Technical 1 Diver 

The Technical 1 course is the first “full” class in the UTD Technical Diving Program and it is designed to prepare divers for the rigors of Technical diving (decompression) and to familiarize them with the use of different breathing gases (25/25, 21/35 or 18/45), use of a single decompression bottle with the option of two different decompression gas mixtures (either Nitrox 50 or 100% O2) and various approaches to conducting two technical dives in a day.

Technical 1 training focuses on critical skills including bottom and mid water failures cultivating, integrating, and ultimately testing the divers with blue water skills and their ability to deal with failures not only on the bottom but also during the accent and gas switch – skills which are essential for safe technical diving. This critical training will include problem identification and resolution, and building the capacity for progressively more challenging diving.

Students will continue to use double tanks/cylinders in addition to the use of a deco bottle of either Oxygen or Nitrox 50 for accelerated and “on the fly” decompression. This class takes advantage of the use of Helium to minimize narcosis, and the application and benefit of single decompression bottle diving will be thoroughly explored.

The class will focus on Helium mixes as flexible and beneficial breathing gases for dives to 160’/48m while using a single decompression gas of either Oxygen or Nitrox 50 (depending on the depth of the dive) for both accelerated decompression and safe rock bottom planning. 

An optional endorsement for use of a stage bottle is available to students who have completed a minimum of 25 dives after completing the Technical 1 course.

Upon Successful completion of Technical 1 a diver will become a fully qualified Technical Diver and be able to use standard Helium mixes of 25/25, 21/35, or 18/45 and decompression gases of 50% or 100% oxygen with the option of a stage bottle (if endorsed). The limits for a UTD Technical 1 diver are 160’/48m, one (1) decompression bottle and the use of one (1) stage bottle (if endorsed). Maximum decompression time when using 100% oxygen for deco is limited to one oxygen cycle (15 minutes) and decompression time is limited to 30 minutes if using Nitrox 50 for deco.