How to start out in tech diving?

[dive_lover88]

I'm kinda interested in tech diving,i'm now adv ow with only 38 dives. My plan is to become a DM before going into tech diving. Anyone can tell me the steps of progression and prerequisites for starting out in tech?Thanks
D

 

[PerroneFord]

I'm kinda interested in tech diving,i'm now adv ow with only 38 dives. My plan is to become a DM before going into tech diving. Anyone can tell me the steps of progression and prerequisites for starting out in tech?Thanks
D

Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures seems to be the gateway to technical diving for many folks. What kind of technical diving are you talking about? Deep? Wrecks? Cave? Regardless, learning to deal with pp02, carrying bottles, decompression diving, etc., is used in all these.

 

[dive_lover88]

I'm looking to go into deep and wreck diving.
D

 

[MikeFerrara]

The question is a little open ended but I'll try.

First of all, ideally, one would have the advantage of starting out with sound entry level training and have the chance to gain experience while applying those skills. I'll try to explain what I mean. I've had divemasters and instructors come to me for entry level technical training and they just weren't ready skill-wise. We had to start with learning entry level skills such as correct weighting, trim, finning technique and performing basic tasks at the same time. We expect "technical training" to provide the details of how to go deeper, longer or enter overhead environments but you shaould already know how to dive but that often just isn't the case. So...I think the first step is to develop good technique in the diving environment that you're in now. IMO, the time and place to develop good basic skills is early and shallow rather than as you venture into more demanding environments.

The rest, I think should be need driven. For instance, you've seen all the wrecks within a given set of limits, you're comfortable and skilled there and wish to see some that are deeper, add penetration, ect. The driving interest could be deeper reefs, caves or whatever. What's needed? Maybe the ability to carry more gas, different gas, decompression theory and using additional tools like line and reels to navigate in dark overhead environments.

What's the next step to take? Depending on what your interestes are it might be an entry level "deep diving class" like Advanced nitrox, a cavern class or just getting with some one experienced in the diving you're interested in (it may or may not be an instructor) and getting an honest assessment of your current skill level and cleaning things up some in preparation for the next step.

Not to start an arguement, push DIR or even suggest that it's the only way, but I really think a GUE DIRF is a really reliable way to see where you're at skill-wise and pick up some really good and simple dive planning skills that you may not have gotten from your entry level or other recreational training.

Your plan to become a DM is fine if you want to assist in training and supervise other divers in a recreational setting. DM training generally has you spending lots of time practicing entry level skills on your knees so that you can demo those skills to divers that are learning them on their knees. It won't do anything to prepare you to dive more demanding environments yourself. I would not, in any way shape or form, consider DM training as a prereq to technical diving or even a step towards it. In fact, it may just further reinforce and ingrain bad habits that you've already learned. IMO, if your interests are in more technical diving, now is the time to get out of the recreational diving/training cycle because it won't do a thing for you...maybe pick up a basic nitrox cert before you say goodby.

I'd go a step further and say that depending on the shop, club or crowd that you dive with that in order to get yourself some decent mentorship you may need to surround yourself with a different crowd alltogether. There's just a whole world of diving out there that many typical shops/clubs are just completely unaware of and/or uneducated about.

Personally I'd also avoid the vacation dive focused shop who just decided to send one of their instructors through their agencies "new" tech program so they can expand their market to a few tech wannabees. IMO, you need to learn from and rub elbows with the real deal. They're out there but you aren't likely to find them in just any corner dive shop though the guy behing the counter may try to convince you otherwise.

 

[BabyDuck]

damn. i agree with every word you said, mike!

darren, find a tech-oriented mentor, and dive dive dive, shallow and often, to nail horizontal orientation & trim, buoyancy, different kicks, etc. then start adding some tasky things, like valve drills or no-mask or shooting a lift bag or whatever, while keeping your trim and not moving in the water column. after a year give or take of good mentored diving, hopefully you'll be there.

this in no way negates anything mike said about the fundies-type class you can do now, but you'll need the time to really nail the skills while someone who knows what it's supposed to look like & feel like is observing.

a good mentor is worth his/her weight in gold.

