Technical diving with Norwich Scuba
Have you ever been on a dive and wanted to stay down just a little while longer? Or, heard about a wreck that you would really like to see but felt it was just a little bit deeper than your qualification and equipment would safely take you?
So, you completed your entry level certification, moved on to some continuing education courses such as Advanced and even the Rescue course. Maybe you even completed a few Specialities or have been on a diving holiday. The main thing is that you have got to the stage when you really enjoy your diving but would like something a little more challenging. You could be ready to try Technical diving.

What is technical diving?
All non-commercial diving is categorized as recreational, and within recreational diving there is sport and technical.  Sport diving includes your open water certification, Advanced, and many other speciality courses.  Technical diving picks up where sport diving ends, generally at Nitrox (a breathing gas with oxygen levels greater than 21 percent). 

What is my first step into technical diving?
Nitrox is most divers first step into technical diving. Nitrox will allow you to extend the No Decompression limits by increasing the content of oxygen in the breathing mix. This is a very popular course for both the Technically minded and recreational sport divers just wanting to increase their bottom times. If you don't have any twin-set experience then your next step should be Discover Tec. During this experience program you will learn start to use a twin tank set up. It also gives you the opportunity to see whether Technical Diving is for you. You could then enrol on TDI Advanced Nitrox or DSAT Tec Diver (Level 1). If you already have experience of diving in a twin-set, you will find it most beneficial to start with TDI Advanced Nitrox and TDI Decompression Procedures combined. These courses will introduce you to different equipment configurations and you will learn some of the basic core skills that all Technical divers need to master. These courses will give you a sound starting point for all other Technical Courses.

Do I have to go deep for technical diving?
No. Although technical diving is commonly thought of as deep, there are a lot of courses that stay within the sport diving limits (40 m / 130 feet) such as TDI Advanced Nitrox, TDI Advanced Wreck and DSAT Tec Diver (Level 1). Even if you have no intention of ever diving deep, the skills and knowledge you gain can make you a much safer and more competent diver on any dive. Many dives we do are on wrecks in around 30m. On the PADI tables you are limited to a 20 minute dive. As a Technical diver you will have the knowledge, skills and equipment to safely extend that 20 minute dive into 40 minutes bottom time. Tech diving is just as much about extending bottom time as it is about going deep!!!

Will technical diving allow me to go deeper?
Yes.  We have course curriculums that take you as deep as 100 m and do so in a manner that each course builds on the last and each course takes you a little deeper.  By receiving training in this manner not only are your skills and knowledge increasing but so is your comfort level. At Norwich Scuba we teach both TDI and DSAT Courses.

TDI (Technical Diving International)
TDI is the largest technical certification agency in the world.  As one of the first agencies to provide training in mixed gas diving and rebreathers, TDI is seen as an innovator of new diving techniques and programs which previously were not available to the general public.  Training with TDI has provided divers with the opportunity to see such wrecks as the Andrea Doria, Luisitania and the Prince of Wales.  TDI divers have explored underwater caves in Spain , Australia and Mexico and assisted as support divers on world record freedives done in the Red Sea . TDI is committed to offering the highest quality training supported by the latest materials with the most up to date information and techniques.  TDI’s materials are written by authors that acutely conduct the type of diving they are writing about.  Those same materials are updated as technology and equipment change. 

DSAT (Diving Science and Technology)
DSAT is the technical training branch of PADI and although a newcomer to technical diver training in 2001, the materials follow PADI's excellence and they provide some of the best technical training materials on the market. The course structures are very regimental and require the utmost concentration and dedication. The DSAT courses provide divers who are already familiar with the PADI training materials and schedules a continuation of exceptionally well structured courses, mastering each stage before continuing onto the next. It gives divers from other training agencies an introduction to the professional levels of training materials and instruction available through this growing and high demand technical training agency.

The Technical Team at Norwich Scuba
Technical diving is more challenging than sport diving and not all instructors teach Technical, or even participate in Technical dives. It takes a lot of training, dives, money and commitment to become a Technical Instructor. Our instructor here at Norwich Scuba is Joe Hall. Joe has worked as a full time diving instructor in various destinations around the world for the past 13 years. Whilst working in the Caribbean as a photographer on cruise ships, Joe completed his Open Water Diver course in St Thomas and that was it, he was hooked. After some 200 dives around the Caribbean Islands he decided to start training towards becoming an instructor. 7 years later, after working in resorts around the world, with a stint of 4 years in Malta , he returned to the UK to set up Norwich Scuba. Joe is now a PADI Master Instructor, TDI Instructor, DAN Instructor, Equipment Technician and Advanced Gas Blender. He has logged over 6000 dives and certified over 1200 divers to all levels from Open Water to Technical. He now mainly teaches the more advanced recreational and Technical courses, but can still occasionally be found teaching an Open Water course, just to keep his hand in. At the centre many of our instructors are Technical Divemasters and able to assist on our courses. Our other Master instructor, Nicki, is currently working towards her Extended Range Divemaster qualification.

How experienced do I need to be?
For the entry level courses you will need to have logged a minimum of some 25 dives and if you want your course conducted in the UK you will need to have experience in a drysuit. You should be a competent diver and not have to think too much about buoyancy control. Skills such as mask removal and replacement should be no problem, and you should be comfortable at doing this in deeper water than on your Open Water Course. Familiarity with a Delayed SMB is also advantageous, although this can be taught during your course. Having completed a couple of specialities such as the PADI Deep Diver and Wreck Diver courses can also be an advantage although these are not pre-requisites. Your attitude to your diving is very important. You need to have a healthy respect for what you are doing. Due to the nature of Technical diving there is more risk involved and getting things wrong can have much more severe consequences than on a typical sport dive to 18m. Finally, you need to be relatively fit, the equipment is heavy and you will need to be able to carry more than just one tank at a time. Feel free to call into the centre and have a chat with Joe for more information.

Where will my course take place?
We can conduct your course at various locations both in the UK and abroad. TDI and DSAT courses are available on most of our holidays and we are currently looking at long weekends in Spain as another option. If you decide to learn here in the UK (which we highly recommend, especially if you intend to dive regularly in our local waters), we use various fresh water sites such as: The National Diving and Activity Centre in Chepstow, Stoney Cove and even Gildenburgh for introductory skill sessions. For many of our courses we will also include pool sessions to introduce you to new skills before your Open Water dives. Every year we run a trip to Scapa Flow for a week and all courses can be completed during this holiday. In the summer months we run regular dives off the south coast and training is on offer for the suitably experienced. For more details see the information on each course.

What is included in the courses fee?
All of our TDI and DSAT courses include the current TDI/DSAT manual/crewpak and all instruction. For our entry level Technical courses we also include all technical equipment hire such as: wings, back plates, harnesses, regs, twin sets and deco/stage bottles. You will need to have your own basic equipment such as mask, fins, drysuit, lamp, computer and one Delayed SMB and reel. We do not include any transport to the dive sites, overnight accommodation or site entry fees. Air fills at Norwich Scuba will be free, but any other gas will be charged at a reduced rate. Gas obtained from other facilities is not included in the course fee. The courses are all based around your performance. The number of dives included in the course are listed. If you are unable to reach the level required for certification during the included course dives, all additional training dives will be charged to you at a rate of £50 per dive. Upon successful completion of your course there is a certification fee of £15.