PADI TecRec - PADI Tec 50 Diver on Koh Tao
The PADI Tec 50 course is the final stage of the foundational TecRec program, qualifying you to make multi-stage decompression dives to a maximum depth of 50 meters.
Using at least two decompression gases, you learn to manage deep-water narcosis and execute mission-specific tasks under high task-loading conditions.
This is the highest recreational-technical rating, allowing for extended bottom times at the HTMS Sattakut or Sail Rock that are simply impossible for recreational divers.
PADI Tec 50 in Koh Tao
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course at Black Turtle Dive is the final certification in the core PADI TecRec program on Koh Tao. This elite-level course qualifies divers to plan and execute technical decompression dives to a maximum depth of 50 meters (165 feet) using air and oxygen. Students master the management of two separate decompression cylinders for accelerated off-gassing and utilize custom decompression schedules for complex exploration.
Become A PADI Tec 50 Diver in Thailand
You have now arrived at the culmination of the PADI TecRec combination of Technical Diving Courses.
Welcome to the widely accepted and acknowledged limits of deep-air, and true Extended Range Technical Diving!
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course will challenge you and your comfort zone, molding and shaping you into an accomplished, confident, and experienced deep, open-water Extended Range Technical Diver.
Extend your range, expand your abilities, enhance your skills…elevate your technical diving toolbox with multiple decompression gases, and the management and use of 2 x deco / stage cylinders, allowing extended multi-gas decompression schedules, and unlocking unlimited exploration possibilities around the world to any dives or dive sites lying within the 50m range!
Extended Range Technical Diving
During this course, you will cement the fundamental skills that you have acquired and honed to enable you to become the competent and confident technical diver that you already are.
However, in addition, you will begin learning about and master the ability of the complex nature of planning and preparation for Extended Range dives within the 50m depth range.
This includes contingency / emergency planning for multi-gas, multi-stage decompression schedules, as well as effective dive planning and in-water drills and skills to cover, manage and mitigate the risk of these contingencies.
Additionally, equipment management and setup of multiple deco / stage cylinders, and appropriate rescue scenarios / skills, and safe diving practices, that will allow you to engage in and enjoy these dives.
Technical Diving Skills
If you are an experienced Technical Diver, ready for the challenges, and associated rewards, of Extended Range diving, then this course will equip you with the attitude, capability, knowledge, skills and techniques, to enable you to enjoy advanced and complex technical diving activities all over the world, at a level that few others will have the dedication and determination to reach.
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course is also an excellent and widely recognized foundational platform and springboard toward higher levels of Technical Diving training, including Trimix and Closed-Circuit Rebreather (CCR) courses.
Included in the PADI Tec 50 Diver Technical Diving Course
- PADI Tec 50 Diver eLearning & PADI Tec 50 Diver Manual
- 6 x Dives at varying shallow skills focused and advanced deep dive sites around Koh Tao, with certification dives at an appropriate 45-50m site/s
- PADI Tec 50 Diver Certification eCard
- Rental and use of all required Technical Diving equipment, including Sidemount Harness & Sidemount Regulators, 100% O2 Compatible Decompression Regulators + required backup / redundant equipment, including Dive Computers, Reels, SMBs, Slates etc. + Decompression Cylinders & Gases
- FREE rental and use of 2 x Dive Computers required throughout the course
- 2 x Students per PADI TecRec Instructor, and / or max. 4 x Students per PADI TecRec Instructor + PADI TecRec Certified Assistant
- Black Turtle Dive Customer & Environmental Promise + FREE Black Turtle Tech T-Shirt
Prerequisites for PADI Tec 50 Diver Technical Diving Course
**If meeting this with a qualifying certification, provide proof of CPR / First Aid training within previous two years.
- 100 logged dives or 75 hours
- 18 years old
- Medically fit to dive, including Dive Medical with Physicians Approval prior to course start
- Personal Dive Accident Insurance, with partnerships / options for packages to cover course / dive trip duration, and / or annual packages included with our Pro-Level courses applicable
**Please note that qualifying certifications from another agency can be used to meet the pre-requisites for the PADI Tec 50 Diver Technical Diving Course on Koh Tao – please contact us for clarification / confirmation, or with any additional questions.
