If you’re looking for tech friendly liveaboards there are a number to choose from. But to save you the time of searching yourself from a long list, below are all tech diving liveaboards from around the world.
What is technical diving?
Technical diving goes beyond recreational limits, which is deeper than 40 metres (131 feet), with planned decompression stops. It demands specialist training, advanced skills, redundant kit, and mixed gases such as nitrox, trimix, or oxygen for staged ascents.
Why go technical diving?
Tech divers access sites few ever see: deep wrecks, dramatic walls, caverns, and lava tubes. It’s a rewarding challenge that expands your range, sharpens planning and teamwork, and opens bucket-list dives well beyond recreational depth or no-stop limits.
Where can I go technical diving on a liveaboard?
Liveaboards are ideal for remote tech sites, offering gas logistics, extra cylinders, rebreather support, and flexible schedules. You’ll reach calm lagoons, oceanic seamounts, deep wreck fields, and current-swept walls with experienced dive guides.
What makes Micronesia great for technical diving?
Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon hosts 48+ WWII wrecks in calm, sheltered waters from recreational depths to 100 metres (328 feet) deep. Highlights include San Francisco Maru (~63m/207ft) and Fujikawa Maru (~36m/118ft). SS Thorfinn supports rebreathers, twins, stages, helium, and custom deep plans.
Why choose Honduras for technical dives?
Utila’s north-side walls and caves drop 45–80 metres (148-262 feet) with stalactites, sharks, barracuda, and swift currents; Whale Rock offers iconic swim-throughs at 39–45 metres (128-148 feet). Roatán’s Cayman Trench walls reach ~60 metres (197 feet) with black corals and seasonal whale sharks. Roatán Aggressor covers it all.
Where is the best technical diving in the Philippines?
Puerto Galera blends macro with tech. In the Verde Island Passage, Pinnacle falls to ~60 metres (197 feet) and Wall exceeds 70 metres (230 feet), with gorgonians, pelagics, and fierce drifts in clear water. Budget-friendly M/V Dolphin supports tech kits and Puerto Galera safaris June–Feb.
Why is Egypt’s Red Sea iconic for tech?
Dahab’s Blue Hole plunges past 100 m with a famed 55 m Arch; nearby Canyon reaches ~54 m, with Neptune’s Chair at 70–80 m. Sharm’s Thomas Canyon drops to ~92 m. Off Marsa Alam, Elphinstone Arch sits ~60 m, and the rare SS Maidan lies ~120 m for elite teams.
Which Red Sea liveaboards support technical divers?
Egypt offers strong tech fleets, including Aphrodite, Coral Dreams, Excellence, Emperor Elite, Heaven Saphir, Nouran, Oceanos, Okeanos Xplorer, and Tala—handling twins, stages, deco gases, and rebreathers for safe deep schedules.
What makes the Solomon Islands a top tech spot?
Florida Islands’ “Iron Bottom Sound” holds 200+ vessels and 600+ aircraft. The USS Aaron Ward rests ~60–70 m. Expect intact wrecks, lava tubes, and occasional pilot whales. Solomons PNG Master provides tech support across these storied battlefields.
When is the best time to go technical diving?
Year-round options abound: Truk and Egypt are good all year; Honduras is year-round with reduced viz Oct–Jan; the Philippines shine Mar–Jun for viz, with Puerto Galera safaris Jun–Feb; the Solomons are year-round with a light Nov–Apr rainy season.
What marine life can I see on tech dives?
Expect everything from macro critters—frogfish, mimic octopus, Bobbitt worms—to reef schools and pelagics like jacks, sharks, turtles, and occasional whale sharks. Deep walls host black corals, gorgonians, and pristine sponge gardens.
What are the depth limits in technical diving?
Limits depend on certification: common ratings span 40–100 m with staged decompression and specific gas mixes. Training pathways step up exposure and gases progressively—never exceed your current qualification, plan, gases, or conditions.
What is the deepest scuba dive on record?
In 2014 at Dahab, Egypt, Ahmed Gabr reached 332.25 m in 14 minutes using 92 cylinders and completed 14+ hours of decompression—an exceptional, record-breaking dive far beyond standard technical limits and not representative of typical tech profiles.
Who can start technical diving?
Entry-level tech typically requires Advanced certification, Enriched Air (nitrox), age 18+, and ~20–30 logged dives. Agencies offering tech tracks include SSI Extended Range, TDI’s suite, and PADI TecRec, each with structured depth and gas progressions.
What gear do technical divers need?
Beyond standard kit, expect manifold twins or sidemount, stage/deco cylinders, redundant computers, backup masks and lights, reels, SMBs, and precise gas analysis. Rebreathers are common for depth or long runtimes, demanding dedicated training and care.
What skills are essential for technical diving?
Core skills include rock-solid buoyancy and trim, gas planning, failure management, valve drills, team protocols, precise ascent rates and stops, problem solving under stress, and disciplined equipment configuration for rapid, reliable responses.
What are the main hazards in technical diving?
Deep and overhead environments limit direct ascent and add gas, narcosis, and decompression risks. Cold, current, darkness, and silt can compound issues. Proper training, redundancy, conservative plans, and strict team procedures keep risks manageable.
