How do you define technical diving?
Lets face it, you either dive recreationally or commercially. Why is there a need to define a dive as technical?

I saw a Trade Me item where the seller said never used in technical diving but also claimed he had used it at 96 meters.
He later said he only considered mixed gas dives technical. I can only assume he meant the use of trimix as he said he deco'd on 60% nitrox which is a mixed gas.

Others say its the gear you use. But my "tech gear" is just as suitable for "rec" diving as it is for "tech"

Perhaps its any diving not recommended by PADI/SSI etc. EG deeper than 40 meters, decompression dives, Penetrative dives.

To me diving is diving. I do it for fun. I dont consider any dives I do as technical although I have dived to 55 meters, done deco dives, penetrated into caves ( is Taravana a cave or a cavern?) & deep into wrecks. I simply consider these dives recreational dives and need extra planning and extra equipment.

What are your thoughts?

It's a tricky one, and it depends very much on who's using the term.
There's a fairly good wikipedia definition, about it being a dive in an overhead environment (be it a physical or obligation overhead).
To me a tech dive is one where an in-water support crew should be present. To many people, it's dives beyond the often promoted 40m recreational depth limit. And to some, it's a dive were you have more than a passing thought of run times and gas consumption.

Aren't all dives 'technical' to some degree or another?

All dives are deco dives
(just some involve more deco than others...)

All dives are technical - We're not meant to be down there, we can't breath underwater. Surely, carrying life-support equipment with you makes it a little challenging. Scuba diving is a technical sport/hobby.

I would define it as Flipper referred to, that is anything with a deco obligation or physical overhead. I don't consider a 'safety stop' as decompression.

But I have never done any dives that would be considered 'technical'.

Then you need to reconsider what you consider a safety stop!

I know it is technically deco, but as people should be doing it on every dive (although some don't), I consider this standard procedure. I consider Deco stops as any additional stops required.

And here in lies the problem.
By calling it a safety stop you make it optional. By calling it a deco stop leads to better understanding.

If you're diving under the PADI system, then your bottom times and depths are all managed around the basis that there is no decompression required. If anything goes wrong you can ascend immediately to the surface at a safe ascent rates, and you should be ok.

The safety stop, or whatever you like to call it, is optional but best practise determines that you do it for every dive. It could be compared to someone doing a decompression dive and then adding a few minutes to your stops for good measure.

All dives are deco dives. When you go under water, you get compressed. When you come out, you decompress. The decompression is usually covered by the ascent rates and extra margin added in for a safety stop. If you were doing a 'no-deco-dive' of 15mins to 30 meters, then popped to the surface at full speed,,, you may well get quite painful evidence that your dive was in fact a deco dive.
TDI rule#1 -> ALL dives are deco dives

Yeah ok, I can agree with that logic. Probably what I was tring to get at was that that sort of dive isn't 'technical' under the contemporary use of the word.

expensive. (damnit)

I am with Flipper on that,

every dive with a ceiling either virtual or real, as these dives will require extra planing and consideration with regards to equipment and training.

Therefore i would include ANY wreck penetration, cave penetration and dive with decompression obligation.

Other than that a 80 meter bounce dive is an as technical dive as me picking my nose and scratching my arse while sitting on the sun deck


just my .02 cents


By the way who is in for a next Lermy trip this year and maybe a truck trip next year ?

That I would have to disagree with.

Technical diving isnt really any more expensive.
Well you do need double tanks. But if you already have 2 single tanks then the only extra is bands and a manifold. Oh and regs.

But technical gear does not have to cost more the rec gear. In fact most of it is the same.