 

[H2Andy]

I'm looking to go into deep and wreck diving.
D

"tech diving" is really a means to an end. you have identified your end
(you want to dive deep and dive wrecks).

in order to do that, you will need wreck training as well as trimix training.

your progression would be something like this:

Nitrox
Wreck Diving
Advanced Nitrox
Deco Procedures
Advanced Wreck Diving
Trimix
Deep Wreck Diving

(this is going to depend on which agencies have instructors near you
and what classes they offer).

by the time you are done, you will be able to do both deep dives
and wreck dives. I would suggest you finish the OW-AOW-Rescue
sequence and get comfortable with your basic skills before starting
wreck training.

100 dives would probalby be a good number to shoot for before starting
tech training.

 

[dbush]

1. Read all you can about it. Stories, instructional material, etc. (try www.thedecostop.com)
2. Try to find somebody who you can talk to about it that will show you the gear and give you an idea of some of the stuff that is not in the books. Better yet, find a good mentor that will be willing to help you through.
3. Get really good a bouancy control.
4. Find an instructor that fails at least 30% of his students the first time through. The higher the percentage, the better. Personally, I reccomend GUE. The training is great. Internal politics are tearing them apart, and you should listen to everything they tell you and then make up your own mind, but the training is top notch.
5. Take out a second mortgage.
6. If you haven't started an excercise program, better get started. Aerobics to improve your breathing rate, and strength training to keep from "breaking youreself" with all the gear.
7. Prepare to dedicate a significant protion of your time (i.e. less for friends and family, and less for other hobbies).
8. It really helps to have a buddy go in with you.

That is all I can think of. It is good that you are doing the DM thing, but it really isn't necessary unless you want to work in the field, and most people who work in the field can't afford tech. I've been trying to get the guys at my LDS to go tech but they can't afford it! Ironic huh?

 

[PerroneFord]

4. Find an instructor that fails at least 30% of his students the first time through. The higher the percentage, the better. Personally, I reccomend GUE. The training is great. Internal politics are tearing them apart, and you should listen to everything they tell you and then make up your own mind, but the training is top notch.

There is something SO wrong about the first part of this.... I would say, find an instructor who is willing to fail a student who will NOT be successful at the type of diving they are attempting to do. GUE offers good training as do others. If you want to explore caves, GUE training is quite excellent. If you want to do wreck diving, GUE Tech training might be excellent, but they don't offer a specific wreck penetration course that I can tell. TDI does I think, and if I'm not mistaken, so does NAUI. In any event, I recommend you find instructors who DO the type of diving you want to do. Not just teach it, but actually DO it.

I've always been of the impression, and this is something GUE seems to agree on, that training with instructors who have the same passion as the student is a good thing. And trainnig with an instructor that is pushing the envelope in the type of diving you wish to do, will allow that instructor to impart knowledge others might not be able to do. In other words, if I want to reach the netherlands of a cave, taking a class from JJ, or Larry Green, or others who DO deep, and very long caves is probably wise. If you want to do deep wrecks, then looking for someone who does them every weekend is probably smart. It helps if they are good teachers, but that you'll have to find out on your own.

As for internal politics tearing GUE apart, I don't know. I haven't seen it, but maybe you're privvy to things I am not. MY relationship to GUE is purely as a basic student. And I have been more than happy thus far.

 

[PerroneFord]

I'm kinda interested in tech diving,i'm now adv ow with only 38 dives. My plan is to become a DM before going into tech diving. Anyone can tell me the steps of progression and prerequisites for starting out in tech?Thanks
D

Allow me to be a hypocrite for a moment.

I also want to to tech diving. I am interested in deep wreck penetration dives. I started with a 5 year plan to reach that goal. That plan included a progression of overheard training, and mixed gas training. I've had opportunity to re-evaluate my plan a number of times. I am going to make some comments here.

Get to 100 dives and re-evaluate. Take a class like the GUE's DIRF course or the 5thDx Essentials class. It will show you where you are. If you are like most divers, you'll find that the bar is quite a lot higher than you think to move on to technical diving. Your buoyancy will not be good enough. Your buddy skills and situational awareness won't even be close. I expect it to take me 200 dives or so before I am ready to transition to real technical diving and I am fortunate enough to be able to get in the water weekly with real technical divers, and be mentored by them. No matter how badly I want to shave time off this process, there is NO substitute for experience and good training in a tough environment.

I truly wish you all the best as we seem to be walking a similar path. Just be patient, get the best training you can, and don't rush anything.

 

[Jason Ooi]

You must have a good water skills fitness before start.
you need take basic nitrox, deep diver, advanced nitrox "DSAT 1", technical diver "DSAT tec deep" minimum 100 dives log will be the best, learning to switch stage bottle and deco bottle doing decompression dives