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

[epoque]

congrats on your class man. now go diving

Thanks 8am tomorrow. Can't wait. I must be taking it seriously. I just said no to a Singha!

 

[egovenatus]

Excellent, glad you found a series of course that work for you!

 

[rongoodman]

There were some badly done line drawings of stuffed hoses in my IANTD cave manual. I don't remember the copyright year, but remember being very unimpressed with it.

I dug out the manual and the line drawings were dated 1994.

 

[DJEdB]

Is your question rhetorical?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is yours?

(Mine is) ;-)

 

[DJEdB]

From a qualification point of view get yourself onto Koh Tao. As the world hub of diver training you will find all the major agencies represented within walking distance. Go and talk to the instructors and see who you get on with.
You will find PADI/DSAT RAID BSAC TDI IANTD ANDI SSI. In my experience tech diving tends to be less agency specific IE it is common for tech divers to take different courses with different agencies.
For example I am DSAT tec 40,45,50, ANDI rebreather, TDI cave, IANTD trimix!

 

[DevonDiver]

I'm guessing Koh Tao has evolved a lot with tech diving since I was last there in 2007. I used to run tech classes off the Trident...but that's now an artificial reef, I believe LOL. The 'old boys' at Master Divers/Trident were the grandpa's of the Thailand tech diving scene.... now tragically all gone. And their famous rivalry with Davy Jone's... the only other tech outfit on the island at that time. Chatterton and Kohler used to visit. I remember speaking with Gideon Lieu in the Master Divers bar.. it was definitely the 'hub' of all things serious technical diving... Other tech outfits that were fledgling at the time... all had a lineage to the Trident guys.

Bruce Konefe was (and is) doing the caves and rebreathers before anyone else... and there's a short degree of separation between him and many of the tech instructors.... he's the guy who trained the guy who..... And then there's Steven Burton, also in Pattaya, who knows ALL about deco theory...

With regards instructor 'pedigree'... word-of-mouth and internet footprint are a good place to start. Serious tech divers tend to have a 'presence' and reputation.... expeditions, articles etc etc etc The key emphasis is on being technical DIVERS... not just instructors. Doing the diving is what builds the expertise.... and this is what separates the wheat from the chaff.

Nowadays, just about anyone can fast-track themselves to a tech instructor card....with most agencies. But the zero-to-heroes expose themselves when you scratch the surface of their actual diving activities. Tech is something they only do when a student signs up for a course....occasionally. Nobody heard of them by name.... they only get tech work when clueless people walk in the shop door with their credit card in hand and no questions to ask....

PADI, TDI, SSI etc are inter-changeable. Many serious tech instructors/divers have cards with multiple agencies. Sometimes instructors jump agencies just for business reasons. Many significant tech instructors can teach for 2, or more, agencies.

I teach PADI TecRec....that's a personal choice because I like the structure of the syllabus. I've taught for ANDI, SSI and BSAC before. I've had invitations to cross-over to TDI and IANTD. I was thinking about GUE over 11 years ago... but it didn't suit my philosophies.... I did, however, find myself very impresses with their instructor qualification standards. I'm currently considering the RAID syllabus.

I hear PADI get bashed because they aren't a dedicated tech agency...and because of the instructor qualification standards. I hear people saying that a 'pure' tech agency is better. But I've known the country-manager of a dedicated tech agency quit their position over massive fast-tracking of instructors and lowering of standards. It makes a sham of any claims of this agency versus that agency...

It's ALL about the individual instructor. They should have a wealth of experience and be a true SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. You don't need to be an expert yourself to gauge whether someone is truly passionate and involved in what they are offering to teach....

As for card validity..... tech dive centers (should) know very well all the cards and qualifications that are available. But a card means squat...it means nothing. NO ethical tech diving company is going to put you into deep, or dark, water without some form of check-out dive first. If your skills, drills and mindset isn't up to scratch... you'll be refused. A plastic c-card won't blag you onto a decompression dive if you can't walk the walk...

 

[Compressor]

It's ALL about the individual instructor.

Right on!! Its not about the agency no matter if they start with a G, I, N or P or S.

 

[Grumpy Fish]

Hello - I am going to Thailand in a few days and can't seem to get anywhere by reading the various agency websites. I dont know enough to know what to look.

I want to learn Tec diving and can't wait to get stuck in to the theory as much as get wet. With the caveat firmly in place, that I realise all agencies/systems will have their merits, and critically, of course its the instructor not the agency alphabet that matters. Could you guys please help me decide (or put me in the right direction) on which course to take based on these three criteria:

1) I am most interested in a) diving deep just for the thrill/adventure/self-discovery/video with lights and learning about mixed gases; b) cave diving as a future direction

2) Where the qualification is most recognised worldwide (my thinking is: one might argue CMAS is a superior system for OW than PADI but nothing beats PADI to just rock up with your card and do a fun dive anywhere in the world). With technical diving being much more specialist, I would like to certify with an agency which is widely recognised wherever I go to dive.

3) My diving is mainly SE Asia and Red Sea - with one-off trips all over.

Thanks in advance for any tips

ps. I have searched the forum and cannot find a thread - sorry if I missed this - kindly post a link and I will read

I would try to find a GUE instructor. Their courses are second to none and the level that they expect of their instructors is also second to none.
There are other agencies and I have trained under several but, with GUE you will be in great hands.

 

[Grumpy Fish]

Thanks Drice. I am off to Thailand and this is my chance to learn Tec since I will have some free time to start, while my girlfriend is learning OW. I really do appreciate that finding a good instructor is paramount as I caveated in my question, but hypothetically, assuming the perfect instructor (which includes chemistry) is available at all schools, which certification/agency would you recommend based on the criteria of my question? Many thanks.

not all agencies, no matter what they tell you are capable of training up perfect tec instructors. If you were serious about your diving you should have arrived at this conclusion yourself. If you have not and, are simply looking for some thrills whilst diving, perhaps Tec is not for you and you should consider a different branch of diving, like photography or other.

 

[KevinNM]

GUE instructors won't take your money if you are not ready to take a tech class, and you won't get a card if you can't perform the required skills when you are done. But getting into the tech classes is not easy for most of us, the minimum skill level demanded requires a lot of work from most people who are not already tech divers.