PADI Tec 50 Diver Course Schedule & Structure
We conduct the PADI Tec 50 Diver Technical Diving Course on Koh Tao over a minimum of 4 x Days.
This includes 1 x Day initially spent on Academics, Equipment & Theory, plus an additional 2 x Days with the AM sessions spent on enhancing and expanding students understanding of these Academics, Equipment & Theory concepts, including Q&A opportunities with our in-house PADI TecRec Instructor.
The PM sessions on Day 2 & 3 are comprised of 2 x Training Dives required by PADI Standards on Day 2, as well as 2 x Additional Training Dives from Black Turtle Dive aligned with our personal Safety & Training Standards.
This is included at no additional cost on Day 3, to allow for reevaluation / remediation if required, or simply to enable extra familiarity and fluidity with newly acquired exercises and skills.
On the final day of the course, Day 4, you will be heading out on our AM boat to deeper decompression diving sites with your PADI TecRec Instructor to engage in the final 2 x Decompression Dives required for certification as a PADI Tec 50 Diver.
PADI Tec 50 Diver Technical Diving Course
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course consists of 3 x sections:
- Knowledge Development – Complete PADI Tec 50 Diver eLearning, including Knowledge Reviews and the Tec 50 Diver Exam
- Academics, Equipment & Theory – A full day, plus an additional 2 x Days of AM sessions, spent on the associated academics for Technical Diving, including:
- Decompression theory, dive planning software, contingency / emergency planning etc.
- Preparation and setup of Technical Diving equipment, including double / multi-cylinder configurations, management / rigging of decompression / stage cylinders, as well as backup / redundancy equipment requirements etc.
- Plus, associated theory concepts concerning dive physics and physiology, including decompression algorithms / models, general gas laws, oxygen / nitrogen partial pressures + gas narcosis etc.
- Confined & Open Water Training – A minimum of 6 x Dives is included with the course, comprising 2 x Training Dives required by PADI Standards on Day 2, plus 2 x Additional Training Dives aligned with Black Turtle Dive Safety & Training Standards on Day 3, before the course concludes with the final 2 x Decompression Training Dives on Day 4
At Black Turtle Dive we take our customer promise and training standards very seriously.
All PADI TecRec courses are conducted with a maximum ratio of 2 x students per PADI TecRec Instructor, or where demand dictates, a maximum ratio of 4 x students per PADI TecRec Instructor + PADI TecRec Certified Assistant.
PADI TecRec Technical Diving Instructor
Our in-house PADI TecRec Instructor is highly experienced and trained, holding multiple student and instructor level certifications with both PADI & TDI, in a range of Technical Diving disciplines, including deep, open-water Extended Range diving, hard-overhead Advanced & Technical Wreck diving, and Cave / Cavern diving, choosing, and continuing, to learn from some of the most accredited and experienced Technical Diving Instructors in Thailand, and the wider South-East Asia region.
Extended Range Exploration & Expert Technical Training
Each course is individually tailored to both your current experience level and preferred timeframe, with depth, knowledge, and skill progression designed to ensure that you feel fully comfortable and confident, prior to advancing further and course completion and certification.
While we recommend a minimum of 4 x Days, and 6 x Dives to complete this course, during your training, we are also able to accommodate, and encourage, the inclusion of additional days and dives.
This will allow you to develop the level of competence and confidence to ensure that upon certification, you feel that you are an excellent, experienced, and safe PADI Tec 50 Diver.
**Please ask, either via email or on one of the messenger apps on this page, if you require any additional information, have any special requests, and / or would like to schedule an exploratory conversation with our in-house PADI TecRec Instructor.
