PADI Technical Consultants have written a TecRec Distinctive Specialty to introduce the use of trimix when diving shallower than 50m/165 feet.
The primary reason for using trimix at these depths is to reduce narcosis. Whilst many divers are happy to dive on EANx or air to 50m/165 feet, others are not. In challenging diving conditions reducing narcosis can be desirable to almost all divers.
This is an optional course which can be taught to PADI Tec 45 and Tec 50 qualified divers to enable them to use trimix with a minimum of 21% Oxygen and a maximum of 20% Helium to make dives within their current TecRec certification depth limit with a planned decompression not exceeding 20 minutes.
The course utilises existing PADI course materials and content to introduce divers to trimix use within the limits described above. Students complete some self-study, a short knowledge development session, practical application and two dives using trimix.
The pre-requisite to teach these courses is to be an existing PADI Tec Trimix Instructor. The Instructor Distinctive Specialty application fee includes the course outline and a PowerPoint presentation. Suitably qualified instructors will then become PADI TMX 50 Instructors and will be able to teach both TMX 45 and TMX 50 diver level courses.
For further information or to apply please contact your local PADI office:
| PADI International Ltd | trainingxpadi.co.uk |
| PADI Nordic | trainingxpadi.se |
| PADI Europe | trainingxpadi.ch |
| PADI Japan | trainingxpadi.co.jp |
| PADI Asia Pacific | traindepxpadi.com.au |
| PADI Americas | trainingxpadi.com |
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TecRec Blog 
A good decision, because we fill a lack that existed between those courses with air and helium.
I do not understand why limit the use of helium to 20%, I think it is better a mixture with helium to 35% as the latest trends in technical diving is to increase the concentration of helium.
Furthermore, the decompression profile does not change using a model with VPM.
Thank you, I apologize for my English…
This is great news, and should become standard as deep air diving is now out dated. I think the use of only 20% Helium for Tec 45 is great as gives a good END, but keeps the Helium risks low, but why only 20min deco ???
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Thanks for your comments and we are pleased to hear that you like the new courses.
The maximum of 20% He is based on ensuring that there is unlikely to be any additional deco required than if using EANx with the same FO2 (and this, incidentally, is in line with several other agencies). Whilst greater amounts of Helium may not impact on the decompression requirements of some dive planning software they do increase it on others. 20% He allows divers to meet our ideal gas mix END of 40m or less down to 50m (and an EAD of shallower than 34m).
Due to the physical properties of helium, decompressing from a trimix dive requires that the diver to maintain stop depths with a high degree of accuracy. The maximum planned decompression of 20 minutes allows divers to gain experience of diving with helium during low risk dives. (Again this is similar to other agencies)
If divers wish to have a greater choice of gases or to plan and make extended range trimix dives they will need to gain more in depth knowledge and skills on trimix diving and dive planning and should be advised to move onto the Trimix 65 course, which is the preferred route for them.