Florida Trimix Course recommendations
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Been burnin’ gas and goin’ fast on the track so I’ve neglected my dive responsibilities, amongst them keeping up with SB.
I can highly recommend Dr. Lasseter as your instructor.
He’ll start with an interview of what your objectives are. He’s laid back but don’t mistake that as casual. I took the course because I wanted to do the dives I was already doing but with the training and certification to plan for, draw and breathe a safer density and composition.
Once you complete the dry-land interview, he’ll start with a review of the course standards and have you do a line by line self-assessment. Be honest with yourself....even if you’ve done something a dozen times, you might not necessarily be doing it to standard.
I’m a hard copy book kinda guy so I had done all my reading and written margin notes and questions before the course. I had a lot of virtual mentoring from @RainPilot who I had intended to train with in the UAE until COVID totally upset our training plans. I can’t over-emphasize @RainPilot ‘s role in my development and preparation so if you have a chance to read your course book before hand and engage with Dr. Lasseter before the course, it will help ensure the best use of time during the course.
Next you’ll do a skills inventory and assessment during a shallow water dive from the shore (“The Cannons”). You won’t get much deeper than 5-7m if that. I think this is a great instructional technique because you work out all your skills from the shore (no cost but gas and instruction) rather than on an expensive boat dive where you only get a short duration bottom time. Some technical instructors in SoFlo will take you on a boat dive and try to cram skills into a short bottom time. This unnecessarily pressurizes the learning experience. Dr. Lasseter doesn’t do that. Expect to get a lot of skills work done in the shallows. He’ll take notes and do de-briefs with you to formulate the next dive’s training priorities. I like iterative training so I dig the failures and team tasks (no mask buddy-assisted deco ascent) and was happy to focus on them in the shallows without worrying that I was missing parts of a wreck or sealife while on a boat dive. Not much would make me as frustrated as starting to faff about with a valve or mask drill right as a Lemon or Black Tip comes into view.
Once you meet the skills requirements, then it’s time to plan a dive to depth, analyze gases, mark tanks, do rehearsals, get on a boat and jump a wreck. You’ll lead the planning effort and most of the dive. There will be parts where Landon will step forward for instructor control reasons (with the charter operator, for example) but most of the time he wants to see that you can plan the dive, communicate the profile, identify likely contingencies, run through your own gas checks to confirm MODs and ENDs, properly label, team build with other divers, control time on the objective, manage the deco schedule and deal with contingencies.
I got head of myself somewhat. You may not meet the other divers until the planning session. Trust that Dr Lasseter is not picking some idiots to join you. The guys he brought in for my course (theirs, too) were good dive jocks. For any female divers out there, trust that Dr. Lasseter will do some personality alignments if he brings in others trainees so you don’t feel like you’re in a men’s locker room.
You’ll get some failures to validate that you’re able to deal with problems but after “The Cannons” the focus is on planning the dive, diving the plan and enjoying the dive.
I really (x3) liked the Hydro Atlantic but the Miss Lourdes (aka Miracle of Life, IIRC) was great, too.
Dr. Lasseter is selective about the boat charters and has great rapport with the reputable operators.
Hunter, the Assistant Instructor, is a great American. He fills in a lot of blanks and was the glue keeping everything on track. He’s a caver so he has great depth in skills to offer and he is very practical underwater. I’d dive with Hunter anywhere...he is rock solid, has great values and none of the drama that some technical divers fall prey to.
Great experience. Proceed with high confidence.
I can highly recommend Dr. Lasseter as your instructor.
He’ll start with an interview of what your objectives are. He’s laid back but don’t mistake that as casual. I took the course because I wanted to do the dives I was already doing but with the training and certification to plan for, draw and breathe a safer density and composition.
Once you complete the dry-land interview, he’ll start with a review of the course standards and have you do a line by line self-assessment. Be honest with yourself....even if you’ve done something a dozen times, you might not necessarily be doing it to standard.
I’m a hard copy book kinda guy so I had done all my reading and written margin notes and questions before the course. I had a lot of virtual mentoring from @RainPilot who I had intended to train with in the UAE until COVID totally upset our training plans. I can’t over-emphasize @RainPilot ‘s role in my development and preparation so if you have a chance to read your course book before hand and engage with Dr. Lasseter before the course, it will help ensure the best use of time during the course.
