My Technical Diving Progression Formula: A Roadmap for Aspiring Tech Divers

My Diving Journey: Part 4 of 4

New here? Catch up on my beginnings >> Read Part 1: From Non-Swimmer to Certified Diver
Then, discover my turning point >> Read Part 2: Beyond the Basics
Finally, the start of my tech diving >> Read Part 3: The Technical Ascent

Charting the Course to Technical Diving Progression

My journey from a non-swimmer to an aspiring technical diver has been anything but linear. It’s been filled with challenges, unexpected turns, and a whole lot of learning. Along the way, I’ve realized there’s a systematic approach to dive progression, especially for those of us who don’t live right next to dive sites or can’t dive every single week. If you’re considering advancing your diving skills, particularly into the technical realm, this roadmap outlines the steps that have worked for me and what I’m currently working on.

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My Personal Technical Dive Progression Formula (for Divers Who Can’t Dive Every Week)

This is a shared learning from my own progression.

Note: Practice Between Courses is essential. Each “>>” in the following points means practicing the previous skills to proficiency. Aim for at least 20 dives (potentially more) between courses, especially if dive access is limited. Consistency over frequency is key here.

1. Get Rescue Certified First: Rescue Diver completely transformed my mental and physical strength in diving. It’s invaluable for developing situational awareness, self-sufficiency, and truly “soul-searching” before adding technical complexities. It also gives you a taste of the mental and physical demands of advanced classes. You don’t need Divemaster or Instructor certifications for tech diving if you’re not going pro (I’m not!).
2. Identify Your Eventual Goal: What’s your ultimate vision? Defining this early helps shape your training path. For me, it’s cave diving in Tulum and deep wreck exploration in Chuuk Lagoon, with priority on caves first due to easier access from Mexico.

3. Consider Sidemount (Carefully): Decide early if sidemount is personally desired or required for your goals. I chose backmount doubles initially to limit new variables, which was the right decision for me. (Note: Learning sidemount cave after achieving full cave certification in backmount doubles usually requires a specific sidemount cave crossover class due to different failure modes and gas management.)

4. Take Drysuit Training >>: This is essential for cold water diving and eventually for tech diving, providing crucial warmth for long dives and serving as a backup buoyancy device, which is critical in technical diving. The practice here focuses on adding air to the drysuit only to prevent squeeze, using your BCD/wing for main buoyancy control.
5. Intro to Tech / GUE Fundamentals >>: Take this course in your desired configuration (for me, backmount doubles) and drysuit. This class provides the foundational skills (trim, buoyancy, position, and finning technique), failure resolution, and the crucial mindset for technical diving. This was my first true taste of tech diving. Honestly, I’d even recommend this course to recreational friends who want to fine-tune their in-water skills.

Local Training Benefits: Drysuit and Intro to Tech might be best taken locally if a strong tech scene exists in your area. This reduces the pressure to finish everything during a short trip and allows for more relaxed, consistent practice.

6. Cavern + Intro to Cave >>: These courses can often be combined, opening up the world of overhead environments. I’ve seen a few suggested combinations, for example, Intro to Tech + Cavern, then Intro to Cave. The benefit here is that the Cavern course gives you a taste and expectation of what comes up in Intro to Cave, enabling more targeted practice at home

7. Return for Cave Trips at Intro to Cave level >>: After certification, return to the dive sites for fun dives at your new certification level. Ideally, instructors expose you to a variety of sites during the course. Consider a few guided fun dives after the course to consolidate skills, gain experience, and learn about the local sites. Then, progress to executing dives as a self-sufficient buddy team. If needed, hire a guide for the first day or two to find your rhythm.
8. Full Cave Certification >>: This is the next major step in deep overhead exploration, enabling you to explore ‘Ts’ (visible intersections) and ‘jumps’ (hidden intersections).
9. Return for Cave Trips at Full Cave level >>: Same reason as step 8—practice, practice, practice!

Rinse and repeat: Course + Fun dives → practice → dive trip at cert level

This is the path to Full Cave certification that Kevin and I are on now. We’ve just booked our Full Cave course for September 2025. Stay tuned for the report after that!

