Equipment.

Technical divers may also use various forms of less common diving equipment to accomplish their goals. Typically technical dives involve significantly longer durations than average recreational scuba dives. As decompression stops act as a virtual overhead, preventing a diver with a problem from surfacing immediately, there is a need for redundant equipment. Technical divers usually carry at least two tanks, each with its own regulator. In the event of a failure, the second tank and regulator acts as a back-up system. Technical divers therefore increase their supply of available breathing gas by either connecting multiple high capacity diving cylinders and/or by using a rebreather. The technical diver may also carry additional cylinders, known as stage bottles, to ensure adequate breathing gas supply for decompression with a reserve for bail-out in case of failure of their primary breathing gas. The stage cylinders are normally carried using an adaptation of a sidemount configuration.

Training.

Technical diving requires specialised equipment and training. There are many technical training organisations: see the Technical Diving section of List of diver training organizations. TDI, GUE, IANTD and NAUI seem to be popular at the time of writing. Recent entries into the market include DSAT, the technical arm of PADI. The SSI Technical Diving Program TechXR - Technical eXtended Range was launched in 2005.

BSAC training has always had a technical element to its higher qualifications, however it has recently begun to introduce more technical level Skill Development Courses into all its training schemes, by introducing technical awareness into its lowest level qualification of Ocean Diver, for example, nitrox will become mandatory. It has also recently introduced trimix qualifications and continues to develop closed circuit training.

See also.

• Breathing Gas

• Carbon dioxide poisoning

• Diving hazards and precautions

• Oxygen toxicity

• Rebreather

• Solo diving

• Trimix