NAUI Technical Courses
Is technical diving for you? NAUI Technical Courses are designed for divers whose interests include diving beyond traditional recreational limits and specific areas of technical diving. Accordingly, technical diving courses are designed to provide more detailed training than specialty diver courses, and result in more extensive qualifications.
NAUI was the first training agency to certify all levels of diving ranging from traditional recreational training through all levels of technical training. Technical diving is a potentially dangerous activity that requires very special training, equipment and support. NAUI Technical Instructors are trained to not only qualify you for your dive objective, but also to give you a healthy respect for the technical diving environment.
Below are just some of the NAUI Technical Courses available through your local NAUI Technical Training Dive Center. Be sure to ask your NAUI Technical Instructor about previous training or experience you may need and get ready to enter the unique world of Technical Diving!
- Cave Diver (Levels I, II and III)
- Cavern Diver
- Closed Circuit Mixed Gas Diver
- Closed Circuit Rebreather Diver
- Decompression Technique
- Heliair Diver
Cave Diver (Levels I, II and III)
Does the thought of diving through an underwater cave intrigue you? Are you fascinated by the possibility of diving where most divers never get to go? Cave Diver Levels I, II and III are actually three courses, each of which builds on skills and knowledge taught in the Cavern Diver course and/or respective previous level Cave Diver courses, giving you the next level of skills and experience you need to become a certified Level I, II or III Cave Diver.
Once you complete your Level I Cave Diver course, you will be able to plan and execute limited penetration, simple-navigation no decompression cave dives; certified Level II Cave Divers are qualified to plan and execute multiple navigational decisions on cave dives with staged cylinders; certified Level III Cave Divers are qualified to plan and execute extended penetration cave dives.
If you’re 18 years old and at least a NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver and Nitrox Diver with 75 logged dives, you may be ready for the challenge of cave diving!
Cavern Diver
Cavern Diver is a no-decompression course designed to teach you the fundamental skills and knowledge for cavern diving above 100 fsw / 30 msw and at a combined depth and distance penetration less than 200 feet / 60 meters from the surface.
During your course, you will complete a minimum of three cavern dives in at least two different sites within daylight and no-decompression limits, and become proficient in the use of spools and reels, team and line placement, and zero visibility/touch contact communications while following a line, as well as many other skills necessary to be a competent Cavern Diver.
Dive planning (including EANx if used) penetration distance within cavern diver limits, safety drills, equipment checks, gas sharing, guideline deployment and removal techniques, propulsion techniques, lost teammate and guideline drills and emergency procedures will also be covered in your Cavern Diver course.
Closed Circuit Mixed Gas Diver
NAUI’s Closed Circuit Mixed Gas Diver course will to provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to minimize the risks of utilizing helium-based or trimix breathing diluent gas mixes for diving, with dive parameters to a maximum depth of 250 fsw / 76 msw requiring decompression with rebreathers and constant PO2.
Your training will include dive planning limits based on gas consumption of bailout stages, oxygen exposures, inert gas loading and breathing gas mixtures; navigation, diver rescue and management of a diver experiencing oxygen toxicity; ascents with ascent reel and lift bag; and stage decompression.
The Closed Circuit Mixed Gas Diver course is an intensive class that requires previous certifications in NAUI Decompression Techniques, Heliair, and Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) or the equivalents thereof, plus a minimum of 100 logged hours on a Closed Circuit Rebreather, 60 hours of which are directly on the specific CCR for mixed gas training.
Closed Circuit Rebreather Diver
The Closed Circuit Rebreather course provides the NAUI EANx certified diver with the training and experience necessary to understand the hazards and minimize the risks of using a closed circuit rebreather while breathing Nitrox with a constant oxygen partial pressure.
This no-stop decompression course is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to minimize the risks of using Closed-circuit Underwater Breathing Apparatus to a maximum depth of 100 fsw / 30 msw.
Closed-circuit Underwater Breathing Apparatus used for NAUI certification and training must have been independently tested for authorization of training on a specific model.
Decompression Technique
As you continue your technical diver training, one of the courses you’ll want to take is Decompression Techniques, in which you will gain a working knowledge of the theory, methods and procedures of planned stage decompression diving. Your training will include a minimum of six dives including planning and executing a standard stage decompression dive less than 130 fsw / 40 msw.
Your instructor will also teach you equipment requirements including team requirements and NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration (NTEC), and decompression breathing gas mixtures (including oxygen, Helitrox, and EANx). You’ll learn the practical skills and knowledge you need for decompression diving within course parameters.
