You’ve probably spotted them a few times – those strange folks with a bunch of bottles, hoses everywhere, and dressed in black suits. This isn’t a fashion show, but technical divers in action. They’re doing something that has absolutely nothing in common with casual snorkeling on vacation.
Technical diving isn’t just about taking more air and going deeper. It’s a ticket to places where normal divers never look – to wrecks at depths where the sun doesn’t shine, to underwater caves where panic could cost you your life, or to places where you need to spend several hours in ice-cold water and slowly return to the surface.
Why would someone do this? Because down there is a world worth seeing. Ships that no one has visited since the war. Caves where no one has been before you. Fish and creatures you won’t see in shallow waters.
But you pay for these experiences – with hard work, time, and money. When something goes wrong sixty meters below the surface, you can’t simply swim up (well, you can, but you’ll return in a body bag). You must solve that problem right there underwater – hence the obsessive emphasis on crisis training, backup systems for everything, and planning down to the last detail.
What is technical diving?
Technical diving is everything that goes beyond recreational diving – dives deeper than 40 meters, exploring wrecks and caves where there’s no direct exit, dives with mandatory decompression stops, or using special gas mixtures instead of normal air. It’s not about being a suicidal adrenaline junkie, but about a systematic approach to safely reaching places where others can’t go.
Why do people do it?
What drives people to get into it? Ask them and most will tell you: “You can’t find these experiences anywhere else.” My friend Jakub, who has been “doing it” for fifteen years, once told me: “The first passage into a German submarine from World War II… That was something. Things lying there untouched since the forties, that strange feeling of calm and silence, and knowing that I’m one of the few people who have ever seen this place. No Netflix gives you that.”
Technical diving also teaches you to truly understand physics and what pressure does to your body. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends for life – when you’re solving problems with someone in a cave, bonds form like in wartime.
Recreational vs. Technical Diving
Recreational diving is comfortable – a simple principle: “Got a problem? Get out and up.” In technical diving, this doesn’t work. When you have a problem 60 meters below the surface or 300 meters inside a cave, you can’t just swim up without risking your lungs exploding or bubbles forming in your brain. Therefore, a different rule applies: “Solve the problem underwater and stick to the plan.”
While recreational divers stay within 40 meters, technical divers routinely descend to 60-100 meters. Instead of direct ascent, they must complete decompression stops sometimes lasting hours.
The first thing you’ll notice is the special equipment. Recreational divers use one tank, one regulator, and often a wetsuit. A technical diver has twins or a sidemount configuration, several regulators, backup systems, a drysuit, and other specialized equipment.
Breathing mixes differ too. Recreational divers breathe air or nitrox, while technical divers often use several different mixes during a single dive – trimix for the deep parts of the dive, oxygen-rich mixtures for decompression.
Who can start with technical diving?
Before entering the world of technical diving, you should ask yourself several questions. Do you have sufficient experience with recreational diving? Most courses require at minimum Advanced Open Water certification and 25-50 dives, but the reality is that the more experience you have, the better.
You should also consider your physical condition. You don’t need to be a top athlete, but you will carry heavier equipment and dive in more challenging conditions.
Perhaps most important are mental prerequisites. You need to stay calm under pressure, have attention to detail, and the discipline to follow procedures. And of course, respect for the environment in which you operate.
Also, prepare for financial investment. Courses, equipment, and specialized diving trips are not cheap.
Equipment for technical diving
Technical equipment looks complicated at first glance, but every element has its purpose. The basis is either twins (two connected tanks on your back) or a sidemount configuration (two independent tanks on your sides). With these, you need at least two complete regulators.
Instead of a classic BCD, technical divers use a wing with a backplate & harness system – a minimalist, streamlined, and robust solution. In our waters, a drysuit is a practical necessity, especially during long decompression stops.
Also essential are at least two dive computers capable of working with different gases, primary and backup lights, a long hose for sharing air, navigation aids, and much more. The equipment list gradually grows with your specialization.
A comprehensive basic kit will cost you 150-300 thousand Czech crowns (approximately $6,000-$12,000). The good news is that you don’t have to buy everything at once – many dive centers offer equipment rental for courses.
The path of technical training
Technical diving isn’t a destination but a journey of continuous learning. You can start with organizations like TDI, PADI TecRec, GUE, IANTD, or SSI XR. A typical educational path begins with courses like Intro to Tech, continues through Extended Range to the use of trimix and specialized courses.
Each course includes a theoretical part, practice in a pool, and dives in open water. You’ll repeatedly practice solving crisis situations until your reactions become automatic. Even after completing courses, education continues – reading literature, attending workshops, and discussions with other technical divers.
Practical tips for beginning technical divers
I remember my first technical dive well – it wasn’t an extreme exploration, just 42 meters with short decompression stops in familiar waters. Still, it was the first step into a new world.
Some advice for anyone wanting to start:
Find an experienced buddy, ideally someone who has been involved in technical diving for a long time. Most are happy to train newcomers so they have someone to dive with.
Don’t skimp on courses and instructors. A good instructor will teach you how to survive your first problematic situation underwater.
Buy equipment gradually. Rent some things, get others second-hand. At the beginning, you don’t know what will suit you anyway. Personally, I invested a significant amount in things that I later replaced with something completely different.
Don’t rush. Take a course, then do several simple dives in favorable weather. Only then add either greater depth OR more complex conditions, never both at once. Otherwise, you risk becoming another sad statistic.
Keep an honest dive log. Record gas consumption, problems, equipment failures, or physical difficulties… Without such reflection, you’ll never learn from your own mistakes.
Questions often asked by those interested in technical diving
“Is technical diving dangerous?”
Is it dangerous? Of course it’s dangerous. But with proper training, meticulous planning, and good equipment, those risks can be brought under control. Never to zero, but to acceptable limits.
“How much will it cost me?” A basic course will cost you 10-25 thousand Czech crowns ($400-$1,000), equipment 150-300 thousand ($6,000-$12,000), plus additional costs for filling specialized mixtures, diving trips, and maintenance.
“Do I have to be in super physical condition?” Technical divers come in various shapes, sizes, and age categories. What’s important is to gradually build experience and choose equipment correctly.
“Why should I do this at all?” Technical diving will open doors to exploring places that most people will never see – deep wrecks, extensive cave systems, or simply deeper, more remote locations with richer marine life.
Is technical diving worth it?
After years in technical diving, I can say only one thing: it definitely is! That feeling when you stand before the bow of a warship that has been resting in the silence and darkness of the deep since the forties… When you first discover a hall with stalactites in a flooded cave where only a few people in the world have been before you… When you encounter strange deep-sea creatures that look like aliens…
Sure, you pay for it. Endless hours of training. Money for equipment that would be enough for a decent car. Weeks planning a single challenging dive. But when you surface after a three-hour dive to a wreck you previously only read about in history textbooks, you know it was all worth it.
Moreover, thanks to technical diving, you become better divers overall – you learn to solve problems with a cool head, plan like a general, and collaborate with buddies like a professional.