TDI Intro to Tech

Technical Diving · The Bridge from Rec to Tech · For Certified Divers

The bridge between recreational and technical diving. Intro to Tech gives your foundational skills a serious upgrade, dialing in your buoyancy and trim, teaching real gas planning and pre-dive discipline, and getting you hands-on with tech gear configuration. It's not a certification course and it won't leave you with a technical rating, by design, it's here to make you a sharper diver and help you decide if the tech track is for you. You'll need your own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel, and BCD, regulator, and tanks are available to rent (though your own tech setup gets you more out of it).

Veterans can put their GI Bill toward their training, and families can use ESA or ClassWallet funds. See if you qualify.

Starting from

$599.00

Availability: Contact us for booking information

Description
Additional Information

TDI Intro to Tech Course

Technical Diving · The Bridge from Rec to Tech · For Certified Divers

Intro to Tech is the bridge between recreational diving and the technical world. It's where you find out what tech diving actually demands, and where your foundational skills get a serious upgrade in the process. You'll dial in your buoyancy and trim, learn how technical divers plan gas and manage risk, and get hands-on with tech gear configuration. Whether you go on to full technical training or just come out a far sharper recreational diver, this course pays for itself in the water.

Let's be clear about one thing

This is not a certification course. You won't leave with a technical diving rating, and that's by design. Intro to Tech exists to make you a better, more deliberate diver and to help you decide, honestly, whether the technical track is for you before you commit to it.

What you'll walk away with

Even if you never take another tech course, these skills change how you dive:

A genuinely horizontal, stable position that reduces drag and saves gas
Real gas planning habits instead of just watching your pressure gauge
A dialed-in, deliberate approach to setting up and checking your gear
An honest sense of whether technical diving is your next step

Skills you'll sharpen

The in-water half is all about control and efficiency.

Advanced buoyancy and horizontal trim
Finning technique that reduces drag and prevents silting
Gas management and matching your gas plan with a buddy
The S.T.A.R.T. pre-dive safety system

Planning & gear

The knowledge half is about thinking like a technical diver.

Evaluating and setting up your own gear for tech diving
Planning a dive from gas requirements through contingencies
Situational awareness and structured pre-dive protocols
What planned decompression and multiple gas sources really involve

Who can enroll

You need some real dives behind you, but not a technical background.

Certified Open Water divers, or equivalent
Proof of 25 logged open water dives
Minimum age 15 with parental consent, 18 without

Where it leads

Intro to Tech is the natural on-ramp to TDI's technical certification track.

A confident first step toward full technical training
Pairs naturally with the Sidemount path
Sets you up for Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures
Or simply makes you a sharper, safer recreational diver

✓ What's included

Instruction and your in-water skills sessions
Rental gear available: BCD, regulator, and tanks
The TDI Intro to Tech knowledge materials
A foundational-skills upgrade and a clear read on the tech track

What to bring

Your own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel (required, we don't rent these)
Your own technical setup if you have one (divers who train on their own tech gear get significantly more out of the course)
Your certification card and proof of 25 logged dives
A swimsuit and a towel

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I get a certification from this?

No. The TDI Intro to Tech course does not issue a technical diving certification. It's a foundational-skills course designed to upgrade your diving and help you decide whether to pursue the technical track. The certifications come in the courses that follow.

What are the prerequisites?

You need to be a certified Open Water diver or equivalent, show proof of 25 logged open water dives, and be at least 15 with parental consent, or 18 without.

Do I need to own technical gear?

No, and we have BCDs, regulators, and tanks available to rent. That said, divers who train on their own technical setup get significantly more out of the course, since a big part of it is learning to configure and check your own gear.

What will actually improve for me?

Your buoyancy and trim, your gas planning, and your pre-dive discipline. Most divers finish noticeably more efficient and controlled in the water, which pays off on every dive, technical or not.

Is this only for people who want to go technical?

Not at all. Plenty of divers take it purely to become better recreational divers. If you do want to go technical, it's the ideal starting point and helps you make that decision with clear eyes.

What gear do I need to own?

Your own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel. Bring your own technical setup if you have one; otherwise the BCD, regulator, and tanks are available to rent.

Let's. Go. Diving.

Become a sharper diver and see if tech is for you. Call the shop and we'll get you scheduled.

📞 Call the shop (480) 881-4013

A foundational-skills course that bridges recreational and technical diving. Not a certification course, no technical rating is issued. Prerequisites: certified Open Water diver (or equivalent) and 25 logged dives.

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