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The Continuing Educational Path of the PADI TecRec Experience through Utina Diving College Xlendi Bay – Gozo.
Utina Diving College is a PADI TecRec Centre and can arrange for your continuing education of all the TecRec range. Some of the more advanced courses will need to be arranged in advance due to there complexity.
Diver Levels
Most of the names of the courses in the Tec Rec range include a number (e.g. Tec 40). This is an indication as to the maximum depth in metres for a diver certified at this level. As a geberal rule, each course consists of four dives.
Discover Tec
This is a short session which allows divers to undergo a "Technical Try Dive". It does not result in a certification, but lets a diver experience wearing the extra gear associated with tecnical diving and an understanding as to the rationale behind it.
Tec 40
This is the entry level to the technical range. It provides the transititon from recreational diving to technical diving. Although the use of full technical gear (twin cylinders and wings) are preferred, it does allow modified use of recreation gear in some situations, provided the diver has two indpendant regulators, with one of the stages fitted with a long hose e.g. a main cylinder and a pony cylinder combination. The intended working limit for a diver at this level is 40 metres with up to 10 minutes of non-accelerated decompression. They may use any EANx mix with a maximum of 50% oxygen content of air. To enrol on the course a diver must be qualified to an equivalent of a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, with an EANx Diver rating and have deep recreational diving experience.
Tec 45
The diver must use full 'standardised' tec rig, including wings, twin cylinders plus an additional deco cylinder (note that side mounted cylinders are an acceptable alternative to back mounted cylinders throughout the tec range. The course allows a diver to go to 45 metres and make accelerated decompression dives using any mix of EANx or pure oxygen. A diver must have the equivalent of a Tec 40 rating to enrol on this course.
Tec 50
This course represents a high level of comptency as a technical diver. Although the option exists to make the last dive on the course using Trimix, it is intended as an air/nitrox rating and by the end of the dive the diver can dive to a maximum of 50 metres and make extended and accelerated decompression dives.
Tec Trimix 65
This course opens up the advantages of trimix to the diver, and divers are qualified to make multi-stop decompression dives that employ EANx and Oxygen for accelerated decompression, using any tri-mix with an oxygen content of 18% or more. They can dive to a maximum depth of 65 metres.
Tec Trimix Deep
This course lets the diver go deeper, opening up the option of using travel gases and trimix with less than 18& oxygen ncontent. Dives made during this course can be as depp as 90 metres. Once qualified, the diver can stat to explore deeper; for this reason there is no numbered suffix after the course title as in the rest of the range - there are no limits placed on the depth, provided the divers gradually build their exprerience gradually.after training.
Specialty TecRec Courses
Some TecRec instructors have been authorised by PADI to offer distinctive specialty courses in technical diving. These tend to be offered in areas where the diving environment demands specialist training. Examples include Cave Diver, Advanced Wreck Diver and Technical Rescue Diver.
Instructor Levels
The Tec Instructor is able to teach the Tec 40 course. Prerequisites for an instructor to attain this rating include being a Tec 45 diver or similar, being a PADI MSDT, EANx instructor and Deep Diver Instructor.
Tec Deep Instructors can offer the Tec 40, Tec 45 and Tec 50 courses.
Instructors at this level can offer any of the diver level courses in the TecRec range.
The Gas Blender rating certifies the holder to mix enriched air or trimix for divers to use in recreational or technical diving operations. Courses for this level are conducted by Gas Blender Instructors.
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