Going From Tdi An/dp To Helitrox?

[sheeper]

It's been a while, but I figured I would post a follow-up here in case anyone like me comes along later and reads this thread.

IANTD offers a course called Open Circuit Recreational Trimix. That certifies a diver for recreational dives to 130' with up to 25% Helium. I have just gotten email confirmation back from IANTD that the course does not require any dives (though an individual instructor may, at their discretion). Prerequisites are to be at least 15 years old and have the Deep Diver specialty.

So, for someone in the position that I'm in that wants to be able to add some Helium to their mix, the IANTD OC Rec Trimix course may be an option to look into, instead of putting all the time and money in that is required for TDI Helitrox.

Just an FYI for posterity.

The IANTD course is exactly that. it stays within rec limits and allows for that bit of He. Though I'm an IANTD instructor, i don't teach that class (yet). But my shop does offer it.

 

[stuartv]

Interesting to me that it allows more Helium than the TDI Helitrox course. 25% vs 20% with TDI.

 

[rivers]

Or just do ART. No helium limits

 

[stuartv]

I will do full Normoxic Trimix. Eventually. I'm not satisfied that I am ready for that yet. My vacation balance and checkbook balance are definitely not. But, if I can do a classroom-only session or two and be able to start using 20 or 25% Helium on the deeper dives I'm already doing, I would put the effort into that. That would let me do a lot of the dives I already want to do and am certified for, and feel a bit safer at the same time.

It's too bad TDI doesn't make it as easy as IANTD does for this. Oh, well. Broadening my experience seems beneficial in its own right.

 

[runsongas]

for ART, it requires 4 dives using helium mixes with restricted END. if you completed the regular requirements for AN as per the IANTD standards and then wanted to finish with ART instead, it would still require an extra 4 dives.

 

[lukeb]

I emailed TDI directly and got a response on this.

- If my AN/DP instructor is certified to teach Helitrox, he could issue me a Helitrox cert without making me do more dives. But, if I go to a NEW (to me) instructor, I would have to do the full Helitrox course, which is effectively a repeat of the DP course.

I know this thread is 5 years old but.....

The above quoted information is no longer correct. I called TDI after reading this thread, thinking I could get my Helitrox card from my Deco Procedures instructor by doing the Trimix classwork and not repeating the class, and they told me no that is not the case. They told me I would have to do the whole Helitrox class (which is pointless already having Deco Procedures, it makes more sense to just do the regular Trimix class).

Just wanted to clarify in case anyone else like me read this thread and thought the information was still accurate. I'm assuming TDI changed their position and / or class standards since the original posts.

 

[stuartv]

I know this thread is 5 years old but.....

The above quoted information is no longer correct. I called TDI after reading this thread, thinking I could get my Helitrox card from my Deco Procedures instructor by doing the Trimix classwork and not repeating the class, and they told me no that is not the case. They told me I would have to do the whole Helitrox class (which is pointless already having Deco Procedures, it makes more sense to just do the regular Trimix class).

Just wanted to clarify in case anyone else like me read this thread and thought the information was still accurate. I'm assuming TDI changed their position and / or class standards since the original posts.

I think some clarification is warranted here. At the time you did AN/DP, was your instructor certified as a Helitrox Instructor? If not, then what you said does not invalidate my previous post.

If your AN/DP instructor WAS a Helitrox instructor at the time you did AN/DP, then it's up to your instructor to decide if you met all the requirements for a Helitrox cert and, if not, how many more dives you would need to do, in addition to the Trimix book work, in order to issue you a Helitrox cert.

In other words, I'm not sure exactly what you asked the person at TDI, nor what your AN/DP's instructor qualifications were at the time you took the AN/DP course. But, I do not believe anything has changed, and what I posted before is still correct. The key is that your AN/DP instructor had to also be a Helitrox instructor at the time you did the AN/DP class.

 

[lukeb]

I think some clarification is warranted here. At the time you did AN/DP, was your instructor certified as a Helitrox Instructor? If not, then what you said does not invalidate my previous post.

If your AN/DP instructor WAS a Helitrox instructor at the time you did AN/DP, then it's up to your instructor to decide if you met all the requirements for a Helitrox cert and, if not, how many more dives you would need to do, in addition to the Trimix book work, in order to issue you a Helitrox cert.

In other words, I'm not sure exactly what you asked the person at TDI, nor what your AN/DP's instructor qualifications were at the time you took the AN/DP course. But, I do not believe anything has changed, and what I posted before is still correct. The key is that your AN/DP instructor had to also be a Helitrox instructor at the time you did the AN/DP class.

- Yes my instructor was able to teach the Helitrox class at the time I took AN/DP.

- I spoke to TDI directly and they said that I would have to take the whole Helitrox class. I could not use my Deco class to fulfill the requirements.

 

[stuartv]

- Yes my instructor was able to teach the Helitrox class at the time I took AN/DP.

- I spoke to TDI directly and they said that I would have to take the whole Helitrox class. I could not use my Deco class to fulfill the requirements.

I suggest you ask your instructor what you need to do, if you want the Helitrox card. If your instructor says you did the dives and the class work and met all the requirements for Helitrox - under his/her instruction and while he/she was a Helitrox instructor - then how do you reckon TDI HQ would say no? The only issue I could possibly see is if the span of time was too long from start to finish. If you did AN/DP and it has been more than 6 months and now you want to do the book work to get Helitrox, that could be an issue.

Otherwise, if your instructor says you met all the requirements and issues you a Helitrox cert, what would be the basis for TDI to say no? That is what we instructors do. We determine that you've met all the requirements and we issue you a cert... And, in this case, the Open Water Execution standards for Helitrox and Adv Nitrox are identical. Helitrox certification does not even require diving with actual Helitrox gas. So, if you met the requirements for Adv Nitrox, you implicitly met the in-water requirements for Helitrox.

 

[Marie13]

I know this thread is 5 years old but.....

The above quoted information is no longer correct. I called TDI after reading this thread, thinking I could get my Helitrox card from my Deco Procedures instructor by doing the Trimix classwork and not repeating the class, and they told me no that is not the case. They told me I would have to do the whole Helitrox class (which is pointless already having Deco Procedures, it makes more sense to just do the regular Trimix class).

Just wanted to clarify in case anyone else like me read this thread and thought the information was still accurate. I'm assuming TDI changed their position and / or class standards since the original posts.

How much after the fact did you try to get the Helitrox card?