Next you’ll do a skills inventory and assessment during a shallow water dive from the shore (“The Cannons”). You won’t get much deeper than 5-7m if that. I think this is a great instructional technique because you work out all your skills from the shore (no cost but gas and instruction) rather than on an expensive boat dive where you only get a short duration bottom time. Some technical instructors in SoFlo will take you on a boat dive and try to cram skills into a short bottom time. This unnecessarily pressurizes the learning experience. Dr. Lasseter doesn’t do that. Expect to get a lot of skills work done in the shallows. He’ll take notes and do de-briefs with you to formulate the next dive’s training priorities. I like iterative training so I dig the failures and team tasks (no mask buddy-assisted deco ascent) and was happy to focus on them in the shallows without worrying that I was missing parts of a wreck or sealife while on a boat dive. Not much would make me as frustrated as starting to faff about with a valve or mask drill right as a Lemon or Black Tip comes into view.
Once you meet the skills requirements, then it’s time to plan a dive to depth, analyze gases, mark tanks, do rehearsals, get on a boat and jump a wreck. You’ll lead the planning effort and most of the dive. There will be parts where Landon will step forward for instructor control reasons (with the charter operator, for example) but most of the time he wants to see that you can plan the dive, communicate the profile, identify likely contingencies, run through your own gas checks to confirm MODs and ENDs, properly label, team build with other divers, control time on the objective, manage the deco schedule and deal with contingencies.
I got head of myself somewhat. You may not meet the other divers until the planning session. Trust that Dr Lasseter is not picking some idiots to join you. The guys he brought in for my course (theirs, too) were good dive jocks. For any female divers out there, trust that Dr. Lasseter will do some personality alignments if he brings in others trainees so you don’t feel like you’re in a men’s locker room.
You’ll get some failures to validate that you’re able to deal with problems but after “The Cannons” the focus is on planning the dive, diving the plan and enjoying the dive.
I really (x3) liked the Hydro Atlantic but the Miss Lourdes (aka Miracle of Life, IIRC) was great, too.
Dr. Lasseter is selective about the boat charters and has great rapport with the reputable operators.
Hunter, the Assistant Instructor, is a great American. He fills in a lot of blanks and was the glue keeping everything on track. He’s a caver so he has great depth in skills to offer and he is very practical underwater. I’d dive with Hunter anywhere...he is rock solid, has great values and none of the drama that some technical divers fall prey to.
Great experience. Proceed with high confidence.
I did my AN/DP a few years ago with John Chatterton. I got a lot out of the class. It's also pretty cool to be able to spend some time with someone who has such an incredible history in our sport. In addition to being a good teacher, he's hilarious, has a million stories and really gets you excited about diving in general.
I guess if you are really focused on caves, then maybe you would want someone different, but as was said upthread, if you can deco in OW, you can do it in caves (that makes sense, but I have no idea personally, I'm not a cave diver at all).
Looks like he is putting together 2021 Trimix classes now in that area.
I guess if you are really focused on caves, then maybe you would want someone different, but as was said upthread, if you can deco in OW, you can do it in caves (that makes sense, but I have no idea personally, I'm not a cave diver at all).
Looks like he is putting together 2021 Trimix classes now in that area.
Follow up to my previous.
I think most community members here in the tech sub-forum that are awake and pay attention know that Dr. Lasseter is co-owner of Deep 6 Gear.
Despite me showing up with a competitor brand, the sly ol’ country doc didn’t make any effort to push Deep 6 Gear.
I valued that greatly and although I waited until Back Friday, I ended up buying two Sig firsts, two Sig seconds, a D6G can light and a D6G dry suit.
Everyone that may come into Dr. Lasseter’s instructional tractor beam has been forewarned.
Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated.
This is the way.
BTW, next year’s Signature regs will be made out of Beskar.
I think most community members here in the tech sub-forum that are awake and pay attention know that Dr. Lasseter is co-owner of Deep 6 Gear.
Despite me showing up with a competitor brand, the sly ol’ country doc didn’t make any effort to push Deep 6 Gear.
I valued that greatly and although I waited until Back Friday, I ended up buying two Sig firsts, two Sig seconds, a D6G can light and a D6G dry suit.
Everyone that may come into Dr. Lasseter’s instructional tractor beam has been forewarned.
Resistance is futile.
You will be assimilated.
This is the way.
BTW, next year’s Signature regs will be made out of Beskar.
I heartily recommend Dan Dawson as well. He's really detail oriented, but not to the point of being obnoxious. Laidback enough that you'll learn the info. Have fun! I mean hell, I was going to recommend @Capt Jim Wyatt, and he's recommending Dan as well.
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Thanks @The Chairman -- I have gotten to the point that I only teach cave divers anyway. I will teach a cavern diver. I just don't want to teach in open water anymore.
The no mask swim sucks in salt water.
It sucks more in 45 degree water.
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