Dive into extreme adventure!

SSI's TechXR programs were created for the hard-core diver, someone who believes in pushing the limits and lives for the ultimate diving experience.

Whether you are looking for the excitement of deep reef diving or the thrill of exploring shipwrecks well below 130 feet, TechXR provides the training and experience necessary to complete every new adventure with confidence and managed risk.

Whatever your current diving ability, extended range diving will challenge you with depths, bottom times, procedures, and equipment not commonly encountered by recreational divers. They are advanced levels that require extensive knowledge, enhanced diving skills, and considerable experience.

Advanced Nitrox / Technical Foundations

• Increase your range to 140fsw and learn to make simulated (Advanced Nitrox) and actual decompression dives (Foundations)

• Learn advanced dive planning techniques including the use of optimized Nitrox and stage cylinders containing EAN50 for stops

• Practice new propulsion techniques, advanced buoyancy and trim, advanced emergency procedures, SMB deployment and more

• Prerequisites: Enriched Air Nitrox certification, 6 nitrox dives and a total of 24 logged dives

Decompression Procedures

• Learn the techniques required to plan and execute dives to depths of 180 fsw

• Prepare primary, contingency, and bailout decompression schedules

• Learn to function as a member of a deep dive team and special considerations for selecting technical diving charters

• Prerequisites: Technical Foundations

Normoxic Trimix

• Understand the advantages of adding helium to the breathing gas blend

• Prepare dive plans and decompression schedules with helium mixtures in the back gas

• Dive Normoxic Trimix 21/30 in challenging environments to depths of 180 fsw

Prerequisites: Decompression Procedures

Advanced Decompression

• Examine strategies for accelerated decompression

• Plan and execute dives utilizing two decompression gasses

• Dive to depths of 220 fsw (with Normoxic Trimix certification)

• Prerequisites: Decompression Procedures or Normoxic Trimix

Your Instructors

Steve Newman is the author of the SSI TechXR program and is a Technical Instructor Certifier. Shawn Douthat is an Extended Range Instructor. Both Steve and Shawn have extensive technical expedition experience. They participated in the Cambrian Foundation research and salvage dives on the Civil War Ironclad, U.S.S. Monitor (230 fsw). Steve also participated as a NOAA research diver and as a deep research diver during the Cambrian Foundation Great Blue Hole Expedition (407 fsw).

Also pictured (left) are Extended Range Divers, Rodney Brown, Jeff Haley, Chuck Harden, and Karl Kinkead.