What is tec diving?

[Bismark]

That's either. Sorry. I couldn't resist.

I think i might be one ahead of you........notice the smily face.......... Glad you can spell thow

 

[Dive-aholic]

Let's try this - Recreational diving is defined as: No dives deeper than 130 feet, no dives with overhead inviornments and no planned decompression dives. Tech diving would be every other diving not fitting into this description.

Commercial diving is not tech diving...

Tech diving is everything else from overhead (real/virtual) to DPV's, doubles, stages, greater depth, different gases and switches, deco, rebreathers, salvage, limited visibility etc, etc

There are recreational DPVs. I have seen recreational divers diving doubles just because of an increased SAC. PADI used to have 2 rebreather specialties, both done mainly by recreational divers. I used to do lots of limited visibility recreational dives when I lived in Arizona.

 

[Meng_Tze]

There are recreational DPVs. I have seen recreational divers diving doubles just because of an increased SAC. PADI used to have 2 rebreather specialties, both done mainly by recreational divers. I used to do lots of limited visibility recreational dives when I lived in Arizona.

The fact that dives are done beyond the recreational limits to me makes it a tech dive. There are some levels of tech diving that do not require too much training, but they are tech nevertheless.

Merely strapping on doubles requires you to know and be able to handle three valves now, running a DPV makes you think of gas planning and dive planning beyond recreational limits, diving in near zero vis requires navigation decisions/aids beyond recreational limits.

Again, these examples may not be highly technical dives like deco in caves on rebreathers and DPV's in a mixed team after a dive to 300ft depth, 4000 ft in. But they are beyond recreational limits not?

If not, then what are the recreational limits? Perhaps that should be the question?

 

[ianr33]

Let's try this - Recreational diving is defined as: No dives deeper than 130 feet, no dives with overhead inviornments and no planned decompression dives. Tech diving would be every other diving not fitting into this description.

Bouncing to 140 on a single 80 is not "tech" Dumb yes,tech no.

So if deco is planned its tech,but if its by accident its recreational ?

 

[TSandM]

Well, I've said it before: I think there's a whole grey area of "techreational" diving, which is mostly where I live . . . DPVs, doubles and light helium mixes within recreational depths and without anything beyond minimum deco obligations. There's no bright line.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The fact that dives are done beyond the recreational limits to me makes it a tech dive. There are some levels of tech diving that do not require too much training, but they are tech nevertheless.

Merely strapping on doubles requires you to know and be able to handle three valves now, running a DPV makes you think of gas planning and dive planning beyond recreational limits, diving in near zero vis requires navigation decisions/aids beyond recreational limits.

Again, these examples may not be highly technical dives like deco in caves on rebreathers and DPV's in a mixed team after a dive to 300ft depth, 4000 ft in. But they are beyond recreational limits not?

If not, then what are the recreational limits? Perhaps that should be the question?

I see your point. But...

DPV - Seadoo scooters, far from tech and no gas planning done in 99% of all Seadoo dives. Most like to just take them out for a spin. Even the X scooter is being used in a recreational manner. Look at monkey diving. That's not tech.

Doubles - Shortly after I was certified, I was sitting on a beach on a dive trip and I saw a guy walking in the water with a set of double 80s on. His SAC was really high so the shop owner's solution was to sell him those double 80s. He was using them on a 30' reef. And I'm positive there was no instruction on what the valves meant. When I went in to get my doubles filled at that shop, the owner hooked up a reg to the other valve so he could open it and make sure both tanks got filled!!!

Near zero vis - there are literally thousands of divers all over the US diving quarries every weekend without any idea of where they're going. They're just swimming around.

 

[redrover]

I hear the term thrown around a lot and while BC shopping my LDS DI showed me his BC and commented it was set up for "tec" diving.

SkipperJohn,

We don’t know what he showed you. Any form of Buoyancy Control can be used for any form of diving. However some are far less suitable. Suitability is a complex issue. Most commonly a Technical Diver will use some form of a BackPlate/Wing, and not call it a BC but a BP/W.

I think a direction this question is likely to go is the eternal flame of BC vs BP/W debate. I can interpret your question is, in some way; do I want to go technical and should I be looking for that kind of gear? Or will what I learned on be good enough for me? Which are very good questions to be asking yourself shopping for buoyancy control.

It seems possible to me that someone in a NY shop, showing you his personal rig, it was a BP/W to point out there are differences.

The rest of those answering; with real and/or virtual overhead environment, and those that will say get a BP/W now, carry on.

 

[Charlie19]

Technical diving consists of one or more of the following features:
1. Diving to depths below the recreational limit of 130'.
2. Bottom times extended to the point of requiring mandatory decompression stops.
3. Breathing gasses other than air, especially using different gasses expressly for decompression.
4. Diving into overhead environments.

There are undoubtedly more specifics that could be added, but these are the major ones that define technical diving.

 

[Walter]

The bottom line is there is no accepted definition for technical diving. Different agencies/groups/individuals have different definitions. That's not very helpful when you're trying to get your head around a term that gets tossed around quite often. About the only thing just about everyone agrees is technical diving requires skills not taught in the entry level class.

Personally, I don't see a need for the term. I believe the term adds unnecessary confusion to almost any discussion into which it's inserted. If I want to discuss diving in a cave with a rebreather, that's what I'll say. If I want to discuss deep diving on trimix, that's what I'll say. If I want to discuss deep wreck penetration with decompression stops, that's what I'll say. In any of the above discussions I could use the term "technical diving." Unfortunately, the term gives no useful information. We are all either diving as part of our jobs (commercial diving) or we are diving for recreation. Technical Diving is a useless term I wish everyone would stop using.

 

[highflowdiver]

Technical diving is a dive that requires more than one
gas and a regulator switch to complete the dive.

You can go deep or in a cave but neither is required
to do a tech dive and just doing them does not make
a tech dive.
Kal