Day 1:
07:00-12:00 – Orientation + Academics & Theory
12:00-13:00 – Lunch Break
13:00-16:00 – Equipment & PADI Tec 50 Diver Practical Applications
16:00-18:00 – Academics & Theory
Day 2:
07:00-11:30 – Additional Academics, Equipment & Theory Session – Q&A + Application
11:30-12:30 – Lunch Break
12:30-17:30 – 2 x PADI Training Dives
Day 3:
07:00-11:30 – Additional Academics, Equipment & Theory Session – Q&A + Application
11:30-12:30 – Lunch Break
12:30-17:30 – 2 x Additional Black Turtle Dive Training Dives
Day 4:
07:00-11:30 – 2 x Decompression Dives
11:30-12:30 – Dive Logs, eLearning Quick Review & Certification
Congratulations! You are now a certified PADI Tec 50 Diver!
PADI Tec 50 Diver Course Cost: 30,000 THB
**Please note that you will enjoy a 10% Discount on the cost of this course as a continuing-education student, if you have already completed a course(s) with Black Turtle Dive.
**Additional Discounts / Promotions available if you are enrolled in / after completion of a Pro-Level course with us, including Divemaster, IDC, MSDT, IDC Staff Instructor & Master Instructor – Please contact us for additional information regarding these Discounts / Promotions.
PADI Tec 50 Diver Course Information
Day 1 – Academics, Equipment & Theory
We will start your PADI Tec 50 Diver course at 07:00 with an Orientation that will include completion of required Medical & PADI Paperwork, as well as a brief introduction to the Schedule over the following days of the course.
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course consists of a minimum of 6 x Dives, at a variety of both shallow skills focused, as well as deep, potential decompression diving sites located around Koh Tao.
There is also a PADI Tec 50 Diver eLearning curriculum to complete, including Knowledge Reviews, Tec 50 Diver Exam, and eLearning Quick Review, that your PADI TecRec Instructor will guide and mentor you through, including a thorough review on course completion.
The remainder of the day will consist of PADI TecRec Instructor led interactive experiences, presentations, and sessions concerning and covering the important aspects and concepts of Academics, Equipment & Theory that apply to Technical Diving courses.
PADI Tec 50 Diver Training
- Decompression Algorithms, Models & Theory + Dive Tables
- General Gas Laws – Boyles Law, Daltons Law & Henrys Law etc.
- Multi-Gas Dive Computers, Technical Dive Planning + Dive Planning Software
- Multi-Cylinder Technical Diving Equipment + Decompression / Stage Cylinder Rigging & Use
- Backup / Redundant Equipment Requirements & Use, including Gas Reserves, Computers, Masks, Reels, SMBs, Slates etc.
- PADI Tec 50 Diver Practical Applications – Dry and on-land practice and mastery of critical and important skills required for Technical Diving, including but not limited to: Ascent & Descent Checks, Managing & Running Decompression Schedules, Gas Switches, Contingency & Emergency Planning & Preparation, S-Drills etc.
Technical Diving on Koh Tao – Discover & Explore
There are only 4 x PADI Tec 50 Diver Training Dives required according to PADI Standards to become a PADI Tec 50 Diver on Koh Tao.
However, in keeping with our attitude and ethos towards Training Standards at Black Turtle Dive, we feel that a minimum of 6 x Dives is required.
This will enable students to feel that they have appropriate mastery of, and control over, the potentially challenging and complex buoyancy, dive planning and execution, and equipment techniques required to be a proficient PADI Tec 50 Diver, consequently that is what, as a minimum, will be included with your PADI Tec 50 Diver course.
PADI Tec 50 Diver – Training Dive 1
During this dive, you will be introduced to some of the more advanced and complex aspects of Extended Range diving, both in terms of equipment and skills, in a controlled and safe confined water environment.
- Managing, staging and recovery of multiple decompression cylinders with respect to their oxygen content.
- Simulated emergency freeflows and shutdowns including gas-access techniques for the affected cylinders.
- Multiple out-of-gas scenarios and situations, covering loss of bottom-gas and loss of deco-gas.
- Introducing gas sharing and swapping strategies.
- Managing multiple gas switches including simulated issues / problems with these switches.
