How do I get started in tech?

[alv0065]

I've been kind of interested in tech diving for a while... Two big attractions to me: 1) the tight knit community 2) I like planning and problem solving to reach goals. Also I follow tech divers on social media and they seem to always be doing something.... interesting. Either exploring or solving some little technical problem. I am landlocked (Dallas Fort Worth Area) and the only place to dive is a quarry that maxes out at 60 feet so I am not even sure if there is much tech training to be done here.

I've toyed with... just moving to central Florida. I am a teacher, I am sure it would be easy to find teaching jobs there. And I at least of a Dive Shop in the Orlando area (Day O scuba) where people I follow do their tech stuff. So perhaps, just move and teach there for a year, knock out some tech training/perhaps my (recreational) instructor, and then... if I don't vibe with Florida move after that.

Anyways, just sort of wondering the best way to find tech training and how to approach it?

 

[Wibble]

Get your core skills properly sorted — buoyancy, trim and finning. Meaning you are stable when fully task loaded.

Alas you need to dive somewhere more interesting be that wrecks in the sea or underground. Florida’s caves are wonderful and there’s many excellent cave diving instructors.

Lakes/quarries are good for practice but are pretty dull and boring as a destination.

A good starting point is to do GUE Fundamentals for your core skills even if you do not progress further with GUE — there are many other agencies available for technical training.

 

[grantmac]

Recreationally diving in tech gear (doubles backmount or sidemount) is a good step along the way.

 

[happy-diver]

just moving to central Florida. I am a teacher

Yeah so concentrate on moving there and then go diving to your hearts content in whichever direction you choose

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Recreationally diving in tech gear (doubles backmount or sidemount) is a good step along the way.

This is on point. I mostly dive recreationally but always in tech gear. Practicing tech things, carrying a deco bottle etc. So when I do do tech dives it just feels like normal diving.

@alv0065 diving is not about the destination or the cert, it's about how much experience you have under water. At least here they don't care about certs as much as they do experience.

All of your technical training can be done in 30 feet of water. Doubles, drysuit, gas switches, etc. Then slowly move to different environments.

Good luck and most of all have fun!

 

[rddvet]

Get a good set of basic skills. Take something like a gue fundies or other “intro to tech” style class from a competent instructor who tech dives significantly more than ow dives. I only bring up gue because it can be hard to know the quality of instruction and gue keeps an eye on their instructors more than others. The problem is many people hate gue so I was hesitant to suggest it. But the main point is you want a competent instructor so do your homework. This will be the basis for years of high level diving. If you don’t start with the right basic skill set you will spend more time and money catching up over the years. Ask me how I know.

 

[Doc Harry]

I've toyed with... just moving to central Florida.

I thought of that, too, when I first started in tech. But every time I seriously made the effort to contact real estate agents, head hunters, etc., I reminded myself that in Florida I would have to deal with 3 unacceptable things:
1. Hurricanes
2. Bugs
3. Floridians

 

[inquis]

Day O scuba) where people I follow do their tech stuff.

No need to move. Many tech divers travel for training, then refine/ingrain skills locally. If you like what you see from the Day O folks, go for it. (I've seen their cave videos, they seem fairly well sorted to me.)

Local training boring? Perhaps, but many skills are harder when shallow. Ascents in crap vis are REALLY difficult. "Train hard, fight easy," right? I recall some threads about deeper places to dive in TX, so make weekend trips for the aspects you simply cannot get locally.

 

[alv0065]

I thought of that, too, when I first started in tech. But every time I seriously made the effort to contact real estate agents, head hunters, etc., I reminded myself that in Florida I would have to deal with 3 unacceptable things:
1. Hurricanes
2. Bugs
3. Floridians

Yes. Well, as a non-diving note, I know I will not be happy living there. However, I feel I could justify it as sort of one year... rent for one year to knock out some dive qualifications etc, and unless I suprise myself and fall in love with it, bail outta dodge.

 

[divezonescuba]

Most of the people that we train in Texas, do their shallow water skills training in a local quarry like Blue Lagoon in Huntsville which is between Dallas and Houston.

We then do their deeper water training on a trip. We do lower level technical training in Panama City Beach which is not too bad of a drive from TX . We used to do technical training in Lake Travis in Austin, but found that it was not really conducive to conducting effective technical training due to the very low visibility and temperature gradient.

We do the higher level technical training in West Palm Beach, Bonaire, and Egypt.

You can also take a look at this video, as selecting the correct technical diving instructor for you is an important issue.