PADI Tec 40/45/50 Courses

Tec 40

Description

The PADI Tec 40 course is where you transition from recreational scuba diving to technical diving. It’s a great place to start because it’s the first subdivision of the full PADI Tec Diver course and bridges the gap between no stop diving and full technical deep decompression diving. You gain experience and begin building the knowledge and skills you need to continue your tec diver training. You will qualify to make limited decompression dives to 40 meters/130 feet and use up to 50% EANx as part of those decompression dives. As a tec 40 diver you will begin adding technical equipment to your recreational dive gear, or you can jump right in and begin using a full technical rig.

As part of this class you will have academic session introducing you to technical gear and planning technical dives. You will participate in at least 4 dives. To enroll in the Tec 40 course, you must be:

  • A PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
  • A PADI Enriched Air Diver with at least 10 dives using enriched air deeper than 18 meters/60 feet
  • A PADI Deep Diver or proof of at least 10 dives to 30 meters/100 feet
  • At least 18 years old and have a minimum of 30 logged dives

Course Cost: $600 (enrolling in the full Tec diver program of 40 – 50 will earn you a 10% discount)

Tec 45

Description

The PADI Tec 45 course is the second part of the full PADI Tec Deep Diver program. You’ll extend your depth limit to 45 meters/145 feet and learn to plan and execute repetitive decompression dives using a single stage/decompression cylinder. It puts you in a complete tec diving rig, which can be either backmount or sidemount. You’ll also make accelerated decompression dives using EANx or pure oxygen. This is a course where you’ll rise to the challenge and make the commitment to become a technical diver.

The academic session will build upon your ability to plan technical dives, and you will participate in at least 4 more open water dives.

To enroll in the Tec 45 course, you must:

  • Be a PADI Tec 40 diver
  • Be a PADI Rescue Diver
  • Have a minimum of 50 logged dives, with at least 12 dives on enriched air nitrox deeper than 18 meters/60 feet and 10 dives deeper than 30 meters/100 feet
  • Be at least 18 years old

Course Cost: $600 (enrolling in the full Tec diver program of 40 – 50 will earn you a 10% discount)

Tec 50

Description

The third part of the full PADI Tec Deep Diver program is Tec 50. As a Tec 50 diver, you show that you’ve developed competency as a tec diver and have the skills to dive to a maximum of 50 meters/165 feet. You know how to make extended, accelerated decompression stops using up to two gases. It’s not easy to reach this level and earning your Tec 50 certification opens the door to deeper diving expeditions.

The academic session will build upon your ability to plan technical dives, and you will participate in at least 4 more open water dives.

To enroll in the Tec 50 course, you must:

  • Be a PADI Tec 45 diver
  • Have a minimum of 100 logged dives, with at least 20 dives on enriched air nitrox deeper than 18 meters/60 feet and 15 dives deeper than 30 meters/100 feet
  • Be at least 18 years old

Course Cost: $600 (enrolling in the full Tec diver program of 40 – 50 will earn you a 10% discount)

Tec Equipment

You’ll start with your basic scuba diving equipment and add technical equipment, which essentially means you’ll begin to double up on gear. You may dive with backmounted or sidemounted cylinders. Minimally, you must have additional breathing gas and redundant regulators in case of emergency. While sidemount or backmounted twins are required for Tec 45 and beyond, a Tec 40 can use either a larger cylinder with an H or Y-valve with two independent regulators or they can use a single cylinder with standard regulator setup, but carry a pony bottle.

  • Other equipment -Compass, slate, delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB) or lift bag, emergency signaling devices, Z-knife, shears, and safety reel/finger spool.

Full Technical Rig

In recreational diving you use one scuba tank, but tec divers typically wear twin cylinders either backmount or sidemount, plus one or more additional tanks, each with different gas blends. They usually have two or more completely independent regulators and dive computers, as well as other dive gear backups. Here is what a typical tec diver might use:

  • Primary mask and backup mask
  • Fins -Tec divers often use dry suits, requiring large style, open-heel adjustable fins.
  • Wing-typed BCD and harness -or a Sidemount Harness
  • Primary and secondary regulator – one for each cylinder. These are usually DIN
  • Twin cylinders, decompression cylinders/stage bottles – These should have DIN valves for a more secure connection.
  • Multigas dive computers and submersible pressure gauge (SPG) - Dive computers, one primary and one backup, track and display decompression requirements, and allow tec divers to switch to different kinds of gas blends to optimize decompression.
  • Dry suit – Strongly recommended due to increased depth and dive duration
  • Other equipment - Compass, slate, delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB) or lift bag, emergency signaling devices, backup dive tables, Z-knife, shears, and safety reel/finger spool.

To register for these courses call 815-479-0996