Two stage-carrying technical divers under the surface, one running a reel to a DSMB

Tec 50

SKU T50001

R 12,000.00

Certification: Standard

Standard
Trimix

Product variants

Two decompression gases, multiple stops, and the deepest you can go on air and nitrox.

Tec 50 is the top of the open-circuit air and nitrox pathway. It takes you to 50 metres and, for the first time, onto two decompression gases and multiple decompression stops. That's the combination that turns a deep dive from a quick look into something you can genuinely spend time on.

By this level the diving isn't the hard part. The planning is. You'll be building schedules with multiple gas switches, managing an ascent with several mandatory stages, and carrying enough redundancy that losing any single piece of gas or equipment is an inconvenience rather than an emergency. Equipment isn't included in the course fee: technical gear is hired separately.

The prerequisites reflect that. A hundred logged dives, or seventy-five hours underwater, isn't an arbitrary number. It's roughly the point at which a diver has enough water time for the workload at 50 metres to feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

What Tec 50 Qualifies You To Do

Once certified, you're qualified to make extended-range decompression dives to a maximum depth of 50 metres, using two decompression gases and multiple decompression stops. That is as deep as open-circuit air and nitrox diving goes, and it covers the overwhelming majority of technical dive sites in South Africa and well beyond it.

There's a Trimix option here as well. Tec 50 Trimix adds a helium-based back gas, and at 50 metres narcosis is a genuine performance issue rather than a talking point, so plenty of divers take the Trimix route at this level even if they held off earlier. Tec 50 is also the prerequisite for Tec Trimix 65.

Ready for the deep end of open circuit? Book your Tec 50 course below, or get in touch with our team if you'd like to talk through the prerequisites first.

What This Course Entails

The theory at this level covers multi-gas decompression planning, oxygen exposure tracking across a dive and across a series of dives, and the contingency procedures for losing a decompression gas partway through an ascent. It is the most demanding knowledge development in the recreational-to-technical pathway.

Practical sessions then push your skills under realistic workload: multiple gas switches at depth, extended stops, equipment failures introduced deliberately, and the discipline of running a schedule precisely rather than approximately.

Training dives take you to the 50-metre limit on a full multi-stop profile, 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 45 Diver.
Certified PADI Rescue Diver. If you are meeting this through a qualifying certification from another training organisation, your CPR and first aid training must have been completed within the previous 24 months.
A minimum of 100 logged dives, or 75 hours underwater.
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 50 qualify me to do?

Tec 50 takes you to 50 metres and, for the first time, onto two decompression gases and multiple decompression stops. That combination is what makes genuinely long, deep dives practical rather than theoretical. It is the top of the open-circuit air and nitrox pathway, and the gateway to trimix.

What are the prerequisites for Tec 50?

PADI Tec 45 and PADI Rescue Diver, a minimum of 100 logged dives or 75 hours underwater, a minimum age of 18, and medical clearance signed by a physician within the last 12 months. If you are meeting the Rescue requirement through a qualifying certification from another organisation, your CPR and first aid training must be within the previous two years.

What's the difference between Tec 50 and Tec 50 Trimix?

Same course and same 50-metre limit. The Trimix option additionally qualifies you to run a trimix back gas at this level. At 50 metres narcosis is a genuine performance issue, not a talking point, so plenty of divers take the Trimix route here even if they held off at Tec 40 and Tec 45.

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.

Is Tec 50 the end of the technical pathway?

No. Tec 50 is the deepest you go on open-circuit air and nitrox, but it is the prerequisite for Tec Trimix 65, which takes you to 65 metres, and from there Tec Trimix Diver at 90 metres. Plenty of divers stop at Tec 50 and get years of excellent diving out of it.