Tec 45 course in Dubai is the second stage of Nemo Diving Center’s Tec Deep pathway, taking certified Tec 40 divers deeper and into genuinely more demanding decompression territory. It is a real jump in both depth and required experience, not a minor extension of Tec 40.
What Tec 45 Course Actually Is
Tec 45 is priced at AED 2,800 (confirm current rate before booking), running across 3 to 4 days in four sessions totaling around 12 hours, with daily start times at 9 AM or 2 PM. Groups are capped at a maximum of 3 divers per instructor, tighter than the standard recreational ratio, reflecting how much more instructor attention decompression diving requires.
Worth noting directly: this listed price currently sits below Tec 40 and Tec 50, both priced at AED 3,500, despite Tec 45 being the deeper, more demanding course sitting between them in the pathway. That pricing pattern is unusual enough that it is worth confirming with Nemo directly before booking, rather than assuming it is final.
The course takes you to a maximum depth of 45 meters, using air or enriched air with an optional upgrade to Trimix using no less than 21 percent oxygen and no more than 35 percent helium. Decompression obligations extend up to 45 meters and continue until your gas supply allows, using one decompression mix, a real step up in complexity from Tec 40’s single decompression gas limit.
Who Can Enroll
You need PADI Tec 40 Diver certification and PADI Rescue Diver certification, a minimum of 10 dives deeper than 30 meters, a minimum of 50 logged dives overall, and you must be at least 18 years old. Every prerequisite here builds directly on Tec 40, so this is not a course you can enter from outside the pathway.
What the Course Actually Covers
Across four sessions, Tec 45 covers orientation to the deeper profile, decompression discipline specifically, skills refinement building on what Tec 40 established, and real dive execution at depth. Nemo describes the course as expanding your capability through deeper planning, stronger emergency management, and more demanding decompression procedures, which reflects the real shift in this course: less about learning new equipment, more about managing a genuinely more complex dive profile safely.
What’s Included and What Isn’t
Included: e-learning materials, tanks configured for your setup (twinset or sidemount plus deco tanks), 4 to 5 training dives following PADI standards, and official Tec 45 certification on completion.
Not included: rental of technical equipment if required, the additional cost of Trimix gases if you take the helium upgrade, and logistics for specialized dive sites beyond the standard course locations.
What Actually Changes Between Tec 40 and Tec 45
The jump from Tec 40 to Tec 45 is not simply five extra meters. Tec 40 limits you to a single decompression gas and a comparatively contained decompression obligation. Tec 45 extends that obligation until your gas supply allows, meaning your dive planning has to account for a longer, less predictable window hanging in the water during ascent, with less margin for error in your gas calculations. The 3-diver-per-instructor cap, tighter than Tec 40’s typical ratio, exists specifically because this level demands closer real-time supervision of exactly that kind of decompression discipline.
Divers moving from Tec 40 into Tec 45 usually describe the equipment handling as familiar by this point. What changes is the mental load: tracking a longer, less rigid decompression schedule while still managing buoyancy, trim, and team awareness at the same level of precision Tec 40 already demanded.
Where Tec 45 Leads
Tec 45 is the direct prerequisite for Tec 50, the final stage of the core Tec Deep pathway, extending your certified depth to 50 meters. For the complete pathway from Discover Tec Diving through Trimix, see the Technical Diving Courses in Dubai hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tec 45 really priced lower than Tec 40 and Tec 50?
As listed on Nemo’s site at the time of writing, yes, AED 2,800 against AED 3,500 for both neighboring courses. This is an unusual pattern given Tec 45 sits deeper in the pathway than Tec 40, so confirm the current rate directly with Nemo before booking rather than treating this figure as certain.
What certifications do I need before Tec 45?
PADI Tec 40 and PADI Rescue Diver, plus a minimum of 10 dives deeper than 30 meters and 50 logged dives overall.
How long should I wait between Tec 40 and Tec 45?
There is no fixed waiting period, but the real gating factor is the logged-dive requirement: 10 dives past 30 meters and 50 logged dives overall. Most divers use the time between certifications to build exactly that experience in open water rather than treating it as a formality to wait out.
What depth does Tec 45 qualify me to dive to?
A maximum of 45 meters, with decompression obligations extending up to that depth using one decompression mix.
Do I need Trimix for Tec 45?
No. Air or enriched air is standard, with an optional Trimix upgrade using a helium mix capped at 35 percent for this level.
What comes after Tec 45?
Tec 50, the top of the core Tec Deep pathway, extending your certified depth to 50 meters.
Ready to Extend Your Range?
Book Tec 45 directly, or see the full Technical Diving Courses in Dubai hub for the complete pathway and where this course fits into it.
Nemo Diving Center is located at Azure Residences, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, with a dive base at Royal Beach, Dibba Al-Fujairah. Bookings are made online or by contacting the team directly at nemodivingcenter.com.
