IANTD Technical Diving courses

As a full IANTD training facility Lochaline Dive Centre is able to offer the full range of technical diver courses from Advanced Nitrox to Full Trimix, open or closed circuit, in association with Outdoor Explorers Ltd. (instructor Simon Ross Deveau).

Planning the dive. Boat leaving the quay. Preparation.

Click on any course title below for more details:

Recreational Trimix All the advantages of nitrox, without the narcosis. Longer dive time on your favourite sites and be able to stay sharp.
Advanced Nitrox Entry level technical diver course. An introduction to twinsets, stages and decompression diving.
Advanced Recreational Trimix Entry level technical diver course. Get all the advantages of advanced nitrox diving but no narcosis. Ideal for deeper diving where you have stages and decompression to think about.
Technical Diver Takes you as far as you can go with air. The complete technical diver course, complete with oxygen decompression and the ability to plan and dive in remote environments.
Normoxic Trimix Safer deeper diving. The advantage of trimix for deeper dives to reduce narcosis allows you to focus more on the dive and less on what decompression you will be doing later.
Trimix Takes you as deep as you want to go. This course gives you the skills to progress to the deeper, more remote sites. With the advantages of multistage decompression with different gases.
CCR Diver The 'Open Water' course for rebreather users. CCR allows much longer dives, no bubbles, more fish, no dry mouth and you keep warmer. What more is there to say?
CCR Normoxic Trimix Safer use of CCRs. Using normoxic trimix as a diluent allows for deeper sites to be explored more safely.
CCR Trimix Taking your rebreather as deep as you want. Looking at the bailout options you have from deeper remote location closed circuit rebreather diving.

Rebreather. Preparation at the shop. Photo of Simon Ross Deveau.

IANTD Course Instructor

The instructor for all listed courses will be Simon Ross Deveau. Simon has been teaching recreational and technical diving full time since 1999, mainly within UK waters with a few excursions out to Egypt and other warm places. As a Trimix Instructor Trainer, Simon has been involved with commercial diving projects in European waters, as well as his own deep exploration projects.

Simon is not only an open circuit instructor, but also a closed circuit instructor, having used the Inspiration and Ouroboros rebreathers for a number of deep exploration projects over the last few years.

Simon's main diving love is caves, but as he spends too much time diving outside of the caves, the next best thing are wrecks. He says that "deeper diving allows for true exploration into areas that no one has been before. Although shallow diving still appeals there is nothing quite as good as seeing something for the first time".

Simon's qualifications:

PADI Course Director
IANTD Trimix Instructor
IANTD Inspiration Normoxic Trimix Instructor
DSAT Tec Trimix Instructor Trainer

Ian on the beach. Divers on a chore dive. Surface marker buoys.

Course Accommodation

Photographs of the old post office accommodation, bedroom and lounge.

Accommodation for the technical diving courses will be provided at the Old Post Office situated on the West Pier in Localine – a stone's throw from the famous Pier Wall Dive and close to the Lochaline Hotel bar. The Old Post Office has been recently renovated to accommodate up to ten divers in spacious surroundings, and boasts 4 bedrooms, 2 shower rooms, wonderful views of the Sound of Mull, a well equipped kitchen, a dining room, a large lounge with an open fire and plenty of gear storage and wash down facilities.

Dive Centre facilities