Looking for best agency for tec diving

[sigxbill]

question for all those who promote the "it's the instructor - not the agency" theory: How is the best way to find that "good instructor"?

 

[DevonDiver]

question for all those who promote the "it's the instructor - not the agency" theory: How is the best way to find that "good instructor"?

Research.

Any tech instructor worth their salt will have some reputation within the community, a verifiable online presence and a record of achievements and activities.

A Google search will reveal a lot of information. Have they written articles? A blog? What projects or expeditions have they been involved in? What is their diving routine? Videos? Comments or feedback on social networks and forums?

When I dive with or teach other tech divers, I can normally get a good indication from the name on their cert card. Many I will know, locally or internationally. Most good, some occasionally bad. The names I haven't heard of... and then can't find online... can sometimes indicate a less than stellar quality of diving.

Despite some agency efforts to mass-market technical diving, it IS still a community. The primary players tend to be well known and established in reputation.

 

[sigxbill]

Thanks for the response Andy. Could you please walk me through your process of research from the beginning - being very specific? Let's say a diver seeking tec instruction is not involved in the "community". You mention "online presence" - please specify exactly how YOU would research for a tec instructor online.

 

[DevonDiver]

1) Find the name/names of prospective technical instructors.

2) Google search "name + technical diving" (or whatever search parameters you require, ie. diving, tech, tec etc).

3) Get involved in the community online. Join a few forums related to technical diving. Ask direct questions on there. Have a look around Facebook and add some people... look for pages and groups.

4) Contact the individuals directly and ask why you should choose them. Ask about their diving history, involvements etc. Get a feel for how they respond, their motivation and willingness to answer your questions.

5) Get involved in the community locally. Ask to go watch them diving. Meet for a drink and chat.

6) Meet prospective instructors in person (if possible with location). Chat with them and get a feel for their personal philosophies, motivation and professionalism.

 

[sigxbill]

thanks again Andy - #1 is what I am interested in - what is your method for finding the names of prospective technical instructors?

 

[DevonDiver]

thanks again Andy - #1 is what I am interested in - what is your method for finding the names of prospective technical instructors?

It depends on the parameters you set for your training course. Are you restricted in location? Willing to travel regionally, nationally or or internationally to get the best available?

If limited locally, then just Google around and find dive centers and independents that offer the required training. Start your research there. Independents tend to have sufficient credibility to 'stand alone' in the market. Dive centers may employ tech instructors of very good standing (or be run by one), but may also employ anonymous tech-instructor drones... Contact them to learn exactly WHO would teach your course.

National and International searching is a different beast. You are looking for the best, and willing to travel to get it. Start searching on the subject, not for individuals. See who stands out for their involvement and credibility.

Your choice of first technical instructor has a real bearing on your future development. I was lucky.. I did TDI training with Mark Powell in the UK. I didnt do a lot of research...so it was luck... he just happened to live locally at the time I decided to learn technical diving. That experience profoundly shaped all my future development as a technical diver, then tech instructor.

 

[sigxbill]

just Google around and find dive centers and independents that offer the required training.

This is the response I was looking for. Have you ever tried to do this? Your method doesn't work. I just tried it by searching for: "technical diving instructor city", where city is replaced by whatever city you are using for the starting point of your radius search of the preferred area of training. The results are terrible, because if there is no match for that exact city, then the rest of the results don't make sense and are useless.

The beginning search is one reason AGENCY MATTERS! It has been my experience that the best way to accomplish #1 is to start with the website of the agency that matches your training philosophy, and click on "Find Instructor" from there. You can then look down the resulting list of instructors and find one or more, close to the preferred location of training, to interview and do further research on.

So for me, my suggested #1 would be to research agencies first - so you can develop a preferred training philosophy - and hence pick an agency's website, at least start with, to click 'find instructor' on.

I am glad you feel lucky to find the instructor you started with. Personally for me, it would have been difficult to start TDI, because after researching it, I found that it's founder's character and philosophies didn't match mine. But that is just me. I am sure there are probably a large percentage of good TDI instructors that never bothered to study their agency before they joined it ... which is typical of most people ...

 

[trady]

If you are considering heading to Asia Blue Label may be an option - here are reviews about them

Blue Label Diving with 4.92 out of 5 stars from 61 reviews on ScubaTribe.

 

[TSandM]

I will second the suggestion to look at GUE. If nothing else, look into taking the Fundamentals course . . . it will be an excellent introduction to the change in mentality and intensity that marks the transition from standard recreational diving to the technical approach. Unless you are going sidemount, you will be diving something very close to the GUE gear setup as a tech diver, so that change shouldn't present a significant obstacle.

There are three GUE instructors in Southern California, and three in Monterey. I have met them all, and they are all good people. Furthermore, they are all DOING the diving they teach. In addition, GUE has some very interesting conservation projects going in the LA area, doing ghost net removals, so there are some very constructive opportunities to use the technical skills you acquire.

Another really nice thing about training with GUE is that you immediately slot into a global community of divers, where you will be accepted and welcomed anywhere you go. Because we use standardized equipment, it's almost always possible to borrow gear if you want to visit other locations, and people are always happy to dive with you (even technical dives) because they know how you have been trained and the standards to which you have been held. It's an awfully nice world to live in.

 

[DevonDiver]

This is the response I was looking for. Have you ever tried to do this? Your method doesn't work.

Yes, It's how I ended up doing my entry-level tech with Mark Powell.

I will admit, however, that the internet (and the technical diving community) was considerably smaller back in those days...

I just tried it by searching for: "technical diving instructor city", where city is replaced by whatever city you are using for the starting point of your radius search of the preferred area of training. The results are terrible, because if there is no match for that exact city, then the rest of the results don't make sense and are useless.

I see pretty reasonable results when I try this. Of course, you then need to follow links and work your way through.

The beginning search is one reason AGENCY MATTERS!

But you limit yourself to sources from only one agency, ignoring all others, for the sake of 10 minutes on Google. Seems self-defeating.

I am glad you feel lucky to find the instructor you started with. Personally for me, it would have been difficult to start TDI, because after researching it, I found that it's founder's character and philosophies didn't match mine. But that is just me. I am sure there are probably a large percentage of good TDI instructors that never bothered to study their agency before they joined it ... which is typical of most people ...

A good tech instructor tends to be a good tech instructor, regardless of agency or philosophy. They will be knowledgeable, and flexible in addressing/answering multiple philosophies and fine-detail approaches.

I am talking about true subject-matter experts, not just mass-manufacturered clones that regurgitate a training syllabus as it was regurgitated to them...