This Program is designed to train EANx certified recreational divers in the safe use and technology of basic CCR diving, and to independently plan and conduct dives within no decompression limitations, using up to a 1.3 PO2, and to depths up to 100 fsw (30 msw), on the specific unit on which they received the training.

This Program is designed to train EANx certified recreational divers in the safe use and technology of basic Oxygen CCR diving within no decompression limitations, up to 1.6 PO2, and to depths up to 20 fsw (6 msw).

This Program is designed to qualify Recreational CCR certified divers to safely conduct no-stop rebreather dives using air as diluent to a depth of 132 fsw (40 msw).

This program is designed to provide RCCR certified divers with a breathing medium for extending their dive depth to the maximum recreational limit of 132 fsw (40 msw), without exceeding no-decompression limitations, by using recreational trimix mixtures with ENDs no greater than 100 fsw (30 msw).

This Program is designed to develop proficiency of RCCR certified divers, who maintain current DFA-Pro certification, in self-rescue and buddy-rescue KSA's and techniques.

This Program is designed to train Technical OC and higher certified divers in the safe use and technology of basic CCR diving, and to independently plan and conduct dives with mandatory decompression using up to a 1.3 PO2, and to depths up to 132 fsw (40 msw), using air or nitrox as diluent, on the specific unit on which they received the training.

This Program is designed to train RCCR or higher certified divers in the safe use of trimix mixtures, and technology of basic CCR diving, to safely and independently plan and conduct dives with mandatory decompression, using up to a 1.3 PO2, and to depths up to 150 fsw (45 msw), on the specific unit on which they received the training.

This program is a continuation or add-on to the Advanced Recreational Trimix CCR Diver program. The "Plus" program extends the range of ART CCR divers to conduct mandatory decompression dives to depths up to 170 fsw (51 msw).

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This Program is designed to provide responsible training for those persons wishing to supervise divers up to the RCCR level. These include RCCR or RSCR Divers, and RCCR or RSCR Rescue Divers.

This Program is designed to provide responsible training for those persons wishing to supervise divers up to the Advanced EANx CCR level. These include RCCR Divers and RCCR Rescue Divers

This Program is designed to provide responsible training for those persons wishing to supervise divers up to the ART CCR level. These include Advanced EANx CCR Divers, RCCR Divers, and RCCR Rescue Divers

"Core Skills" for diving include all basic skills taught at the Open Water and Advanced Open Water levels, that ALL divers should know and have been taught at those levels, with a primary focus on the following:

Ideal breathing within mid-range tidal volume.

Maintaining neutral buoyancy within +/- 0.5m for recreational levels, and within +/- 0.1m for technical diving standards.

Maintaining proper trim within no greater an Angle of Attack (AoA) of + 30 degrees.

Flutter, modified flutter, frog, modified frog (and variations), helicopter turns (while remaining in position and in trim), back finning (while in trim).

45 seconds or less from the time first starting to reach for the SMB to the point of letting go to send to the surface, from neutral, with minimal drift and movement.

From Neutral, without touching the bottom or raising to the surface, in trim, with minimal drift.

Ability to perform skills from an in-trim, neutrally buoyant position, with minimal drift and movement, with or without mask, and ability to address problems or emergencies calmly, with deliberate movements.

Self-Rescue skills, Buddy Rescue skills, problem recognition and solving underwater.

A thorough and in-depth understanding of physics, biology, SAC, decompression theory, dive planning, gas management strategies, safety, environmental hazards, equipment (identification, uses, inspection, assembly, testing), equipment use and manipulation, etc.

"Mastery" refers to an observable and recognizable degree of  understanding and practical application within performance-based standards, often capable after an individual has achieved kinesthetic awareness (muscle memory), combined with critical capacity to apply KSA's at will given unprepared, asymmetric scenarios.