- Buoyancy failures and backup buoyancy device deployment, and appropriate responses and solutions to these problems.
Throughout the PADI Tec 50 Diver course and dive, these drills and skills will be completed in accordance with Black Turtle Dives Neutral Buoyancy Philosophy.
This ensures that on course completion, you are certified as the most competent and confident Technical Diver that you can be.
PADI Tec 50 Diver – Training Dive 2
This dive will begin building on the fundamentals introduced in Dive 1, and start guiding and leading you toward the ability to plan, perform, and manage, in terms of potential contingencies and emergencies, an effective and safe Extended Range dive.
You will demonstrate mastery of a technical diving descent, including descent checks and S-Drills, and show exceptional depth, gas and time awareness, signalling and acting appropriately when any limit is reached.
After managing, staging and recovering your deco cylinders, you will respond effectively, as a technical diving team, to multiple team member emergencies, including out of bottom-gas, unstoppable free flow of deco-gas, and failed primary buoyancy device, using an alternative ascent method and means of maintaining deco stops.
This dive will also afford you the opportunity to practice, and begin mastering, in a controlled environment, a dive including simulated 2 x NO TOX gas switches and at least four decompression stops with a total required decompression time of 30 minutes, which will form the Performance Requirements regarding switches, stops and total required decompression for Dives 3 & 4 of the course.
PADI Tec 50 Diver – Training Dive 3
During this dive you will adhere to, apply and experience the exemplary mission and safety critical Extended Range diving skills that you have been developing throughout your technical diving training.
This will enable you to independently, with our in-house PADI TecRec Instructor guidance and supervision, plan, prepare, and safely and successfully, execute and manage, a decompression dive within PADI Tec 50 Diver limits.
Considering all the above, you will be expected to demonstrate autonomy and decisiveness in the following:
- Dive planning for all aspects of an Extended Range technical dive.
- Coordinating and managing pre-dive checks and preparation.
- Descending with appropriate descent checks and S-Drills.
- Execute the planned dive mission showing exceptional depth, gas and time awareness. Initiating and managing the decompression schedule, including 2 x NO TOX gas switches at the planned depths.
- Completing the minimum of four decompression stops and a total required decompression of at least 30 minutes.
PADI Tec 50 Diver – Training Dive 4
This is your final training dive of the course and time to explore and enjoy. You will be expected to plan and execute a decompression dive within PADI Tec 50 Diver limits, accounting for all aspects of a technical dive plan.
This dive will be conducted with 2 x cylinders of bottom gas, plus 2 x decompression / stage cylinders containing up to 100% O2. Decompression is required to be at least 4 x stops and a minimum of at least 30 x minutes of decompression.
PADI TecRec Course Success
As this dive represents the conclusion of the initial PADI TecRec courses program, and culminates in certification as a competent, confident, knowledgeable, responsible and safe Extended Range Diver, you will be expected to display autonomy, leadership and ownership of the planning, preparation and management of this dive.
This will ensure that you have not only earned your PADI Tec 50 Diver certification, but more importantly, that you feel that you have acquired the skill set to enable you to engage in these technical diving activities independently elsewhere in the world when you leave us.
Congratulations! You are now a certified PADI Tec 50 Diver!
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I learn during the PADI Tec 50 Diver course on Koh Tao?
During the PADI Tec 50 Diver course, you will enhance and expand your ability and understanding of Technical Diving, and technical diving techniques.
This includes equipment, planning, preparation, skills and theory, provided by your PADI Tec 40 Diver & PADI Tec 45 Diver courses or other Technical Diving Certifications from other agencies, to become a full Extended Range Technical Diver.
This course will include more detailed exploration and understanding of decompression theory and dive planning software, as well as in-water emergency drills and rescue skills, to allow and enable you to safely plan and execute multi-tank, multi-stage, unlimited decompression dives within the PADI Tec 50 Diver limits.
The accessibility and availability of 2 x decompression gases, up to and including 100% O2 for accelerated decompression during this course will also afford you the opportunity of significant and substantial bottom-times, with expansive but efficient decompression schedules, within the 50m depth range.
