IANTD v TDI Advance Nitrox Material

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@Efka76 TDI nitrox is MUCH more involved, as is NAUI's. NOAA manual is only 500 some odd pages long, BUT section 15 is about Nitrox Diving and is only about 30 pages long. Some of the stuff in Section 16 you may want to look at, particularly 16.3.1.4 which is about diving with Pure O2 which is half a page long, but that's about it for this specific subject.

Either way, this is where the agencies get all of their stuff from, and this is kept up to date far more regularly than the agencies stuff, AND it's free if you don't mind a one-gen old edition. Not bad at all.
 
But how good do you believe their material is?

Well, I'm still here to write about it! :yeahbaby:

I have my Enriched Air and Advanced Enriched Air as well as my Full Cave certifications through IANTD. I stayed out of the comparison to other Nitrox agencies & course comparisons because I didn't have any basis for it.

I don't dispute that I have found typos, or other issues in the materials for those courses, but the day after I recorded my 100th dive at Chuuk diving the deeper wrecks, my instructor celebrated his 600th dive there. And like @rongoodman who learned cave with Protec, I did mine with Robbie Schmittner who taught Kim.

There are many things I have learned from these type of discussions on Scubaboard, and select the Instructor and not the agency was one that I learned early on in my time here and one that I feel has served me well.
 
you shouldn't need any real books for advanced nitrox. You should already know all of the information from basic nitrox, the rest of the good stuff is in the USN diving manual and NOAA manuals. The simple fact is that Advanced Nitrox on its own is a BS course with not a whole lot of useful material in it. Quite literally the only "new" information vs. regular nitrox is that you have to have an O2 clean first stage. Literally everything else should have been taught to you at basic nitrox. CNS exposure, risks of high ppO2, and that's about it.

Don't believe me? Read the S&P from TDI
https://www.tdisdi.com/wp-content/uploads/files/sandp/currentYear/TDI/part 2/pdf/individual/TDI Diver Standards_07_Advanced_Nitrox_Diver.pdf

Required subject areas.

  • Physiology
    • Hypoxia-pretty self explanatory, but there's no point in discussing hypoxia because you're talking about hyperoxic gases.
    • Oxtox-covered in nitrox
    • Nitrogen Narcosis-covered in basic OW
    • N2 absorption and elimination-it's not a deco procedures course, but you should have covered this in literally every scuba class you've taken, no new information
    • CO2 tox-not sure why that's in there, probably just a copy and paste to briefly cover, not unique to this course though
    • CO tox-same as CO2
  • Formulas
    • best mix/MOD-should know from regular nitrox
  • Equipment
    • considerations for >40%-this is actually new, but only sort of because your regular nitrox should have covered provisions for partial pressure blending for the tanks, so the only new thing is O2 cleaning the first stage, and no 2nd stages don't have to be O2 cleaned
  • Tables/Computers
    • nothing new from nitrox
  • Planning
    • nothing new from nitrox
  • Mixing procedures
    • covered in nitrox, but not really relevant because for Advanced Nitrox you are 99.999% going to have to pp blend
  • Deco
    • it's not a deco course, though you should combine with deco procedures

So, there's nothing useful in the books that you shouldn't already have. Don't worry about the learning materials because if your regular nitrox class was taught properly, there literally should be 0 new information presented to you. If your regular nitrox class was not taught properly, then go read the NOAA diving manual. It is far more useful if you actually care about the physiology.

This is rev5 for free download. No significant changes in Rev6, so all the good stuff is still relevant. Between this and the USN Diving Manual *free download from them too*, all of the information mentioned in the TDI standards, are available to you. They may not be compiled quite as cleanly as you'd get in a diving course where they've distilled it down to just what you need to know, but this is where all of that information comes from.
http://tecvault.t101.ro/NOAA Diving Manual.pdf
https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/SUPSALV/Diving/US DIVING MANUAL_REV7.pdf?ver=2017-01-11-102354-393

Very Good Points Tbone. While I love SnP's. They seem to be flexible.

