PADI Courses

[BertP]

I am going to a resort that has PADI instructors and I was wondering if PADI has courese equivalent to the TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses.

Thanks

Bert

OnEdit: Sorry about the PAID instead of PADI... This was my first post using my new cell phone :shocked2:

 

[tbone1004]

They do, but I doubt you'd find one at a resort anyway.

Tec 40 is basic deco on your backgas, tec 45 adds a stage bottle. Just take an AN/DP class, it'll be much more respected anyway

 

[Jim Lapenta]

No they do not. PADI's tech arm (?) DSAT might but you will pay more and many resorts don't offer the DSAT option. And frankly if your numbers are correct I'd get a few more dives in before thinking about Adv Nitrox and Deco Proc.

 

[tbone1004]

thought that DSAT was still part of padi as a whole. with Jim though, if you have less than even 100 dives i'd be skeptical about taking deco. Plenty to see within recreational limits

 

[TSandM]

Actually, the PADI Tec 40 and Tec 45 together would be essentially equivalent to the AN/DP class. You would have to check to see if your resort teaches ANY technical classes, as I would guess very few do.

I agree that, if your profile is correct, it may be a little soon to be considering technical diving. But there is nothing wrong with getting some more advanced training. You might consider, though, something like an Intro to Tech class or Fundamentals-type class, which would introduce the kind of thinking and the performance standards required for technical diving. Then you could spend some recreational time enjoying developing and polishing those skills, before taking the bigger jump into deeper and riskier dives.

 

[BertP]

OK, OK, I updated my profile I actually have many more dives than what I list. I was first certified through NASDS (anyone remember them???) and decided to get recertified through SDI/TDI in 2008. Since then, I have over 50 more dives.

I suspect that you guys are correct on what courses are available through the resort. They seem to have all of the initial training requirements (OW, etc) but they do list courses like "Deep Diving" and "Wreck Diving" among others. I don't know what those courses include but I would say that they are beyond the initial OW stuff.

I started the TDI AD/DP course and completed the classroom portion but I haven't been able to complete the dive part yet. I was kinda hoping that I might be able to finsh them (and possibly one or two other courses) while I am at AKR this January. If I can't, I can't, but I would like to at least investigate it. I have only been able to find one SDI/TDI outfit on Roatan and they are a bit of a distance from AKR, or so I have been told. I sent them an email the other day but haven't heard back yet. They may not even offer those courses so I though I'd ask about the PADI courses.

Bert

 

[Scott]

On Roatan Coconut Tree Divers has the DSAT courses.

 

[DevonDiver]

As TS&M said; the Tec 40 and Tec 45 are very closely aligned with AN/DP. Tec 50 gives virtually the same as Extended Range. The idea was to allow better equivalency, allowing cross-overs and further progression. That's why PADI re-formatted their old Tech 1/2 & Tech Deep course structure - to more closely match the popular formats run by other agencies.

When PADI reformatted the 'DSAT Tech Deep' course, it became the 'TecRec' series. No mention of DSAT now. The 'TecRec' program includes 3 'air' courses (Tec40/Tec45/Tec50) and then runs onto Trimix courses. There's also a bunch of rebreather (CCR) courses being introduced, as well as side-mount. If you do the SM course first, you can complete the Tec courses in side-mount rig. Various PADI TecRec instructors have created their own distinctive courses also.

PADI are really promoting the TecRec program with alacrity. Resorts that offer the courses can now be branded as 'TecRec' centres, allowing easy identification. That's very new now. No question about the 'acceptability' of the PADI tec courses - they're being marketed to high hell... just like PADI do with everything, so I doubt they'll remain the 'little boys' for much longer.

JimL: Price should be comparable to equivalent courses with any other agency. The PADI manuals are slightly more expensive, but much better quality (than the hand-copied, plastic spine TDI manuals) and one manual covers all 3 PADI tec deep courses.

To the OP: only way to know if the resort offers the courses for sure, is to contact them.

 

[BertP]

I did contact AKR and they don't offer anything like what I am looking for. The instructor there gave me the email address of an instructor at Coconut Tree and I sent him an email but I haven't heard anything back yet. Oh, well, if I can't do any further coursework there, I'm sure I can find a nice dive spot or two.

Actually, most of the impetus for this trip was to get my daughter back in the water. She is certified but has decided that SCUBA isn't her thing but she did ask me if we could go somewhere that she could dive with dolphins. So, if I can get her into the water a few times while we are there, I will consider it a successful trip. I know that she is "using" me by mentioning SCUBA but I figure she could "use" me for a hell of a lot worse things.

Bert

 

[TSandM]

The PADI Deep course is not a technical course, but you are correct that it is a bit beyond OW. It's a four dive specialty, that includes some very limited narcosis testing, some dive planning from the standpoint of NDLs, and the experience of breathing off a hang tank. It is a pure recreational class, with no gas planning and no staged decompression, and is done in a single tank.