1.
Get familiar with as much of the kit,
in advance, as possible. Equipment familiarity reduces task loading - and that's a critical factor in tech training. Sidemount divers have an advantage in this; as they can get trained early as recreational divers - but you can do the same in backmount with an 'intro-to-doubles' type of course. Don't forget the small things - show attention to detail - get used to using your dive computer
properly; get gauges bungee-mounted, get appropriate fins (and spring straps), resolve your hose management, tidy up your pockets and accessories, learn to deploy a DSMB in seconds.....
As a tech instructor, I see that student's get distracted from learning new skills and procedures when they struggle and get frustrated with the basic operation of their equipment.
2. Build your foundational skills. Buoyancy, trim, propulsion and awareness need to be ingrained and consistent. This goes far beyond simply being able to demonstrate proper form on demand - but rather; making it an instinctive and continual approach to how you dive. Your foundations shouldn't degrade when otherwise distracted by learning/demonstrating new skills and procedures. Start to apply uncompromising standards to your fundamental skills on your recreational dives and critique yourself if those skills lapse or can be improved (they always can....). If unsure how to develop your foundations, then do look into doing specific preparatory training to achieve this goal. It will pay dividends later on in your overall progression through technical training.
As a tech instructor, I'd rather see a student with
consistently good fundamentals, than a student with
occasionally great skills. Consistency, even when task-loaded, counts for a lot.
3. Practice your emergency protocols. You get taught emergency skills on Open Water training, then more later on your Rescue Diver course. These skills will fade if not maintained through diligent practice and repetition. On tech training you will be expected to demonstrate more refined versions of these skills - so do make sure that your basics are 'up-to-speed' before you should hope to develop more advanced versions of these skills and protocols. Important skills to refresh are mask removal/replacement, air-sharing as donor/receiver, diver tow/raise and equipment removal/replacement underwater and at the surface.
As a tech instructor, I see that student's struggle with basic skills that haven't been maintained since they were first learned earlier in the divers' education. When courses list prerequisite qualifications, there is an expectation that the student can actually demonstrate mastery of the skills taught on those courses, when they arrive for training.
4. Develop dive discipline. Technical diving is all about precision diving and attention-to-detail. That approach is rarely fostered on recreational diving courses; and it's almost discouraged during recreational fun diving in some locations. Go back to basics and diligently apply the philosophy of 'Plan your dive - Dive your plan'. Get used to thinking through potential risk factors and have a plan to mitigate them. Learn how to calculate your SAC/RMV and start doing some basic gas management for your recreational dives. Set yourself challenges to plan and predict your dives, including gas consumption - and see how close you can to those plans and predictions on the dives.
As a tech instructor, the biggest change that I have to empower is that of diver mindset. Recreational diving is very forgiving in nature; and this promotes a casual approach to planning and conducting dives. Some divers find the necessary mental transition to
unforgiving technical dives to be an intellectual struggle. Start early in developing a risk-adverse, precision-minded approach to dives.
More tips:
Prepare Yourself For Technical Diving
That would have been task overload.