From TDI Intro to Tech
3.6 Course Structure and Duration Open Water Execution 1. A minimum of 3 dives must be conducted; All dives must be conducted at depths within the diver’s current level of certification but no dives should exceed 23 metres / 75 feet

My course, 3 dives (technically I debate that), totaled 31 minutes of bottom time (according to my Teric logs) and a Max depth of 23.8 feet, in a private class. I was using the Intro Class to Feel out the Dive Shop, as they are one of the most popular shops in the Central Florida Area. Won't be going back.


@Efka76 TDI nitrox is MUCH more involved, as is NAUI's. NOAA manual is only 500 some odd pages long, BUT section 15 is about Nitrox Diving and is only about 30 pages long. Some of the stuff in Section 16 you may want to look at, particularly 16.3.1.4 which is about diving with Pure O2 which is half a page long, but that's about it for this specific subject.

Either way, this is where the agencies get all of their stuff from, and this is kept up to date far more regularly than the agencies stuff, AND it's free if you don't mind a one-gen old edition. Not bad at all.

Pleas note all.... I am by NO means comparing agencies. I could care less a bout that political game. I just read somewhere that the Material from IANTD was outdated, and TDI get to Technical sometimes. I probably should have added this to the OP.

I am looking at an IANTD shop, for Adanace Nitrox and maybe more. I admit I have stayed away from the shop for training because they are IANTD and availability of classes. But I have known my future instructor for 3 years now, and trust him.
 
Very Good Points Tbone. While I love SnP's. They seem to be flexible.

From TDI Intro to Tech
3.6 Course Structure and Duration Open Water Execution 1. A minimum of 3 dives must be conducted; All dives must be conducted at depths within the diver’s current level of certification but no dives should exceed 23 metres / 75 feet

My course, 3 dives (technically I debate that), totaled 31 minutes of bottom time (according to my Teric logs) and a Max depth of 23.8 feet, in a private class. I was using the Intro Class to Feel out the Dive Shop, as they are one of the most popular shops in the Central Florida Area. Won't be going back.




Pleas note all.... I am by NO means comparing agencies. I could care less a bout that political game. I just read somewhere that the Material from IANTD was outdated, and TDI get to Technical sometimes. I probably should have added this to the OP.

I am looking at an IANTD shop, for Adanace Nitrox and maybe more. I admit I have stayed away from the shop for training because they are IANTD and availability of classes. But I have known my future instructor for 3 years now, and trust him.

at the technical level, the noaa manual is going to be better than any of the agencies if you want to actually learn about this stuff. Things like advanced nitrox, which with exceedingly few exceptions I think is an utterly pointless certification unless done with deco procedures, shouldn’t need any manuals because they shouldn’t be teaching you anything new as I outlined above. The procedures for diving haven’t changed in many years but even those are going to have regional adaptations so they rarely put stuff like that in manuals. Don’t slag envy shop at this level based on their literature, at this level you really need a solid instructor and any lit you need can come out of the noaa manual
 
at the technical level, the noaa manual is going to be better than any of the agencies if you want to actually learn about this stuff. Things like advanced nitrox, which with exceedingly few exceptions I think is an utterly pointless certification unless done with deco procedures, shouldn’t need any manuals because they shouldn’t be teaching you anything new as I outlined above. The procedures for diving haven’t changed in many years but even those are going to have regional adaptations so they rarely put stuff like that in manuals. Don’t slag envy shop at this level based on their literature, at this level you really need a solid instructor and any lit you need can come out of the noaa manual

Again good advice, and I will pick up a NOAA Book. Thank you. I been trying to find that Solid instructor. Just have not yet had success.
 
you shouldn't need any real books for advanced nitrox. You should already know all of the information from basic nitrox, the rest of the good stuff is in the USN diving manual and NOAA manuals. The simple fact is that Advanced Nitrox on its own is a BS course with not a whole lot of useful material in it. Quite literally the only "new" information vs. regular nitrox is that you have to have an O2 clean first stage. Literally everything else should have been taught to you at basic nitrox. CNS exposure, risks of high ppO2, and that's about it.

