Capernwray Dive School - TECHNICAL DIVING COURSES

Technical diving is an exacting and demanding branch of the diving sport. If you are finding that your diving objectives are taking you beyond what you are currently trained to do, then technical training is for you. The training is arguably more rigorous than what you have been involved with up till now and focuses on very advanced theory and a lot of in water time, learning new skills and putting them into practice in an open water environment. The courses we run are demanding, rewarding and intensive!!

IANTD COURSES (Click here to find out more about IANTD)

The International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) is the leading provider of technical diver training in the world. Capernwray, in addition to being a PADI facility, is an IANTD instructional facility. This means that we offer the range of IANTD recreational and technical courses, as well as providing Nitrox to IANTD standards.

The slogan of IANTD training is:

"Education is purchased, certification is earned "

Technical diver training is, by necessity, more arduous and intense than recreational training. It is therefore right that the entry requirements into most programs are fairly high. The best bridge between recreational and technical diving is the Advanced Nitrox course.

ADVANCED NITROX

In order to do Advanced Nitrox you must be a PADI Advanced Open Water diver or equivalent and have proof of at least 60 dives. It certifies the diver to use up to 40% Nitrox as a bottom mix and up to 50% as a decompression gas. It also serves as an introduction to decompression diving, and the use of gas blends.

IANTD now stipulate that, and we wholeheartedly agree that, all students dive with twin cylinders (which will be provided if needed), carry deco gas in a stage cylinder configuration and begin the process of training as a technical diver. It is a well-known fact in the industry that if Advanced Nitrox is correctly taught, then students will find the other technical programs much easier. In addition, student numbers are kept deliberately low, to maximise student/instructor contact time. The course now consists of a minimum of four dives, again to comply with the new IANTD standard. Some of the training dives will normally be carried out at a remote location, to provide more depth than Capernwray can offer.The cost is £295, which includes all textbooks, gas, twin sets (if required) and stage cylinders.

Darren doing "deco" on his advanced Eanx Course.

TECHNICAL DIVER

Technical diver is the course that will take you into the realms of decompression. It consists of 2 full days of academics, 2 intensive confined water sessions and then 5 dives. Two of these dives must be between 39 m and 51m and the course must include at least 280 minutes of open water run time. It may be combined with Normoxic Trimix (see below). During the course we deal with equipment configuration in some depth, advanced dive planning, the use of high partial pressures of 02 for decompression etc. In water, the skills that you have learnt during Advanced EANx are evaluated and new skills like line drills taught. We also look at communication techniques in some depth as well as the role of the team in technical diving. The open water dives are all decompression dives, putting the skills into practice. As you may expect, we do not do these dives in Capernwray (!), but attempt if possible to get out to sea. If weather conditions are poor we may use a fresh water site like Wastwater for some of the dives.

Technical diver is the course for those wishing to progress onto more ambitious diving projects. The skills and theory that you will learn are essential for safe and comfortable diving for 40m to 140m!

As we discuss gear configuration in some depth during the course, we require that students have their own equipment for this course, although stage bottles are available if required.

The cost of Technical Diver is £400, which includes all texts and gas. If dives are done at sea, boat charter fees are additional)

This course is usually combined with Normoxic Trimix below, and there is a saving on doing both together

NORMOXIC TRIMIX

This course is normally combined with Technical Diver above. It qualifies the diver to use trimix mixtures with a minimum of 20% 02 and Helium content of 30%. In practice this is an ideal mix for use down to about 60m, of which there is a wealth of excellent diving to be had on our coasts. All those deep wrecks that you struggle to remember-here is the answer!!

The course prerequisites are Technical Diver (or equivalent) and it consists of a theory section, followed by three dives on Trimix. If incorporated into the Technical Diver program, these three dives can be three of the five required for that qualification. If you are already Tech qualified and wish to upgrade the qualification then you will be required to do three more dives.

Normoxic Trimix is, we feel, the gas of choice for breathing between 40 and 60 metres. Everyone who tries it realises immediately the advantages it gives over deep air in terms of diver performance, safety, and ability to do tasks, general awareness and memory.

The course costs £200 and includes texts and all gas. (If dives are done at sea, boat charter fees are additional)

IF TECHNICAL DIVER AND NORMOXIC TRIMIX ARE COMBINED, COURSE PRICE IS £500

BLENDER PROGRAMS

We offer gas-blending programs from IANTD and DSAT (PADI RECTEC):

1. EANx blender.

This consists of all you need to know to handle oxygen and safely prepare all nitrox mixtures. It is largely theory based, and has an exam, but also includes at least two hours of practical hands-on blending in our blending station. Usually completed in one long day

Fee: £150.00 per person

2. Trimix blender

In order to do this course; you must be a qualified EANx blender. It teaches and qualifies you to blend all Helium based breathing gases, including Heliair and Trimix. Once again it involves some theory and a hands on blending session. A short day!

Fee: £75.00 per person

3. DSAT RECTEC Nitrox and Trimix Blender

We now offer the DSAT blender program. In many ways, this is an extension of the two courses above, combined with PADI's usual excellent materials and knowledge development techniques

Fee: £175.00 per person

We can also offer all the IANTD technical programs, namely:

• Full Trimix
• Overhead environment
• Cave etc.
• Rebreather

Please phone for details on these and any other technical courses you may be interested in.

CONTACT THE DIVE SCHOOL:

Capernwray Dive School
Tel: 01524 735132
E-mail: divingschool@dive-site.co.uk