Best agency for learning Tech diving - criteria given - honest :)

[ScubaInChicago]

Thank you.

The problem with this medium is interpretation of what's written. And I'm guilty of getting it wrong.

Hope the OP finds what they're after. Me I'm just going to Thailand in 2 weeks time to have some fun diving.

Have you thought about joining the OP for his GUE-F course. They might be able to dispel any misinformation about that whole Hog Looping thing. If you ask nice enough, NWGratefulDiver might video the class for you.

 

[Edward3c]

Have you thought about joining the OP for his GUE-F course. They might be able to dispel any misinformation about that whole Hog Looping thing. If you ask nice enough, NWGratefulDiver might video the class for you.

Week one is relaxation diving in Koh Tao, week two diving with the local BSAC Thailand: Phuket club.

Next Saturday I'm running the BSAC Buoyancy & Trim Workshop in Loch Fyne. People can wear any configeration they like, in fact its better the are configured how they normally dive or its a waste of time.

 

[kensuf]

Once deployed in an OOG situation why would it be re-stowed?

Switching to a deco/stage/travel gas.

resolving the initial problem that caused the diver to think he was OOG.

Alternating donors in a three person team to avoid having two people run out of gas.

...

 

[bowlofpetunias]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

spam post deleted and post quoting it

---

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

No, people (as far as I have seen) do not do that with a hog loop. Some do use the pony as the secondary that the OOG diver will take. On ccr that is the only choice.

What Edward is talking about is people reading the Internet, finding arguments like this about hog looping and then diving it without being shown how it really works, getting hoses tangled and generally doing a half arsed job..

Cue host of Internet divers saying it is so simple and obvious they learnt it on the web.

That's the potential problem with learning anything on the web. It can seem so simple and straightforward ... but you never know what was left out.

And even if you get it right, there's a difference between knowing what to do and understanding why you're doing it that way. Diving is quite contextual ... and without the understanding, you can easily end up in a situation where you misapply what you think you know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post added April 4th, 2015 at 05:28 AM ----------

Have you thought about joining the OP for his GUE-F course. They might be able to dispel any misinformation about that whole Hog Looping thing. If you ask nice enough, NWGratefulDiver might video the class for you.

... you're a baaaad boy ...

Hope the ice melts so you can go diving soon ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[egovenatus]

I have been an open water diver, trained by YMCA and PADI for 25 years, have well over a thousand dives (stopped counting a long time ago, probably more that 2.5k actually) with several hundred of them being in the 170 to 200 foot range, several hundred being decompression dives with absolutely ZERO incidents. I have done penetration dives in what would be considered very advanced diving conditions and again have had no formal training beyond the basics. I learned by trial and error, watching and listening to those who were more skilled than I, reading everything I could, and understanding the physics and physiological effects that this kind of diving has, just as many of the great divers of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s learned. The only reason I have recently begun to look into more advanced certifications is because we live in a litigious society and now I need these certifications to go on trips to make dives and to get the mixes I want, heaven forbid we can all dive like adults within our own comfort levels.

That said, I find myself tired of people taking the “high road” saying oh I wouldn’t want to dive with you because TEC divers only dive for a reason or for a mission…blah blah. Well, if that’s so, I feel bad for you if that’s the only reason you dive. I dive because I love it and there is so much to see, so much so that I will never be able to see it all in my life, I dive for the thrill of discovery, and the excitement of seeing something new that I haven’t seen. This is so whether it is TEC or REC, I dive to discover and be amazed by what I see. We all should, too many people get caught up in the philosophy espoused by their various agencies and forget that we learned to dive and continue to do so because it’s fun.

That said, as long as you are safe, have the right gear that makes YOU and the people you dive with safe, and are happy with the manner in which you do it, I don’t think anything else matters. This segues into my answer to your original question, the agency really does not matter, it’s finding an instructor that understands you and why you want to make more advanced dives, is safe about it, and holds you to a standard that will improve you as a diver. Any one of the agencies will fit you just fine to advance your skills, since at the end you are only as good as you make yourself by learning, understanding, and practicing the skills you need to safely dive your profiles as you choose to do so.

 

[Oldbear]

Some people have no pride.

I have thought about this comment directed at me for a few days in reference to Post #171 & #172 and decided I am not going to acknowledge its writer with another banana.

 

[DaleC]

My sense is that if I faced a challenge stowing that long hose after checking to make sure it is clear, then I might be a bit reluctant to do that drill, and my buddy might not like the result in a real emergency.

I think this point is very important and can't be underscored enough. No matter what system you use, if the donation reg is hard to deploy or restow, the donor most likely will NOT practice donating. Any diver should be able to demonstrate competency in that skill to any potential partner anytime. It should be that simple.

One problem I encountered when looking at stuffed longhose's is the potential to trap them if something falls between the stowed loop ends.
I saw this in a case where the longhose was stuffed behind the head across the shoulder harness (held there by bungee), so that the reg came out the right side and sat neatly in the mouth (like a shorthose backup). This diver also kept the dust caps dangling on their first stages and the left cap dropped down through one of the looped ends. As a result, when the diver tried to pull the longhose to deploy, the plug kept the loop from passing through the harness. They had a seven foot short hose.

They weren't dumb either. The potential for trapping like that had never happened before so the system seemed sound. After that, I have always considered what can go through hose loops (like clipping a stage off on the hip through a poorly routed one).

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have thought about this comment directed at me for a few days in reference to Post #171 & #172 and decided I am not going to acknowledge its writer with another banana.

... I think Dan was just having a bit of fun at my expense, actually ... and I'm OK with that ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Germie]

I went to Thailand for some tech training. I did with Ben Reymenants the 'zero-to-hero' full cave course (cavern, intro, full cave). It is TDI and was good. Blue Label diving is situated in Phuket.

All other training I did with IANTD, in Europe.

I am satisfied with the way of training I did in diving. Of course there are some things I would do different when I would do it over again, but that has to do with the things I know now and I could not know when I started the technical diving way. There are enough other divers to criticise you, so follow your own plan and way to achieve what you want in diving. Others cannot decide what is the best way for you. Listen to the advice of others of course, but sometimes this is not a real advice. Try to see the difference between real advice and jalous people