Technical cave diver with a torch following a guideline deep in a cave

Tec Trimix Diver

SKU TTD001

POA

Product variants

Ninety metres. The deepest certification PADI offers on open circuit.

This is the end of the open-circuit technical pathway. Training dives go as deep as 90 metres, on hypoxic mixes that can't safely be breathed at the surface, which changes essentially everything about how a dive is planned, gassed and run.

At this level, a dive is a logistics exercise with a swim in the middle. Multiple cylinders, multiple mixes, travel gas to get you through the shallow part of the descent, a decompression schedule measured in hours rather than minutes, and a team that has to function precisely, because there is no version of this dive where you simply go to the surface.

It's a genuinely serious undertaking, and we treat it as one. Course structure, dive count and scheduling are worked out per diver rather than run off a template.

What Tec Trimix Diver Qualifies You To Do

Once certified, you're qualified for open-circuit trimix diving to the deepest limits PADI recognises, with training dives conducted to 90 metres. Very few divers in South Africa hold this certification, and the ones who do have generally spent years getting to it.

You'll need either PADI Tec 50 or PADI Tec Trimix 65, a minimum of 150 logged dives, and to be 18 or over. Most divers route through Trimix 65 first. Going straight from Tec 50 to 90-metre diving is a very large step to take in a single course.

This course is priced on application and planned around you. Get in touch with our team to talk through your experience and what the programme would look like.

What This Course Entails

Knowledge development covers hypoxic mix theory, travel gas planning, extended multi-stage decompression, oxygen tracking across long exposures, and the failure planning that dives of this length and depth demand.

Practical work focuses on gas management across many cylinders and mixes, precise switching under a schedule that leaves no room for improvisation, and team procedures that hold up when something goes wrong at a depth you can't leave quickly.

Training dives build progressively to 90 metres, run at Komati Springs or as a coastal qualification if you'd rather certify in the sea. Structure, dive count and scheduling are planned individually around your experience and the training is quoted accordingly, with gas always quoted separately on top so you only pay for what you actually use.

Prerequisites

Certified PADI Tec 50 Diver or PADI Tec Trimix 65 Diver, or a qualifying certification from another technical training organisation.
A minimum of 150 logged dives.
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 Trimix Diver qualify me to do?

Tec Trimix Diver is the deepest certification in the open-circuit PADI technical pathway, with training dives as deep as 90 metres. At this level you are diving hypoxic mixes that cannot be breathed safely at the surface, which changes essentially everything about how a dive is planned and run.

Do I need Tec Trimix 65 before Tec Trimix Diver?

Not strictly. You need to hold either PADI Tec 50 or PADI Tec Trimix 65, plus a minimum of 150 logged dives and a minimum age of 18. That said, most divers go through Trimix 65 first, because the jump from Tec 50 straight to 90-metre diving is a very large one to make in a single course.

How experienced do I need to be for Tec Trimix Diver?

The formal requirement is 150 logged dives, but the honest answer is that the number matters less than the quality of the diving behind it. We will want to talk to you about your recent technical diving before we book you onto this course. That is not gatekeeping, it is the level at which experience genuinely determines the outcome.

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.

Why is Tec Trimix Diver priced on application?

Helium cost dominates the price at this level and moves with the market, and the course itself is genuinely bespoke. The number of training dives, where they are run, and the support required all vary by diver. We would rather quote you accurately than advertise a figure nobody actually pays.