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Technical diving is becoming more and more popular. At Nepteau, safety drives us to better guide divers wishing to practice this kind of scuba diving. We hope to answers all your questions concerning this unfamiliar type of scuba diving.

What is technical diving? What is NITROX? What is TRIMIX? What type of diving do you want? What equipment must we have? What level of experience must we have?

WHAT IS TECHNICAL DIVING?

Technical diving is certainly the most questioned part of diving, the most criticized, and the less well defined. The gap between diving for sport and technical diving may sometimes seem enormous, but it is at times very small. In these few lines, we will try to answer, as best we can, the questions that divers often ask themselves about this still unfamiliar type of diving.

It is difficult to say when technical diving starts. Some say that the starting point is when a diver chooses to stop using compressed air and changes to other mixes such as NITROX and TRIMIX which can change the dive profile by increasing the time and/or depth of the dive. Others say it is a question of equipment. That by carrying double the equipment, a diver insures the safety better and can allow himself/herself to stay longer or go deeper than for recreational dives. For others still, technical diving describes a diver who is certified and can go on sites such as in caverns, inside wrecks, or just go deeper.

However, everyone agrees that technical diving is based on attitude, where the goal is not to reach record depths, but to be able to dive in a certain way that require more than standard knowledge and equipment. Divers who practice this type of diving must have reached a certain level of experience, knowledge, and maturity in order to be able to practice their sport safely.

WHAT IS NITROX ?

Every single diver will have heard the term NITROX. But what is it exactly? The word NITROX is composed of two parts: NITR for nitrogen (English for azote) and OX for oxygen. Divers that take the NITROX training know how to increase the level of oxygen in their tank, increase the dive time and/or lower the surface interval. Ideal for recreational diving, NITROX lowers the risk of decompression accidents, the effect of narcosis, as well as after-diving fatigue. The training is therefore accessible and recommended to all divers.

WHAT IS TRIMIX ?

Trimix is more and more talked about. The trained diver now has the possibility to have the helium, oxygen, and nitrogen level changed in the tank.

These mixes allow divers to increase the depth by reducing the effect of narcosis. Since the dives become longer, the divers must make sure to have enough air reserves for all the duration of the dive that can last for several hours. Only the divers with enough experience can dive with the necessary TRIMIX equipment.

WHAT TYPE OF DIVING DO YOU WANT ?

Deep diving, cavern diving, and inside wreck diving are not considered recreational diving. Only the equipment, the knowledge, and the experience allow these types of diving. Even mature divers first dive in easy locations to check their equipment before making dives that require full organization.

WHAT EQUIPMENT MUST WE HAVE ?

The equipment for a technical diver is more complicated than for a recreational diver because more air is needed since dives are longer and deeper or both. It is necessary to have more than one tank, often twin-tanks. Other divers need a richer mix to make their deco-stop, and other tanks will be fixed on the diver. The diver will tend to have two of some pieces of equipment; this is called redundancy. A second computer, a second lamp, a second mask, etc. The equipment is different for each type of diving. It would be senseless for a cavern diver to leave with only one lamp or with only one reel. The diver must always be ready to face unforeseen events during the dive.

WHAT LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE MUST WE HAVE ?

Experience is the crucial factor for technical diving. The only way to acquire this experience is to start at the beginning, like everyone else, and to dive regularly. Too many divers try to skip a class. Without a shadow of a doubt, this type of diving requires all the knowledge and mastering of basic standard techniques. Knowledge is also a major aspect in technical diving, and to train step-by-step in order to learn all what concerns the different types of dives is a must.