Course recommendations? Advanced recreational diver.

[doctormike]

I will always point people at a basic Tech course - in the PADI world called Tech 40. Before you switch off - I think its an invaluable course, I wish it was a pre requisite before people could progress to DM or Instructor.

Even if you have no intention of making Deco dive (Tech 40 max 40m and 10mins deco) you'll learn lots of additional knowledge and get skills improvement / refinement (with a good instructor) which are absolutely applicable to recreational diving.

Exactly. I was just going to say the same thing.

Technical training at its core really isn't about gear or going into deco. It's about building a mindset of approaching every dive with formal planning. Thinking about your gas consumption on each leg. Thinking about what nitrogen loading really means, and how it affects you even on dives within NDL.

And who knows? You might like it enough to start doing longer dives with staged decompression. Tech doesn't necessarily mean deep, and it doesn't necessarily mean very long deco hangs. I did my tech training because I wanted to spend more time at moderate depths. There are plenty of tech divers who just dive to look at the pretty fishes.

This is one of the reasons why I am so unimpressed with the "Master Diver" rating. It implies someone who has enough time, money and love of diving to put in a lot of work with training, and yet doesn't do the next logical step in diver progression because of misconceptions about "technical diving".

Rather than following the seemingly endless path of doing all of those recreational specialties, do something that will give you a new platform for your diving. If you don't want to stay with PADI, there are good basic intro to tech courses or basic technical diving courses in other agencies.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I did my tech training because I wanted to spend more time at moderate depths. There are plenty of tech divers who just dive to look at the pretty fishes

At the risk of going OT. This is one of the huge strengths of the BSAC (presumably CMAS) training ideals, in that Basic (backgas) Deco is contained within the very core of the training syllabus (Sports diver which is the second tier in BSAC - roughly translating to Rescue in other agencies

There is none of this "Tech" distinction (although accelerated deco using rich mixes is an additional and separate course).

When I crossed over to take BASIC Dive Leader (at the time certified to PADI rescue) I had to take the deco portion of SD in order to progress into DL (since a Deco dive is part of the DL curriculum)

I wish more agencies would bring what is currently the 1st tier Tech training into their mainstream learning replacing the nonsense Deep Course.

As I pointed out above I feel very strongly that it should be a requirement prior to anyone being able to engage in a typical DM or Instructor course.

 

[Kharon]

I'd go for SDI Solo Diver

 

[MichaelMc]

After the performance skills, an argument for AN/DP/Helitrox is to make deeper rec dives less narcotic.

Here is one way to think about the intro tech recommendations. The groups past rec think that to venture into their areas (deep, inside cave, inside wreck) you need to have the rec. skills solid. Before they even talk about what will be new. With those skills being say Buoyancy/Trim/Propulsion, awareness, planning, and hyperbaric consequences/NDL (or light deco for our BSAC friends). The intro tech classes (or fundies/performance skills) are the way of ensuring you are set to leave the rec realm, as you have mastered the applicable skills and knowledge from it.

My path forward is intro tech, cavern/intro cave for solid skills, SDI solo for options, then AN/DP/Helitrox for clarity and options. But all to stay techreational and for the Cenotes.

 

[GJC]

Another resource to read

Amazon.com : Padi Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving- Soft Cover : The Encyclopedia Of Recreational Diving : Sports & Outdoors

 

[Degenerate]

GUE Fundamentals or a similar course from a different agency would be a smart call.
Doesn't matter if you intend to progress into tech diving or not, a course like that will definitely not be wasted money or time.

 

[TMHeimer]

There are a lot of good ideas here about advanced theory/training. I see you have Rescue cert. Must admit my diving is very "benign", but I don't think I really needed any more than that to as you say, look at the fishes. Lots of theory in the ("old") PADI DM course, but don't think I needed most of that for my diving. You may consider just buying PADI's Encyclopedia of Rec. Diving. It's pretty good. Or the Deco book, which I don't have. If your diving gets more complicated, then I would go with some of the ideas others have listed.

 

[markmud]

I will always point people at a basic Tech course - in the PADI world called Tech 40. Before you switch off - I think its an invaluable course, I wish it was a pre requisite before people could progress to DM or Instructor.

Even if you have no intention of making Deco dive (Tech 40 max 40m and 10mins deco) you'll learn lots of additional knowledge and get skills improvement / refinement (with a good instructor) which are absolutely applicable to recreational diving.

Hi @Rickk,

Diving Dubai is right-on with his recommendation. Unlike DD, I am not an instructor nor tech diver; however, I did take PADI Desat Tech 40. It was the first and only comprehensive scuba training that I have received. It was worth every penny and worth the time to complete the course. It was worth getting a real physical for.

I highly recommend any entry level tech training from any agency--even though I can only attest to PADI's Tech 40.

With PADI's Tech 40, you can perform the training in recreational gear (or a tech rig). You will need D-rings to attach a deco bottle to your BC or BP/W.

For a quick weekend thing, PADI's Self-Reliant diver (SDI Solo, and SSI Independent Diver) was also useful. The Self Reliant course was not comprehensive like Tech 40, but worthwhile nonetheless. Concepts you learn in Solo are expanded on in Tech 40.

I have not performed decompression diving since the course, nor have I used accelerated decompression techniques since being certified.

I do like flashing the single card for proof of dive certification and Nitrox certification (I don't need to carry two cards anymore). I am certified for EANx to 50% with that cert.

@doctormike wrote:
"This is one of the reasons why I am so unimpressed with the "Master Diver" rating."
Course recommendations? Advanced recreational diver.
Perfect statement.

cheers,
m

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Yes, you can get good additional training through PADI. If what you have so far is AOW/Nitrox, then the two I would recommend are:

First, Rescue and EFR

Next: Solo or Self Reliant Diver even if you never plan to solo dive.

Unlike OW/AOW, both of these will involve "stress" scenarios and crisis management, and will be excellent next steps. In my view, training for coolness under pressure and how to manage stress and minimize panic is far more valuable than almost anything else, not to mention the valuable buddy skills you will get in rescue and redundancy principles you learn in solo.

If you want the best all around general recreational skill training (body control, different kicks, basic deco theory, gas management, buoyancy perfection), GUE fundies is supposed to be the best there is, but courses are hard to find, expensive, and long.

 

[Rickk]

Yes, you can get good additional training through PADI. If what you have so far is AOW/Nitrox, then the two I would recommend are:

First, Rescue and EFR

Next: Solo or Self Reliant Diver even if you never plan to solo dive.

....

So far I have Rescue, plus O2, Equipment, Ice, Nitrox and Deep certifications.

My plan after seeing all the responses is to simply dive a lot, There are a few skills I want to work on, helicopter turns, back up fining and improve my frog kick fining. I have a tendency to revert to scissor style kicking since that is what I do on surface swims when not wearing gear.

I will watch the YouTube videos ( although some of those are pretty bad.) and read whatever I can get my hands on.

I may take a dive master course, as much because it can work out to be cheap diving ans for the training as the teaching part does not interest me too much.