Photo by Teemu Virtanen · CC BY-SA 3.0
GUE Technical Diver 3
GUE's most advanced open-circuit technical diving course, extending hypoxic trimix diving beyond 330 ft/100 m with multiple decompression gases, drop tanks, and full surface-support operations. Runs four days of in-person training after pre-course online academics, with a minimum of four dives (three on trimix) and thirty hours of instruction. CCR divers certified under older GUE Standards complete a seven-day program that adds a CCR skills assessment and CCR-T2 bridging training before the Tech 3 curriculum.
Prerequisites
Minimum age 18 (documented guardian consent for minors). GUE Technical Diver Level 2 or CCR Technical Diver Level 2 certification — or GUE PSCR certification if using a PSCR. GUE DPV Level 1 or DPV Cave certification. 500 non-training dives since entry-level certification, including 100 on the rebreather configuration used in the course (25 deeper than 250 ft/75 m) and 50 non-training Tech 2 / CCR-T2 dives. Physically and mentally fit, non-smoker, DAN Master-level (or equivalent) diving emergency insurance, physician clearance for prescription drugs or risk-relevant conditions, and completed registration, medical history, and liability release filed with GUE HQ.
Standards
What a diver must demonstrate to pass this course — not always published by the certifying agency.
Minimum four dives (three trimix experience dives), thirty hours of instruction, and a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio. Maximum depth is limited by participant and instructor insurance — either 330 ft/100 m or 400 ft/120 m, and never beyond the coverage in force. Decompression runtime capped at 180 unadjusted minutes (GUE DecoPlanner). GUE Rescue Primer or equivalent required before certification. Graduation requires clean buoyancy and trim (within 20° of horizontal, ±3 ft/1 m of depth), at least four propulsion techniques including backward kick and helicopter turn, multi-stage tank rotations at depth, DPV bailout ascents with variable rates and multiple gas switches, gas-sharing and rebreather-failure management, unconscious-diver recovery, drop-tank and surface-team coordination, a 500 yd/450 m swim in under 14 minutes, and a 60 ft/18 m submerged breath-hold swim.
Instructors Teaching This Course
United States
Other locations
We're still building out the directory country by country, so this list isn't every instructor or dive centre teaching it in the world — more locations are coming soon.
Common questions about GUE Technical Diver 3
What are the prerequisites for GUE Technical Diver 3?
GUE's standards require: Minimum age 18 (documented guardian consent for minors). GUE Technical Diver Level 2 or CCR Technical Diver Level 2 certification — or GUE PSCR certification if using a PSCR. GUE DPV Level 1 or DPV Cave certification. 500 non-training dives since entry-level certification, including 100 on the rebreather configuration used in the course (25 deeper than 250 ft/75 m) and 50 non-training Tech 2 / CCR-T2 dives. Physically and mentally fit, non-smoker, DAN Master-level (or equivalent) diving emergency insurance, physician clearance for prescription drugs or risk-relevant conditions, and completed registration, medical history, and liability release filed with GUE HQ.
What is the minimum age for GUE Technical Diver 3?
GUE's standards state: Minimum age 18 (documented guardian consent for minors).
How many dives do I need before starting GUE Technical Diver 3?
GUE's standards state: 500 non-training dives since entry-level certification.
What does GUE Technical Diver 3 training involve?
According to GUE's published standards: Minimum four dives (three trimix experience dives), thirty hours of instruction, and a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio. Maximum depth is limited by participant and instructor insurance — either 330 ft/100 m or 400 ft/120 m, and never beyond the coverage in force. Decompression runtime capped at 180 unadjusted minutes (GUE DecoPlanner). GUE Rescue Primer or equivalent required before certification. Graduation requires clean buoyancy and trim (within 20° of horizontal, ±3 ft/1 m of depth), at least four propulsion techniques including backward kick and helicopter turn, multi-stage tank rotations at depth, DPV bailout ascents with variable rates and multiple gas switches, gas-sharing and rebreather-failure management, unconscious-diver recovery, drop-tank and surface-team coordination, a 500 yd/450 m swim in under 14 minutes, and a 60 ft/18 m submerged breath-hold swim.
Where can I take GUE Technical Diver 3?
2 instructors in the TecDiveTools directory teach GUE Technical Diver 3, in the United States. Each is listed further up this page.