There are many more expert/specialty courses after Full Cave, but these typically require longer and deeper profiles, so training and knowledge in executing decompression dives are needed. For example:

• Helitrox/Advanced Recreational Trimix (ART) & Full Trimix >>: For extended bottom time or deeper depths (45textm+), depending on your evolving dive goals.
• CCR (Closed Circuit Rebreather): A whole new beast (in terms of time and cost) to enable deep and long dives without limiting by gas. I’ve read that it’s best to have knowledge of executing deco dives with two deco bottles, because when a CCR fails, the dive essentially becomes an open circuit tech dive.
• Sidemount Cave Crossover: Enables the sidemount configuration as a tool for cave diving.

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Other Thoughts

I’ve made it a point to read course descriptions from agencies like TDI and GUE to figure out if: (1) the courses fit my needs and goals, (2) the required skills look doable or if I need more practice at my current level, and (3) to compare course names across agencies.

Course names across agencies are very confusing! I’m sharing a helpful lookup table I found online below. I’m personally more inclined towards tech-focused agencies (IANTD, TDI, GUE) for these training sessions, but honestly, instructor fit is more important.

>> Read more: TDI has compiled a great resource to compare courses across various scuba agencies, from recreation to technical to overhead to CCR, including the one above. See https://www.tdisdi.com/tdi-diver-news/tdi-diver-equivalencies/ for more details

GUE, famous for its standardization and team-diving philosophy in tech diving, is known for its “closed system.” You’ll need to start with and pass their GUE Fundamentals in tech configuration (a “tech pass,” equivalent to an Intro to Tech) to take their other technical diving courses. Their mindset and standardization offer a lot of good information. Luckily, this mindset is expanding, and many GUE instructors are also affiliated with other agencies, bringing the best of all worlds to their teaching materials.

>> Read more: All courses from TDI along with progression chart. You can find Standards & Procedures for each of their courses.

>> Read more: Same for GUE – all courses and their prerequisites and standards with progression chart.

>> Read more: all courses offered by IANTD – though less details on standards.

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My Actual Technical Dive Progression (So Far)

To give you a real-world example, here’s how my own technical diving path has unfolded:

• Drysuit: May 2022 
• Intro to Tech + Cavern: May 2023 
• Intro to Cave + Guided Fun Dives (at Intro to Cave level): June 2024.
• ART + Self-guided Cave Trip at Intro to Cave level: January 2025. We even did a fun “try CCR” day in sidemount configuration (KISS Sidewinder)!  (My current stage, focusing on consolidating skills for Full Cave!)
• Full Cave + Fun Dive: Booked for September 2025 (Next UP)!

Still considering:

• Sidemount
• Trimix
• Sidemount Cave Crossover
• Sidemount CCR (Maybe?!!!)

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What’s Next for Your Dive Journey?

My journey has shown me that technical diving is possible with a growth mindset, meticulous planning, consistent practice, and a clear understanding of your goals. While my path is unique to me, I hope this shared learning provides a helpful framework for your own aspirations.

Every diver’s journey is different, but with dedication and the right roadmap, you can unlock incredible new depths and experiences. What’s the next step on your dive journey?

Stay tuned for my report and learnings after our Full Cave Course in October 2025!

>> Read more: My Journey to Full Cave Certification: A Reflection (added 2025 Oct)

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1. Image by Mike Gerken@www.evolutionunderwater.com from https://techasia.ph/en/truk-lagoon-liveaboard-september-2026 ↩︎
2. Image by https://www.cavedivinginmexico.com/benefits-of-the-tdi-intro-to-tech-course/ ↩︎
3. Image by https://www.tdisdi.com/tag/technical-sidemount-configuration/ ↩︎

Editorial disclaimer

Please be aware that scuba diving is an inherently risky activity, even with certification and experience. The content on this blog reflects my personal opinions and experiences and should not be considered instructional. Always prioritize safety, seek guidance and certification from qualified diving professionals, and carefully consider the risks involved in any dives.