If you are 18 years of age, posses at least NAUI Master Scuba Diver, Deep Diver Specialty, Technical EANx Diver and Helitrox Diver certifications (or their equivalents), and have 75 logged dives, you may enroll in the Decompression Techniques course. With additional dives and training, your instructor may opt to combine this course with Technical EANx (Nitrox) Diver or Helitrox Diver.
Heliair Diver
The NAUI Heliair Diver course provides the training and experience you need to competently plan and execute extended range dives that require stage decompression utilizing Heliair and EANx and/or oxygen. You’ll learn the hazards and proper use of Heliair for dives to maximum of 180 fsw / 55 msw that require stage decompression, utilizing EANx mixtures and/or oxygen during decompression.
This course may be combined with the Decompression Techniques Diver Course with additional dives and training. As with all courses, there are minimum requirements: for Heliair Diver, you must be 18 years of age; have logged at least 75 dives, (10 of which must be decompression dives in the environment in which the course is being taught); and be certified as a NAUI Technical EANx Diver, Decompression Techniques Diver unless combined with this course, and NAUI Helitrox Diver or equivalent thereof.
Helitrox Diver
The Helitrox Diver course teaches you how to plan and execute Helitrox-based dives that may require stage decompression and utilize EANx and/or oxygen for stage decompression. This course is designed to teach you the hazards of utilizing Helium for dives to a maximum depth of 150 fsw / 46 msw that may require stage decompression, utilizing EANx mixtures and/or oxygen during decompression.
During your training, you’ll complete at least four open water dives using a Helitrox mixture (26% oxygen / 17% helium) of which at least one will be a repetitive dive. Your NAUI Technical Instructor may combine your Helitrox course with the Decompression Techniques Diver Course, with additional training and certification dives.
Your studies will include the knowledge necessary to plan and safely execute Helitrox dives including gas needs and requirements, oxygen toxicity limitations, nitrogen narcosis limitations, and emergency planning, including omitted decompression, oxygen toxicity, decompression sickness, and equipment failure.
Topics covered will also include emergency and contingency procedures, entry and descent techniques; inert gas narcosis and oxygen toxicity; variable ascent-rate techniques and deep-stop models; diver trim, ballast and buoyancy compensation; tethered or untethered decompression methods; shore or boat based dive team support and chamber locations; communications and emergency breathing gases; and NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration (NTEC).
Ice Diver
NAUI’s Ice Diver course will provide you with a basic understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to minimize risks and gain experience in ice diving, penetration under solid ice.
During your Ice Diver course, you’ll master many skills and gain knowledge about ice dive organization, procedures, problems, risks and planning, equipment removal and replacement, underwater navigation, use of harnesses and line techniques, silt-out/black-water procedures, ice dive planning, exposure hazards and treatment, ice cutting and characteristics, signaling and much more.
You’ll also gain knowledge about atmospheric conditions and characteristics of ice structure; wind chill factors, cold stress, dehydration and first aid; surface clothing and dry suits; penetration holes and dive site preparation.
Your three required training dives will be limited to a maximum depth of 40 feet / 12 meters and not more than 100 feet /30 meters in a horizontal line from the penetration hole. You can enroll in the Ice Diver course as long as you are 18 years of age, have a NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver certification and have at least 50 logged dives in a variety of conditions.
Intro to Tech
The Introduction to Technical Diving Course (Intro to Tech) is designed as a bridge from the recreational diver to an introduction to the rigors and discipline of technical diving, and is a great preparatory course if you are considering technical diver training or interested in streamlining your equipment configuration.
Your NAUI Intro to Tech instructor will introduce you to dive planning, physics and physiology, decompression, and decompression associated with technical diving. The NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration (NTEC) course may also be available as part of your Intro to Tech course or as a separate technical course.
The Intro to Tech course is your first step to a whole new world of technical diving!
Mixed Gas Blender and O2 Service Tech
If you want to prepare EANx breathing gas mixtures for use by divers, sign up for the Mixed Gas Blender and Oxygen Service Technician course. This is a great course if you plan to work in a dive center and need additional training, or wish to expand your knowledge of diving gas mixtures.
In it, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge needed to safely handle high pressure gases and prepare Nitrox breathing gas mixtures for use by divers. You’ll analyze the resulting breathing gas mixtures from your own breathing gas blending practice and master the breathing gas blending system used in training.
Semi-Closed Rebreather Diver
The Semi-closed Circuit Rebreather Diver course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to minimize the risks of using Semi-closed Circuit Rebreathers (SCR) to a maximum depth of 100 fsw / 30 msw and while using Nitrox mixtures of 32% to 80% oxygen.
