Getting My Technical Training Started

[SnorkelLA]

Can anyone please tell me where to start with technical diving. I'm not looking into going commercial, just to gain more knowledge and experience in the event that I ever get an opportunity to go on a dive that requires a tech setup and to learn to be more prepared on SCUBA. Also, maybe in the future CCR diving may open itself up to me, so I'd like to have Tech training so that I may have a better place to start than standard SCUBA

If it helps, I currently have 214 dives

 

[decompression]

I'm a very big advocate of Unified Team Diving, checkout their website. A big feature is one gear configuration can work seamlessly in a mixed team, sidemount, back mount, singles, doubles, rebreather etc. Great philosiphy's that make sense.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'd look at an intro to tech class with TDI, NAUI, IANTD, or something with GUE or UTD. You don't need to go crazy to get an idea of what direction you want to take. But once you do look out! A few items to consider though:

Do not keep track of how much it's costing you. You may puke.
Do not let your wife know how much it's costing you. You may end up sleeping on the porch. If your lucky it will be minus bruises.
Take your time and research the heck out of everything. Especially your instructor.
Be ready to be humbled. Often. An attitude of I know nothing about this. Teach me, is a great thing.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Have you gone as far as your current training permits?

 

[SnorkelLA]

I've got PADI OW, AOW, Wreck diving, Cave diving, Nitrox and deep diving, taking a rescue course soon

 

[Mr.X]

Technical nitrox, or intro. to tech are good places to start. As a tech instructor - seems like you are moving in the right direction up the ladder with PADI related courses.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

I don't believe PADI has a Cave Course. I could be wrong. What sort of diving are you planning on doing? That should lead you to the instructor. A mentoring program is better suited at this level. Find someone you are going to enjoy spending a lot of time with and learn from progressively. Get your wallet out because the days of $500 dollar classes are gone.

 

[SnorkelLA]

I don't believe PADI has a Cave Course. I could be wrong. What sort of diving are you planning on doing? That should lead you to the instructor. A mentoring program is better suited at this level. Find someone you are going to enjoy spending a lot of time with and learn from progressively. Get your wallet out because the days of $500 dollar classes are gone.

They have a cavern diving course, I use the two terms interchangeably, but I know there is a big difference. When I took my cavern diving course I got a ton of other training in diving beyond the limitations of PADI from my instructor because we had known each other for so long and he knew my experience.

 

[TSandM]

I don't think there is anything wrong with pursuing more training, especially if your goal is to improve your capacity underwater.

I would highly, highly recommend a GUE Fundamentals class. You have access to two instructors in Los Angeles, as well as to a well-developed GUE community that can help mentor you through your initial gear acquisitions (assuming that you are not already using a backplate and long hose). The Fundamentals class will be useful, whether you go on to do your technical training with GUE or not, because it will hone the fundamentals of more challenging diving, and show you what the standard ought to be. You can work on those skills in a single tank (if that's what you are diving) and on every dive you do; when you eventually take true technical classes, they will be much easier for having built that foundation.

 

[lv2dive]

LA is Louisiana... I made the same mistake