Dive Subculture TechnicalExtend Your Limits

Technical diving refers to diving that goes beyond the boundaries of recreational diving, which includes mandatory decompression stops, exploring overhead environments like caves or wrecks, and diving deeper than 40 meters to extend bottom time. It often involves using gas mixes other than air, such as Nitrox, Helitrox, and Trimix, along with various diving techniques like sidemount,twinsets, and rebreathers. This advanced form of scuba diving demands greater knowledge, specialized equipment, and additional training.

You don’t need extensive scuba diving experience to begin technical training; in fact, technical diver training can enhance your comfort, confidence, and skills as a diver. However, it’s important to have a solid foundation in fundamental diving skills before starting a course, including breathing, buoyancy, trim (body position in water), and propulsion (finning techniques). Our instructors are available to help you improve and refine these skills throughout your training.

Course structures are designed with a gradual learning curve, increasing in depth and complexity as you become more comfortable with new equipment, techniques, and procedures. Minimum prerequisites for each course are provided, but keep in mind that everyone learns at different rates, so it’s essential to evaluate your own diving comfort level when considering this question.

If you’re still uncertain about your readiness, we offer excellent introductory courses like the TDI Sidemount Diver or Intro to Tech, which can give you a taste of the world of technical diving.

As with any sport, advancing in technical diving means you’ll want to invest in your own equipment to enhance your comfort and confidence underwater. Most gear should be tailored to your body shape for proper fit, requiring some customization for each diver and discipline. However, the variety of options on the market can be overwhelming for new technical divers, with many items not suitable for technical purposes.

The best guidance on equipment choices will come from your instructor, either before you arrive or during the course. We offer a full range of technical equipment for rent during your training, allowing you to “try before you buy,” and we’ll teach you how to configure these elements for future purchases. See the equipment rental section for more details.

While we don’t expect beginners to have all the necessary equipment, we do anticipate that you, as a diver, will possess some of the basic items outlined below:

– Notebook: You’ll be introduced to a lot of new information during your courses, and taking notes will help you reference it later.

– Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB): You should have at least one DSMB with sufficient lift capacity (12 kg recommended). It should be self-sealing, ideally red for primary use, and capable of inflation from a one-way valve. A second emergency DSMB, preferably yellow, is recommended but can be provided by us for a rental fee.

– Reel(s): Bring one reel that is long enough for the maximum depth of your course (e.g., 45m for Decompression Procedures). A backup reel of similar length is advisable.

– Wetsuit: A long wetsuit in the range of 3mm to 5mm is recommended. The water temperature around the Gilis varies seasonally between 25-29 degrees Celsius, and you may experience thermoclines or extended deco times that can make you feel colder than during a typical recreational dive.

– Fins: Choose fins that provide suitable thrust for moving more weight through the water and are stiff enough to support various propulsion techniques. We suggest ‘jet fin’ style open-heel fins with booties.

– Cutting device: A knife or line cutter is acceptable.

– Primary and backup mask: You will need two masks for your courses and should feel comfortable wearing your backup throughout the dive.

– Wrist slate and pencil attachment: This is invaluable for calculating Surface Air Consumption (SAC) rates and complex underwater communication.

– Tech pocket shorts: These are optional but highly useful for carrying your backup mask and other items; they will last you a long time if you can obtain a pair.

– Dive computers: You should have already invested in a dive computer. While it may not be suitable for planning and executing technical dives, it can serve as a backup during your course. Investing in a computer designed for technical diving is a wise first step, and we understand this can be a significant investment, so we offer rentals for students. We stock Shearwater dive computers, which we highly recommend to our students.

We typically suggest that students arrive a few days before starting the course to finish their independent study. However, if you’re pressed for time or prefer not to study during your stay, we strongly recommend TDI’s e-learning options.

E-learning allows you to complete your study prior to your arrival, register your details on the website, and take the exams online, which means less time spent in the classroom and more time underwater. Rest assured, your instructor will still cover all the theory with you during the course.

We recommend that most students interested in technical diving start with the combined TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses. Together, these courses form the foundation of your technical training, covering advanced theory, dive planning, and the essential techniques needed to embark on your technical diving journey. They also emphasize developing a solid base of fundamental diving skills, including breathing, buoyancy, trim, propulsion, and situational awareness.

If you are relatively new to diving but want to explore what technical diving entails within your current depth limits in a no-decompression environment, we highly recommend the TDI Sidemount Diver or Intro to Tech courses.