GF99/99
Contributor
Looking to get into tech training but not sure about which agency to go with. There are number of TDI and GUE instructors in my area and I've heard good things about both sides. I've heard of people doing scientific projects collaborating with research centers, etc and I'm hoping I can participate in those things. I wonder if there's a significant difference in involvement in research projects between those two agencies?
Just by doing a simple Google search I could find GUE projects around the world but hard to find any TDI posts, not sure if that could conclude to GUE have more opportunities to get in touch with the scientific world...
Very interesting question.
I think you will find that most researchers are basically living off of ramen and popcorn if that is there primary job i.e. full time university scientist. So trying to get grants and begging for money is the only life they have outside of the lab. Now I will admit I do not know much about funding for agencies like GUE or TDI but I would venture to guess there not jumping with joy to give money away to a researcher project that they basically will get nothing in return for. Sorry to say but a team of 4 scientist going to Micronesia for 3 weeks to study something like octocoral feeding rates is not going to get a diving agency any type of return on there investment. And research trips are not cheap.
If you want to get into research diving your best bet is reaching out to volunteer in upcoming projects that universities have. The key word here is volunteer (and offer to pay your part, ie fuel, supplies, gas, diving fees etc.) money and free labor is a poor struggling researchers best friend. And be willing to do the "new guy" jobs like organizing transect photos, building sediment traps, filtering/drying out sediment traps, sample curation prep and labeling, sample vac bagging, etc.
Really if you want to get into research diving its not agencies that will be your gateway it is more organizations and universities that you should be looking at. These are the people backing research diving and conducting it.
That being said recently one of my good friends just finished writing up a TDI specialty course that was accepted by TDI so keep you eye out for that one.
The other reason why I think TDI or other agencies can not affiliate themselves with certain research diving is a lot of research diving is beyond TDI standards. For example the last research trip I was on that my friend actually wrote the course for a majority of our diving was sub 100m down to 160m and most dives were were well over 100% CNS. TDI can not affiliate themselves with dives like this. Additionally unless your fully decked out in a Santi suit with a GUE configured JJ or RB80 behind a Suex I don't know how willing GUE is to back a project as this would not look good for there photos, especially since research diving is not earning you any photo style points. There will be no classic super stoic I'm in perfect GUE trim photos. You will be touching rocks with you hands, transects, sample bags, data loggers, etc dangling from your harness.
Amazing experience though, discovered a new species!
Check around minute 3:40. I am filming