Your training will include analyzation of breathing gas mixtures; buoyancy control skills; scuba diver rescue simulation to including management of a diver experiencing underwater convulsions, hypoxia, flooded system, and out of breathing gas scenarios; training in redundant breathing gas systems; proper counter lung flush procedures; and ascent with a line reel and lift bag while simulating a required decompression stop. Additional topics covered in your course include proper post dive procedures, physics and physiology, equipment; review of dive tables including RGBM tables, narcosis depth, dive planning requirements and gas management planning.
Semi-closed Circuit Rebreathers used for NAUI certification courses must have been independently tested before training on a specific model can be authorized.
Technical Nitrox Diver
The Technical EANx (Nitrox) Diver course will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to minimize the risks of utilizing optimal breathing gas EANx mixtures of 25% through 80% (oxygen) for dives to a depth of 130 fsw / 40 msw not requiring stage decompression, using 80% EANx for decompression and 25% to 60% EANx for bottom mix.
Your instructor can combine this course with the Decompression Techniques Diver Course with additional training and dives. You’ll need to be 18 and have a minimum certification of NAUI EANx Diver and Deep Diver (or equivalent) and 50 logged dives with 10 dives on EANx to enroll in the Technical EANx Diver course.
Technical Support Leader
Become a NAUI Technical Support Leader! The Technical Support Leader (TSL) course is designed to train knowledgeable NAUI Divemasters and Assistant Instructors who are also technical divers to act as part of a support team for technical diving and training activities.
A Technical Support Leader provides assistance to teams of technical divers provided diving conditions and methods approximate those in which your TSL training occurs. Your TSL responsibilities might include shuttling of equipment, removal and replacement of staged decompression gases and equipment, rigging and setting up decompression stations and gases and monitoring divers during ascent and staged decompression stops.
To enroll in a TSL course, you must be 18; be certified as a NAUI Technical EANx Diver, NAUI Rescue Diver, Oxygen Provider and NAUI Divemaster or NAUI Assistant Instructor; have assisted with the open water portions of at least two entry-level or continuing education diver courses; and 75 logged dives with 10 dives below 100 fsw / 30 msw, and 15 Nitrox dives.
Technical Wreck Penetration Diver
Combine technical diving and wreck exploration and you get Technical Wreck Penetration diving…This course is to provide the diver with the skills and knowledge needed to gain experience and minimize risks in penetration wreck diving at depths beyond 130 fsw / 40 msw.
In this intensive and interesting course you’ll learn to plan and execute penetration wreck dives that require stage decompression and utilize air and EANx and/or oxygen for stage decompression, with dive plans less than 165 fsw / 50 msw.
To enroll in the Technical Wreck Penetration Diver course, you must be at least 18, have a minimum certification as a Penetration Wreck Diver with at least 10 logged penetration wreck dives, minimum 50 logged dives total, and certification in Technical NAUI EANx and Decompression Techniques. Your NAUI instructor may combine this course with your Decompression Techniques Course.
Tri-Mix Diver (Levels I and II)
The Trimix Diver Course consists of two levels, Trimix Diver Level I and Trimix Diver Level II. These courses will give you the skills and knowledge needed to minimize the risks of utilizing helium-based Trimix breathing gas mixes for dives to a maximum depth of 250 fsw / 76 msw requiring stage decompression and utilizing EANx mixtures and/or oxygen during decompression.
Your Trimix Level I instructor will teach you to plan and execute technical dives that require stage decompression and utilize helium-based tri-mix breathing gas mixtures and EANx and/or oxygen for stage decompression to depths above 200 fsw / 61 msw. In your Tri-mix Level II course, you will learn how to safely extend your diving depths down to no greater than 250 fsw / 76 msw.
To enroll in either Trimix course, you must be certified as a NAUI Decompression Techniques Diver and Technical Helitrox Diver or equivalent, and have a minimum of 100 logged dives 20 of which must have been decompression dives.
Wreck Penetration Diver
There are inherent hazards and risks associated with exploring an underwater wreck. The Wreck Penetration Diver course will give you the skills and knowledge you need to safely dive inside a sunken vessel, aircraft or similar structure.
You’ll learn about safety, hazards and special risks of overhead environments; gas management, entanglement, limited visibility, deep diving, equipment, sources of information, search methods, underwater navigation, legal aspects, artifacts, treasure, salvage, archaeology and appropriate material from other specialty courses as well.
If you have NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver and NAUI Wreck Diver (External Survey) certifications or the equivalent thereof and are at least 18, get ready to explore!