Thresher Shark Divers has been running technical diving on Malapascua since 2008. We were the first fully-fledged tec facility on the island, and we’re still the only PADI Tec Rec Center with a Technical Course Director qualified to Trimix Instructor level.
We offer all blends of EANx (nitrox), 100% oxygen, and trimix, and support rebreather divers. Our safety record is impeccable.
Below are the courses we regularly run. For trimix, CCR, and cavern, jump to the advanced section.
For technical fun diving information, click here.
PADI Tec 40
PADI Tec 40 is your first step into technical diving. Tec 40 bridges recreational and technical diving. You’ll extend your no-decompression limits, plan limited decompression dives to 40m, and learn to use a single stage cylinder for accelerated deco. Ideal if you want a structured introduction to tec without committing to the full Tec Rec path upfront.
- Depth limit: 40m
- Prerequisites: Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air Diver, Deep Diver (or equivalent), 18+ years, 30+ logged dives
- Typical duration: 3 to 4 days
PADI Tec 45
PADI Tec 45 is the natural next step after Tec 40. You’ll dive to 45m using twin cylinders (back-mount or sidemount) and plan full decompression dives using a single deco gas with up to 100% oxygen. This is where you start looking and diving like a technical diver.
- Depth limit: 45m
- Prerequisites: PADI Tec 40 (or equivalent), 50+ logged dives
- Typical duration: 4 days
PADI Tec 50
PADI Tec 50 is the final course in the Tec Rec diver pathway. You’ll plan and execute decompression dives to 50m using up to two decompression gases. By the end of Tec 50 you’re a fully qualified technical diver, ready to explore Malapascua’s deeper wrecks and walls.
- Depth limit: 50m
- Prerequisites: PADI Tec 45 (or equivalent), 100+ logged dives
- Typical duration: 4 days
PADI Tec Sidemount
Sidemount is the fastest-growing configuration in technical diving. Cylinders mount at your sides instead of on your back. It’s easier on your spine, more streamlined in tight spaces, and gives you full redundancy and gas access. This course is for divers who want to run their tec dives in sidemount, and pairs well with Tec 40/45/50.
- Prerequisites: Advanced Open Water or equivalent, 18+ years
- Typical duration: 2 to 3 days
PADI Self-Sufficient Diver
Most divers always dive with a buddy. But sometimes circumstances (a buddy running low on gas, photography, or experience level) mean you need to handle problems yourself. This course teaches you to dive solo safely using redundant equipment, conservative gas planning, and self-reliant problem solving. A strong foundation before moving into technical diving, and highly recommended for experienced photographers and instructors.
- Prerequisites: Advanced Open Water, 100+ logged dives, 18+ years
- Typical duration: 2 days
Going further: Trimix, CCR & Cavern
Trimix
Once you’re qualified to Tec 50 and want to dive beyond 50m, trimix is the next step. Adding helium to your breathing gas reduces narcosis and the work of breathing, opening up the deeper wrecks and walls around Malapascua. We run PADI Tec 65 and Tec Trimix courses under the same Technical Course Director who runs our instructor-level trimix training, the only one of its kind on the island.
Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR)
Rebreathers recycle your breathing gas, giving you much longer bottom times, silent diving (great for sharks and big animals), and a warmer, more comfortable dive. We support rebreather divers on our tech dives and can arrange CCR-specific training and fills on request. Get in touch to discuss which unit you dive and what you’re looking for.
Cavern
Cavern diving sits between open water and full cave. You stay within the daylight zone and always in sight of the exit, but learn the line-laying, gas management, and buoyancy discipline that cave diving demands. Malapascua itself isn’t a cavern destination, but we can arrange cavern training in partnership with cave operators elsewhere in the Philippines for divers continuing on with us. Ask us for options.
Ready to plan your tec trip? Contact us for a personalised technical package. We’ll match the course, gas blends, and accommodation to what you want to do.
