Current opinions on Padi Tec-rec?

[stuartv]

That's if you're rich and can afford trimix fills

Having a card that allows you to use helium doesn't mean you HAVE to use helium...

I got the card and used helium once or twice on dives to around 150'. I decided I couldn't tell enough difference to bother and quit using helium at all for dives around that depth or less.

Now I have the card to let me use as much helium as I want. And I generally do for anything deeper than 150'.

That is, until I finish my rEvo training....

Before embarking on any tech courses, I'd suggest either a gatekeeper course with GUE or UTD (fundies/essentials), or a workshop with an instructor who can teach such a course. Dealing with skills issues in a tech course is not the best use of that time, in my opinion.

TDI Intro to Tech also offers that same type of training. Again, provided you take it from the right instructor. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I guess) the TDI standards for Intro to Tech do ALLOW it to be taught in such a way that it does not result in the same level of student preparedness as Fundies/Essentials.

 

[abnfrog]

bottom line I was the first Canadian tech rec instructor, I am also tdi/sdi CD so I teach both .... the padi program is a good program they are taught by me very similar lines, BUT because of the levels in padi (at one time it was just tech deep ) I have more work so I have to charge more for the padi (plus materials are more ) it really is more about the instructor than the agency ......INTERVIEW YOUR INSTRUCTOR....know who he is ask for references even ! its your money and your life , any instructor cant answer the hard questions.....run away from them

 

[leadduck]

IANTD also has a class called Advanced Recreational Trimix and I *think* that course is similar to TDI Helitrox. But, I haven't taken it and IANTD does not publish much detail on their course standards for general public consumption. This is just hearsay, but I think IANTD has a prereq called just Recreational Trimix, but I think it is like PADI and SDI Nitrox in that it does not require dives. ART requires dives and I think it may actually result in a certification to a deeper depth than what TDI does (i.e. 45m/150'). But, again, I am REALLY not sure about that. Just something for the OP to check into if they want to research additional options.

Recreational Trimix is not a prerequisite for ART according to IANTD standards; Deep Diver and EANx are. The instructor however may require more. My ART instructor for example wanted to see Essentials or similar, or OW SM class before ART. He said he had too many recently self-taught sidemounters sign up for ART, and then had to fail almost all of them due to lack of basic skills, which is nothing to be proud of as an instructor. Limits are 51m/170fsw and 15min deco with up to 100% oxygen.

 

[Remy B.]

It is better to find a know big name in the tec courses or somebudy that have been trained by one of them, in the reason is that I got certified by a no name, which wasn't activily doing deco dives with a big mounth of how grate he is and a lot of bla bla bla, and push on me equipment that was far from right to what I wanted to accomplish, did not see any theory and he adviced that the online training is not necesarry that we will review the theory with him which we never did, when we were in his class room it was more story telling than covering what is in the book,


Then I went to Tek Camp which are basically a lot of well known instructors, where I learned that I was pissing out of the pot, and got me corrected in some things.

In Tek camp I got to know a big name in th Tec diving industry and I went to try to get my Trimix just to see how unprepared I was and how wrong my equipmet configuration I had, at the end I was not prepared for trimix which I'm happy that he showed me all the thing that I needed to improve and most important that you need buddy to constantly practice and dive with.

I ended up now with a lot of new equipment now which is right for the application, now is question to find buddy to practice all what is in the books and the drills.

If you find a instructor that uses equipment that you normally don't see of heard about that is a red flag.

If you are doing wrecks and do sidemount, be careful to not waste your money in cave sidemount systems which don't have enough lift. Tec wreck require to dive with a lot of tanks with you, cave divers drop thier deco tanks on the entry point, balloning your drysuit to compensate for the lift is a red flag if a instructor teach you that.

A buddy to practice is very very important even after you finish your course.

 

[abnfrog]

you keep saying big names , isn't that the ones that do the loudest talking to promote themselves , I know 2 instructors 1 is very low key but a top notch instructor and number 2 is a "big name his MO is to get you in the course then keep saying your no good enough and go away and do more practice sometimes demanding you meet with a days notice for diving and eventually you tire of the bs and you you go away . he was suspended from his agency for no doing an idc in standards ......I personally know 5 people this has happen to .. so it isn't all about a name believe me ......they have their fan boys so people keep coming to them ............NO I wont out them here

 

[JBlackman]

Agreed with the above comments. It's really all about the Instructor. How do you pick your Tec Instructor?

How To Interview Your Tec Instructor.

 

[Remy B.]

Yes I guess you can find a big name with a big ego, the no name instructor I had where I did my tec training is no longer with that Agency.

And the big name instructor for who I went to do my trimix was right with the things I had/have wrong even that I didn't continue because I was made aware of the mistakes and approaches I had, I felt that it was worth the money because I learned a lot.

At least I was aware of my mistakes and accepted them, and I'm working on improving

Now that I had one lousy and one good instructor, I kind have an idea of what to expect from a instructor.

All the instructors with who I trained with in the Tec camp didn't seem to be too full of them self.

What I still not like from all the tec instructors is each one have a certain way of doing things that are different than others and vise versa, there is lack of standarisation in some things, for the ignorant like me is kind of difficult to know what is best or not, because at the moment it is explained to you it make kind of sense but does as well the other methods, so at the end you will be critized one way or another because the lack of standarisation or acceptation of one or other method.

 

[taimen]

How to pick your tech instructor when those who you try to contact are not responsive. In many parts of the world this is the reality. If you need a card, you must train with those instructors who are available.
Many instructors are either so booked that they don't reply, not very active anymore or just very picky when accepting students.

 

[FindingMenno]

If you go with TDI you can combine light trimix(up to 20%) with the AN/DP course.

Just for informational purposes, PADI has similar for Tec45/50: TecRec TMX 45 and TMX 50 Distinctive Specialties

 

[Remy B.]

How to pick your tech instructor when those who you try to contact are not responsive. In many parts of the world this is the reality. If you need a card, you must train with those instructors who are available.
Many instructors are either so booked that they don't reply, not very active anymore or just very picky when accepting students.

I'm not saying you haven't but.

What you proposed to them is realistic ?

One sometimes in our own ignorance don't see it as such, but in tec diving most likely it is not a save approach of what you want to accomplish in a certain time frame withing right amount of practice

You want to go to Truk, which is to say the dream and Pinnacle of all wreck divers, but if you want to do the deep wrecks in Truk in the time frame of doing so in the next two years and you are a regular Joe like me that have to work a lot and don't have time to do regularly Deco dives and don't have a buddy to practice and to go with to Truk, it seems logical that they are not interested, because in Truk so far I know it is worthed only if you are doing Deco dives, that is about more than 10 dives in one trip.

I may be wrong because I'm a rookie and don't know better but you are trying to accomplish a gol that takes years in preparation and training, if I was an instructor I probably will see it as too risky to put my name in your C-card