Technical diver with two slung cylinders descending a deep pinnacle

Tec 45

SKU T45001

R 10,500.00

Certification: Standard

Standard
Trimix

Product variants

Tec 40 gave you ten minutes of decompression. This takes the ceiling off.

There's a specific frustration that shows up after Tec 40. You have the training to run a decompression dive, but the ten-minute limit means you're still planning around the clock rather than around the dive. Tec 45 is where that stops. You move to full decompression diving, with the gas, the redundancy and the procedures to stay down as long as the dive actually warrants.

The step up is real. You'll run a single decompression cylinder carrying oxygen concentrations up to pure oxygen, on backmount or sidemount doubles, and your planning has to be sharper because the consequences of getting it wrong are no longer bounded by a ten-minute ceiling. Equipment isn't included in the course fee: technical gear is hired separately.

This is also the level where PADI stops recommending Rescue Diver and starts requiring it. That's a deliberate signal about what changes here. You're now diving in an environment where self-rescue and team procedures matter more than any amount of finning technique.

What Tec 45 Qualifies You To Do

Once certified, you're qualified to plan and execute single and repetitive decompression dives to a maximum depth of 45 metres, using a single decompression cylinder with oxygen concentrations up to 100 percent. In practice that opens up most of the deep wrecks and walls that recreational limits keep off the table.

There's a Trimix option at this level too. Tec 45 Trimix adds a helium-based back gas to the syllabus, which takes narcosis out of the equation at the deeper end of your dives. Tec 45 is also the prerequisite for Tec 50.

Ready to take the ceiling off? Book your Tec 45 course below, or get in touch with our team if you'd like to check where you stand against the prerequisites.

What This Course Entails

Tec 45 builds directly on the theory from Tec 40, going further into decompression modelling, gas planning for extended runtimes, and the contingency planning that full decompression diving demands. You'll work through all of it before any in-water training begins.

Practical sessions focus on refining your configuration and drilling the skills that matter when a dive goes sideways: gas switches under load, valve drills, deploying a delayed surface marker from depth, and managing a decompression schedule you can no longer simply abandon. Backmount and sidemount are both supported, and we'll settle on your configuration before the course starts.

Training dives then take you through single and repetitive decompression dives to the 45-metre limit, run at Komati Springs or as a coastal qualification if you'd rather certify in the sea. Equipment isn't included in the course fee: technical gear is hired separately. Gas, site entry and any boat or charter fees are quoted separately.

Prerequisites

Certified PADI Tec 40 Diver.
Certified PADI Rescue Diver, or a qualifying certification from another training organisation, with CPR and first aid training completed within the previous 24 months.
A minimum of 50 logged dives, including at least 10 deeper than 30 metres.
Minimum age is 18 years old.
Medical clearance signed by a physician within the last 12 months. Start with the health screening questionnaire.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Tec 45 qualify me to do?

Tec 45 extends your limit to 45 metres and, more importantly, removes the cap on decompression time that Tec 40 holds you to. You plan and run full decompression dives using a single decompression cylinder carrying up to 100 percent oxygen, on backmount or sidemount doubles. This is the level where most divers start to feel like proper technical divers rather than recreational divers borrowing the kit.

Do I need Rescue Diver for Tec 45?

Yes. Rescue Diver is only recommended at Tec 40, but it becomes a hard requirement at Tec 45, along with CPR and first aid training completed within the previous 24 months. If you are working through the technical pathway, it is worth getting Rescue done early rather than having it hold you up here.

What's the difference between Tec 45 and Tec 45 Trimix?

Same course and same depth limit. The Trimix option additionally qualifies you to use a trimix back gas at this level, adding helium to cut narcosis on the deeper end of your dives. Choose it when you book and we will run the Trimix version of the syllabus.

How many dives do I need before starting Tec 45?

A minimum of 50 logged dives, of which at least 10 must be deeper than 30 metres, on top of your Tec 40 and Rescue Diver certifications. The dive count matters here. Tec 45 is not a course to walk into straight off the back of Tec 40 without building some experience first.

Can I do Tec 45 in a sidemount configuration?

Yes. Tec 45 can be run on backmount doubles or sidemount doubles, whichever suits you. If you are undecided, we can talk it through before the course, and the Tec Sidemount Diver course can be integrated with Tec 45 if you want to cover both properly.

Where are the training dives run?

From Tec 45 upwards we run training dives at Komati Springs, which has the depth to support proper decompression training, or as a coastal qualification if you would rather qualify in the sea. Gas is always quoted separately from the course fee, along with site entry and any boat or charter fees, so you only ever pay for the gas you actually use.

What's included in the Tec 45 course price?

Your PADI Tec 45 materials, all knowledge development and practical application sessions, and your training dives with a technical instructor. Equipment hire, site entry, gas fills and any boat or charter fees are quoted separately.