However, this will also add some additional elements of complexity and risk in both your diving, and dive planning, which your training during this course will allow you to confidently address.
Throughout the course your PADI TecRec Instructor will work collaboratively with you to provide a solid grounding and stable baseline understanding of all of the key areas and aspects of Extended Range Technical Diving, including Academics & Theory, Equipment, as well as in-water Skills, to allow you to either enjoyably and safely continue to dive within PADI Tec 50 Diver limits, or provide the knowledge and skills to further your Technical Diving training to higher levels.
PADI Tec 50 Diver is an extended range technical diving course using two decompression cylinders and making multi-stop decompression dives. There is an option for divers to earn a Tec 50 Trimix Diver certification.
How long does the PADI Tec 50 Diver course take on Koh Tao?
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course takes 4 days to complete on Koh Tao.
You will meet your PADI TecRec Instructor in the morning of Day 1, and this first day will be spent entirely and exclusively on Academics, Equipment & Theory, related specifically to Extended Range Technical Diving.
On Day 2 AM, you will have the opportunity to explore Academics, Equipment & Theory further, including a Q&A session, if required, with your PADI TecRec Instructor, before heading out PM for Training Dives 1 & 2 on one of our boats. This will also form the basis of the schedule on Day 3 too, also allowing us to tailor any tuition requested or required to enable you to achieve the standards required for certification as a PADI Tec 50 Diver.
The following morning on Day 4, you will go out on our AM boat to one or more suitably deep, potential decompression diving, sites around Koh Tao and conclude the course with the mandated 2 x Decompression Dives.
What is the cost of the PADI Tec 50 Diver course on Koh Tao?
The cost of the PADI Tec 50 Diver course is: 30,000 THB.
Included in this price are all course costs, including PADI Materials, complete and full Technical Diving equipment rental (including Dive Computer(s) + Backup / Redundant Equipment), instructor fees, boat trips and basic TAT (Tourism Authority Thailand) accident insurance.
**Please note that comprehensive and full dive accident insurance is not only recommended, but required, for all PADI TecRec Technical Diving courses at Black Turtle Dive. However, we are partnered with and able to recommend several reputable insurance companies offering flexible packages from daily, to weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually. Please contact us for further details.
Food and accommodation are not included. However, you can contact us to find out about accommodation options. We have AC rooms available at discounted rates when taking a diving course with us.
Continuing-education and / or ex-students will enjoy a 10% discount on the course price.
How many dives is the PADI Tec 50 Diver course on Koh Tao?
According to PADI Standards, the PADI Tec 50 Diver course consists of 4 x Training Dives, with the final 2 x Dives of the course your 2 x Decompression Dives.
However, at Black Turtle Dive, and in keeping with our attitude and ethos towards Safety & Training Standards, we feel that a minimum of 6 x Dives is a more effective, manageable and relaxed manner in which to conduct a course which allows students to successfully transition from entry-level Technical Diving to a full Extended Range Technical Diving certification with minimal pressure or stress, and consequently that is what, as a minimum, will be included with your PADI Tec 50 Diver course.
The PADI Tec 50 Diver course dives will be broken down into 2 x Training Dives on Day 2, plus 2 x Additional Training Dives on Day 3, before the final 2 x Decompression Dives on Day 4.
How deep is the PADI Tec 50 Diver course on Koh Tao?
The maximum depth of the PADI Tec 50 Diver certification is 50 metres / 165 feet, with your decompression schedule unlimited in its duration, and your 2 x decompression gases up to and including 100% O2, most commonly 1 x 50% O2 + 1 x 100% O2.
With this certification, you can dive independently with another PADI Tec 50 Diver certified dive buddy, within these parameters, all around the world. For those interested in continuing their Technical Diving journey, we are more than happy to provide recommendations and referrals to other training providers within our extensive network for continued Open-Circuit Technical Trimix Diving, and / or Closed-Circuit Rebreather (CCR) Training.
**Please contact us for further information regarding continuing-education courses and combinations / package deals and discounts.
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