Intro to Tech

[Blackcrusader]

Seems like GUE fundamentals is something I should look into. I’ve also heard that their training is rigorous. This will probably be my next target since I already have my deep diver specialty planned for this May.

I have been diving since January 1986. Deco dives part of that which is normal for recreational diving.

First off I asked my instructor who has done the GUE fundies course if I should do so and he replied for me not really necessary.
Secondly I want to do the TDI advanced nitrox and deco course. First I will do a side mount course followed by around at least 15 side mount dives immediately after I get my side mount certificate. Then I will do the TDI course followed by another week of deco dives. Some will be to 45m depth but a lot will be to shallower 30 - 35m depths. So I have allowed 3 weeks to complete both courses with the extra diving.

I could just take the side mount course then do the TDI course right away but I want the extra dives to become really comfortable with side mount diving. I am not going to rush from one to the other. I will be 62 when doing these courses. My instructor is more then 3 decades younger than I am but we have done a lot of dives together before as well. He also trained my lad for his OW several years back.
My advice is to get more experience diving in different conditions before just doing course and getting certifications. Too many people rush through and barely pass their courses. My own personal feeling is that divers who want to do deep diving to say 45m with a TDI advanced nitrox and deco course should have 150 - 200 dives experience in various conditions. That is not the requirement it is my own view which is not valid to being accepted into a course.

One thing is why not look at joining a BSAC Sports diving club and doing deep and tech diving with them they offer very good programs. Being in a club is very different than just doing courses with an instructor you may never see again. It is good to see what other agencies like GUE BSAC TDI and others offer in training and what certifications you will get.

 

[WDiver78]

Doing technical diving (training) has nothing to do with the number of dives. You have a sit down discussion with the instructor, it is pretty much a 2-way interview. If the time is right, the time is right. If not, get a bit of information and an idea of what needs to be done for the time to be right. The dive store marketing "you need 12 dives to qualify for the next level" is BS in the technical world.

That’s a fair point there are good divers out there with only 50 dives, and I’ve also personally seen divers with over 200 dives with 0 buoyancy and wrecks the coral reef. Although I do feel my skills are decent, it’s hard for me to personally gauge my abilities. I will make sure to have a chat with my deep dive instructor and see what his take is

 

[Jacob BV]

I'm a BSAC diver at heart and do 100% of my diving under that banner. But I did do GUE Fundementals and it is joint first for the best course I have ever done to improve my diving (it's tied with Seasearch).

I would say every single diver no matter how experienced will come out a better diver after doing Fundies - even divers with >1000 dives. If you already dive in a circle of GUE divers or tech divers who put value on stability, trim, and buoyancy then yes you might benifit less and the price/benefit ratio of the course might not be that apealing. But if you don't it will completely accelarate your development for any diving you do and well worth the money and time.

 

[Wibble]

To be blunt: it’s not the number of dives it’s ONLY your competence that counts.

Good enough might be fine for recreational diving, excellence is the required standard for technical diving as your life may depend upon it.

(Sorry for being strident, it’s good to set this up front. Excellence and pride in what you achieve is one of the greatest satisfactions of technical diving.)

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

Hand signals for technical divers, gas management, reels/SMB, cutting device, spare mask, lift bag, decompression computer, decompression software, dive planning, flashlight, wetnotes for back up dive plan, bottom gas/deco mix, best mix for actual dive. A lot of information can be found on the internet.

 

[Pearlman]

On the same track/boat as the OP both in terms of immediate aspirations and the gear (DC) - he has a Sunnto D5 while I have an Eon Core that uses FusedRGBM2. From other threads I gathered that some instructors refuse to teach a student who does not own a Buhlmann-16 driven DC. How widespread is this? Conversely how easy is to find a tech dive shop around APAC that is ok with doing dive planning on the Sunnto DM5 software and compare and contrast with another Buhlmann based App like say Multideco and make important learning data points and observations before actually doing the dives planned with FusedRGBM2?

 

[Blackcrusader]

On the same track/boat as the OP both in terms of immediate aspirations and the gear (DC) - he has a Sunnto D5 while I have an Eon Core that uses FusedRGBM2. From other threads I gathered that some instructors refuse to teach a student who does not own a Buhlmann-16 driven DC. How widespread is this? Conversely how easy is to find a tech dive shop around APAC that is ok with doing dive planning on the Sunnto DM5 software and compare and contrast with another Buhlmann based App like say Multideco and make important learning data points and observations before actually doing the dives planned with FusedRGBM2?

Just online with my instructor for my TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco course and I copied your post to him and he replied that not allowing someone to use a Suunto D5 or EON and must use Buhlmann-16 driven DC

" sounds stupid "

 

[Pearlman]

Just online with my instructor for my TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco course and I copied your post to him and he replied that not allowing someone to use a Suunto D5 or EON and must use Buhlmann-16 driven DC

" sounds stupid "

Well I’ve seen this proclamations online by some Tech. Instructors for sure - that they will upfront refuse students who use Sunnto. Does TDI or any Tech., Training agency insist on Buhlmann? Maybe not but apparently some Instructors do…

 

[KenGordon]

above someone asked about cost.

I have my CCR bailouts tested and refilled last week and an 11l 210 bar fill of 15/50 cost £77. So a twinset of 18/45 would be £150. Deco gas is maybe £40.

Or do two such dives CCR for £30 in gas and £10 (maybe £20) in sorb.

Tech diving is just regular diving done vaguely properly. Some extra kit is necessary for redundancy but people ought to have a proper plan and attitude when doing a no stop dive to 30 or 40 metres. How much more planning is needed because of some stops?

The OP should do Intro to Tech and then follow the advice/learning from that in some no stop diving for a bit and preferably using a twinset.

Someone also asked about shops.

Commonly shops want nothing to do with deco dives. What shops think will not matter to you. You plan your dive how you see fit. Taking responsibility for your own diving is part of the mindset you need to develop.

The Suunto D5 will be ok for OC Nitrox deco dives. Eventually you need something that can do trimix and CCR. There is an uninformed, narrow minded and “learned it on the internet” prejudice against Suunto. Any instructor who refuses to train a person because their computer is telling you something about themselves. It is still the case that these deco courses require written plans on a slate. Whether the plan comes from DM5 or MultiDeco, who cares. When train8mg the plan is likely to be interrupted by an “emergency“ so as to mostly avoid the full deco obligation (the student will still do the planned deco but not strictly need to).

 

[Blackcrusader]

Well I’ve seen this proclamations online by some Tech. Instructors for sure - that they will upfront refuse students who use Sunnto. Does TDI or any Tech., Training agency insist on Buhlmann? Maybe not but apparently some Instructors do…

TDI simply says your instructor will advise what equipment is required. So yes they can decide. Now I was told you must have have a backup to my DC which has depth and a bottom timer so I can use my Cressi Digi 2 Console so I do not need to have an extra dive computer as you will use tables and a bottom timer for the dive anyway. Maybe some instructors will insist on the diver having two dive computers.

For me I will not plan on Trimix or CCR in my future the last course I may take is solo diver.

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