Question Hydros Pro for tech diving

[GF99/99]

Any instructor that accepts this as a useable configuration for technical diving should never have been certified as a technical instructor.

This is the truth!

Well you never know... Think about what agency the OP is referring to... Were talking about the same agency that will allow its instructors to just go online and self certify as a sidemount instructor.

And the sad thing is that poor person probably paid good money for there training and does not even know they got ripped off.

But hey maybe they have a new Tec40 specialty ad on course that you can pay more for and you get an amazing new plastic card to add to your collection. Its called the "single tank BCD, single stage, with deco gas specialty" You dive your rec BCD single tank setup with a stage somehow slug on one side and then a deco gas on the other side. You dive the BCD mounted single tank and slug stage and managed the gas balancing like you would sidemount and then when you get to your first deco stop you gas switch to the deco gas to finish the dive.

 

[VikingDives]

Its called the "single tank BCD, single stage, with deco gas specialty" You dive your rec BCD single tank setup with a stage somehow slug on one side and then a deco gas on the other side. You dive the BCD mounted single tank and slug stage and managed the gas balancing like you would sidemount and then when you get to your first deco stop you gas switch to the deco gas to finish the dive.

I know this is tongue in cheek, but sadly there is a local "Tech" instructor who teaches almost exactly this way. . .

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well you never know... Think about what agency the OP is referring to... Were talking about the same agency that will allow its instructors to just go online and self certify as a sidemount instructor.
View attachment 852292
And the sad thing is that poor person probably paid good money for there training and does not even know they got ripped off.

But hey maybe they have a new Tec40 specialty ad on course that you can pay more for and you get an amazing new plastic card to add to your collection. Its called the "single tank BCD, single stage, with deco gas specialty" You dive your rec BCD single tank setup with a stage somehow slug on one side and then a deco gas on the other side. You dive the BCD mounted single tank and slug stage and managed the gas balancing like you would sidemount and then when you get to your first deco stop you gas switch to the deco gas to finish the dive.

What is that?
From here it looks like a total CF.

 

[oya]

I can't say that I am a huge fan of what can be construed as "get a load of this crummy diver!" photos.

But by the same token, how will people know what kind of baffling bundles of bumf to stay the hell away from when they encounter it in the wild.

Instructors, one would hope, would know better than to be allowed to be photographed like this; other than as an example of what not to look like.

One would hope...

 

[GF99/99]

I can't say that I am a huge fan of what can be construed as "get a load of this crummy diver!" photos.

But by the same token, how will people know what kind of baffling bundles of bumf to stay the hell away from when they encounter it in the wild.

Instructors, one would hope, would know better than to be allowed to be photographed like this; other than as an example of what not to look like.

One would hope...

I agree but my point really was "get a load of this crummy instructor" that basically ripped there student off. And really the bigger picture is get a load of how XYZ agency can allow instructors to teach this and actually certify students.

It was really to try and relate it back to the OP original question about using a BCD for technical diving.

And basically as @VikingDives has pointed out the sad thing is like this poor sidemount diver that obviously had a horrible instructor there are also instructors out running very poor quality low standard technical courses. But this also might not even be the instructor fault as I was eluding to earlier some agencies have pretty low standards for there instructors and it is more about cranking out certs and getting money than quality teaching.

The picture is basically a result of instructors being able to self certify online and then that somehow qualifies them to teach sidmount diving.

 

[divezonescuba]

I can say that I have conducted one last minute destination TEC40 class using a TEC40 configuration. The diver's existing gear was not suitable for backmount twinset diving.

What the TEC40 configuration involved was a recreational level plate and wing with 38 pounds of lift with an AL40 attached with pony bottle mount to a single backmounted AL80, both with bottom gas. A deco tank was slung in the normal manner. This TEC40 configuration is specifically identified by PADI as acceptable because of the crossover nature of the TEC40 course. This particular configuration is also actually used by many public safety dive teams.

Although this setup is explicitly identified and allowed by PADI, it is very difficult to conduct the course in this configuration. Aside of the difficulty of reaching the valves, the rig is also unbalanced both above and below the water. Although it is allowed, based on what I learned from the experience, I would not do it again.

A much better solution in the absence of manifolded doubles, which is acceptable to PADI is to use independent doubles. The following configuration can be used with any plate and wing with sufficient lift.

PADI only allows the use of independent doubles up to TEC40. TDI allows this configuration all the way thru advanced trimix.