Elevate your diving experience beyond the recreational bounds! Tech diving at Buddy Dive offers a powerful combination of adrenaline, technical skill, and unforgettable underwater scenery. Let’s dive into why this Caribbean gem is a go-to for serious divers and what makes its technical program the one you should try.
Why Buddy Dive for Tech Diving?
1. Top-tier facility & reputation
The tec division Buddy Dive TeK was launched in 2007 to deliver high-quality support and training for technical divers. Over time, it has become the largest technical diving facility in the Caribbean!
That means you’ll be training and diving in an environment built specifically for tech: experienced instructors, purpose-built gear, gas blending, and full support.
2. Comprehensive gear & services
Whether you’re going open-circuit doubles, sidemount, rebreather (CCR), or exploring trimix, Buddy Dive TeK has you covered:
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- A 100% Rebreather friendly facility with staff trained in multiple CCR units (X-CCR, O2ptima) and experience with almost every unit in the market.
- A dedicated blending station capable of high-pressure fills of Oxygen and Trimix, managed by PADI-qualified gas & Trimix blenders.
- Rental equipment for doubles, sidemount, rebreather cylinders, regulators & rigs for the best price in the southern Caribbean.
- DiveRite O2ptima CM unit for rent.
Having all that available on-site removes much of the logistical friction that would otherwise make tech diving more complicated.
3. Courses, training & community
Buddy Dive offers a variety of technical diving courses. From try-out sessions up to PADI Tec Trimix (up to 330ft / 100m) and CCR courses.
This means that whether you’re dipping your toes into tech, or you’re already a seasoned diver wanting to push further (trimix, CCR, rebreather), there’s always a course for you!
4. Location: Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean
Set on Bonaire, Buddy Dive Tek benefits from superb Caribbean conditions, stable weather, and many dive sites accessible from shore or boat. Due to the fringing reefs around Bonaire, you will always be doing your deco on a beautiful reef! You can explore the dive sites independently with your buddies or have one of our experienced tec diving guides take you to some special spots. We know where to find the good stuff 😉
What to Expect: The Tech Diving Experience
- Extend your limits: Tec courses will make you ready to “overstay” your recreational No-Decompression Limits (NDL’s) or wander beyond the recreational depth limits in a safe and controlled way. You’ll learn how to plan decompression, how to use gases deeper than 130ft / 40m, and how to enhance your decompression by using high oxygen nitrox (EAN50 and above) up to pure oxygen. During the course, you will expand your knowledge and your limits step by step. You’ll also learn how to use the configurations that come with tech diving (doubles, sidemount, rebreathers). Buddy Dive Tek has the Trimix blending station and gear rental to get you there.
- Expanded underwater playgrounds, while building experience: Using rebreathers and/or DPVs (diver propulsion vehicles), you can cover more ground, visit unique wrecks, or explore deeper walls. It is not always about expanding your limits and pushing further. Sometimes, it is even more rewarding to build tec experience, while exploring the amazingly beautiful tec dive sites here on Bonaire.
- Safety & training matter: Because tech diving brings greater risk (gas management, deeper dives, decompression), a facility with strong training and support infrastructure is crucial. We emphasize safety, instructor training, and up-to-date equipment. We have seasoned tec divers, who are also recreational instructors with 10 years+ tec experience.
- Community & progression: You’ll likely meet other experienced tech divers, and you can chart a progression. There’s always more to try! Participate in our annual event of Bonaire Tek, where many tec and CCR divers return every year to have a great week, creating invaluable memories together.
If you’ve been dreaming to push the boundaries of scuba diving, to explore deeper, or stay down longer, now is the time to make that dream come true!
We are ready. Are you?
Reach out to coursedirector@buddydive.com if you have any questions, still feel hesitant, or if you want to explore the opportunities.