I don’t disagree with this. One thing I will add, though is: how long has it been since you took basic nitrox? For me, there was most of 10 years in between. When I took advanced nitrox, I realized there were entire sections that I had forgotten about. Primarily things like CNS and pulmonary O2 clock. When you’re doing single tank recreational depth dives on 32, it’s pretty much impossible to hit the CNS O2 limit, especially at a PO2 of 1.4. So I had completely forgotten about it by the time I took advanced nitrox.

So I think the class has a little bit of value. But there’s a reason why it’s virtually always combined with deco procedures: neither class makes any real sense without the other. They certainly do not provide value compared to what they cost individually. But if you ignore the fact that they are two separate classes and just consider them one class, then it works just fine! :)
 
Again good advice, and I will pick up a NOAA Book. Thank you. I been trying to find that Solid instructor. Just have not yet had success.

contact @LandonL he's in Lauderdale area. He's good, promise.

@tmassey took nitrox in 2009 ish I think, and never actually got an AN/DP card, it was all combined into technical cave, but can teach them both now. I don't teach anything "new" in advanced nitrox, but we go into more depth about the subjects, but only when combined with deco procedures.
 
Greatly appreciate the recommendation from @tbone1004. If you are interested in any training @MikadoWu, we can schedule some time to talk, and/or I can provide references.

Cheers,
Landon Lasseter MD, MS, MBA
Partner - Deep 6 Gear / Aquí Watersports
 
There is nowadays a good book for the IANTD Teklite programs. You can choose for adv. nitrox (air backgas till 40m with a decogas), adv. rec. trimix (trimix as backgas and a decogas till 45m) or adv. rec. trimix plus (51m, trimix backgas and a decogas).
 
About 10 years ago my daughter asked if she could become an open water diver. She was 10 at the time. I handed her the manual and told her that when she was done reading the book we'd start her class. 5 minutes in, she yelled from the other room, "Dad, did a five year old write this book? It's riddled with typos." I said, "No, a guy with a mail-in doctorate did".

There is nowadays a good book for the IANTD Teklite programs. You can choose for adv. nitrox (air backgas till 40m with a decogas), adv. rec. trimix (trimix as backgas and a decogas till 45m) or adv. rec. trimix plus (51m, trimix backgas and a decogas).

Since I have been locked up and bored out of my mind the last several weeks, I decided to get both the TDI Advance Nitrox and the IANTD Teklite books.

Both books have some good information. That said as a whole, I liked the IANTD Teklite book better. Organization and content was presented in a better way. I felt there was less fluff. While there was not a lot in either book, I personably hate the history lessons. In 1922, Dr So and So bla bla bla....... I felt IANTD presented this information in a more useful way.

However as @tbone1004 stated that there was not much new to learn, and I felt that was 100% on point.

contact @LandonL he's in Lauderdale area. He's good, promise.

@tmassey took nitrox in 2009 ish I think, and never actually got an AN/DP card, it was all combined into technical cave, but can teach them both now. I don't teach anything "new" in advanced nitrox, but we go into more depth about the subjects, but only when combined with deco procedures.

As been suggested, you should take Decompression and Advance Nitrox and do not pick the agency over an instructor.

My intentions, have never technically been to pick an agency over an instructor. My focus towards TDI, was I feel they are the PADI of the Technical word. Since I am not PADI, I thought for future goals TDI was a better idea.

My issues is i expect Teachers/Instructors be exceptional, it is based on my heritage. As mentioned before. I do not feel I have ever had this in the dive industry, which SUCKS. Side note, I just had a conversation with a dive shop in NY that said do not buy Deep Six Gear, has it is not technically certified to be used in our cold water. SERIOUSLY?

I will reach out to @LandonL and see how his schedule matches up to mine and see how things progress from there.

Thank you all...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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