ProTec -ABC: Advanced Buoyancy Control

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ProTec- Advanced Buoyancy Control

The ProTec Advanced Buoyancy Control, Trim and Technique Program (ProTec ABC Program™) is designed to train divers in the benefits and proper procedures for mastering buoyancy control. Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may effectively increase their comfort level and their safety by fine-tuning their trim, position, kicking techniques and buoyancy in any diving environment.

Who would benefit from the ABC course?

Short answer - everybody. The course can be taken by any certified diver looking to improve their buoyancy control, trim and kicking technique for overall dive comfort or photo taking in any equipment configuration you prefer: single tank with vest type BCD, single tank with wing-type BCD, sidemount, doubles, etc.

We often use the ABC course to introduce divers to technical diving with backplate plus wing-type BCD with twin tank set up, but the course content easily adapts to any equipment configuration. The course is essential to anyone wishing to enter any overhead diving programs.

If you do the ABC course with a twin tank, technical set-up, after the course you will have learnt all basic skills needed in all technical diving. You will find that the rest of technical diving is learning procedures and they are easy to learn when your buoyancy control is an automatic process that no longer requires conscious effort. You will repeat the basic skills over and over in further technical diving courses, but that is what tec-diving is: practice, practice, practice...

Streamlining, proper weighting, good trim and horizontal position in the water reduce energy you need to move in the water. You'll use less air, get longer dives and generally enjoy diving more.

Good buoyancy control is an environmentally friendly skill: you can hover over sensitive parts of the reef without damaging aquatic life.

A diver hovering in a proper horizontal trim produces a small front profile and reduces drag. Moving and turning to any direction - forwards, backwards, around - becomes effortless.

Front view of a scuba diver in proper horizontal trim.

Impeccable buoyancy control is essential for anyone wishing to take up wreck or cave diving.

Being able to control your buoyancy at all times defines a skilled diver. The ProTec Advanced Buoyancy Control course challenges you to take your buoyancy control to a whole new level. Even if you have been diving for quite some time, you will find the course challenging and ultimately rewarding.

Protecting the reef system with buoyancy control

Imagine being able to carefully swim close to a reef, where you can safely enjoy small marine creatures many divers often overlook, by using anti-silt or anti-damage propulsion techniques. You can rotate your fins upward to look under ledges for eels or nurse sharks without kicking sand onto coral.

You can enjoy close-up or macro photography, scull close to a subject for the photo opportunity, then backward kick away leaving nature undisturbed.

The ProTec ABC Program™ Diver is an ambassador of the sea promoting ecology-minded diving that will protect the environment for future generations to enjoy.

As a ProTec ABC Program™ Diver, you will develop the skills necessary to protect the environment through better propulsion techniques and equipment streamlining. You will learn to be a better dive buddy and a better leader to help keep your team safer underwater.

You will undoubtedly have more fun because you will have more control, become more confident, and have exciting and essential skills in your toolbox.

What you learn

In the ProTec ABC program you'll do

Advanced Buoyancy Control, Trim & Techniques Skills
The Fundamentals of Proper Trim
Finning techniques
- frog kick
- modified frog kick
- helicopter turns
- backwards finning
S-Drill
Valve Drill
The ProTec Fundamental-5
– Primary Regulator Removal & Replacement.
– Regulator Exchange.
– Modified S-Drill.
– Mask Flood & Clear.
– Mask Removal & Replacement.
Scuba unit Removal & Replacement (while neutrally buoyant)
Deployment of the Surface Marker Buoy
The Descent / Ascent Drill
Proactive Awareness

Course Structure

The course consists of

One (1) introductory classroom session
Minimum four (4) dives*

We sometimes run the ABC course at Koh Tao's size 3m deep diving pool in Koh Tao, Thailand over a weekend of diver training. A weekend course in Koh Tao has five sessions plus practice time. You can easily get eight hours or more of underwater time.

At other pools in Thailand, the course is run in three 3 hour sessions with approximately 300 minutes of underwater time. The sessions are usually scheduled a couple of weeks apart from each other to allow independent practice time between the sessions, with the last session being an evaluation session.