Technical Diving at Siladen

The beautiful walls that Bunaken Marine Park is famed for are extremely deep, with the deepest point in the marine park estimated at a whopping 1840m. Unfortunately, that is far too deep for us to explore; at least without a submarine. We are pretty much stuck to a maximum of 40 metres, and even then we can only spend a very short amount of time at that depth – That is, unless, you are a technical diver.

Technical diving, also known as ‘Decompression diving’ is a type of diving where the diver will exceed the limits that are commonly enforced in recreational diving, either depth (40 metres) or no decompression time.  Exceeding either of these limits almost always requires decompression stops to be completed before surfacing, and failing to do so can result in decompression sickness.

This type of diving requires specialist training and equipment due to the hazards of exceeding these limits. Instead of a single back mounted cylinder, you will wear doubles, so you not only have double the gas volume, you also have two regulators incase one fails. You will also carry what is commonly known as a ‘stage tank’, this is an extra cylinder typically worn on the side, and is used for decompression stops. This will usually contain a higher oxygen concentration than your bottom gas mixture, so your decompression time is reduced.

Unlocking New Depths: DSAT Tec Diver Training at Siladen Resort & Spa

At Siladen Resort & Spa, we are happy to announce that we can now offer various levels of technical diver training. The most basic level is called DSAT Tec 40 – this will train you to dive to a maximum depth of 40 metres, using up to 50% Nitrox as a decompression gas to make your decompression more conservative. After this is Tec 45, which takes you to 45 metres using up to 100% oxygen to accelerate decompression. Finally we have Tec 50; the deepest air certification that PADI offers. This will take you to a maximum of 50 metres, allowing unlimited decompression time using multiple decompression gasses.

The DSAT TecRec Deep Diver: Combining the Depths of Technical Diving

Each course has 4 dives to complete. You will learn how to safely plan and execute decompression dives, and how to handle any emergency should they arise. You will also learn the theory behind decompression dives, and how to make exact calculations for how much gas you will use, and how long you will need to make at each stop. Each level can be taken alone, taking roughly 4 days to complete, or we can combine them to what is known as the ‘DSAT TecRec Deep Diver’, which will take roughly 10 days to complete.

It is important to note that due to the potential hazards of technical diving, you will be strictly assessed during the course, and failure to complete any part of the program to a satisfactory level can result in not being certified.

If you are interested in exploring some of the unexplored deep reefs around Bunaken Marine Park, please contact us at [email protected]