Mapping IANTD courses to SSI

[suricatasuricata]

Even if you don’t want to cave dive, taking a cavern or intro to cave course will have a very good impact on your diving.

Yes, you might be right on that front. The reason I took the IANTD Recreational Essentials course was with the idea that I might have go partially down that route to get the training even if Caves were not my cup of tea.

I probably need to figure out how to do it without going to Mexico. The shop that I did it in Playa Del Carmen seemed focused on making sure I got the skills than letting me pass, which I think is the right philosophy. It just was a harder proposition to logistically arrange when I was on vacation and didn't know how long I would be there.

Easier if it was local. I only know of the GUE fundamentals course being taught locally (I live in the Bay Area) though. I am not yet clear if I am ready for that.

Are you interested in eventually doing deeper ocean dives to see the critters aka going tech or do you want to stay within recreational limits?

Yes, I think I'd like to go deeper, assuming that there are critters to be found! I have read stories about people who go deep diving for the sake of it, and that doesn't sound like my alley though.
I find the idea of blackwater diving absolutely fascinating for e.g. but I think I would rather first be a good diver before adding in another variable, cameras into the mix.

TDI cavern can be done single tank with some tweaks to your gear (adding a long hose, for example). So if you’re not interested in doing tech at all, do Advanced, get some dives under your belt, and go do cavern.

So the good news is that my coworker's philosophy towards diving was something I picked up on early on -- I use a backplate/wing, with one backup regulator attached to my neck and a long hose that I use as a primary. At least, I believe that in theory I have most of the gear in a single tank configuration that is "DIR approved".


I do have one clarifying question here: You mention TDI who I am not familiar with. Is my intuition correct that for technical diving, the certifying agency matters less than the instructor? As in TDI/IANTD (or even GUE?) all probably have some level of equivalencies and your instructor matters more?

 

[pauldw]

You'll probably get a bunch of responses to this, but in general, any of the "complete 5 specialty certs and we'll give you a super duper diver card (for a small processing fee)" type of certifications are generally not well regarded.

In other words, Master Scuba Diver. And it is well regarded. PADI says do. In fact, if you were to get four Master Scuba Diver patches, and put them on all four sides of your hood, you would find that you never need to use Tinder again! You’d have groupies immediately.

 

[Marie13]

Yes, you might be right on that front. The reason I took the IANTD Recreational Essentials course was with the idea that I might have go partially down that route to get the training even if Caves were not my cup of tea.

I probably need to figure out how to do it without going to Mexico. The shop that I did it in Playa Del Carmen seemed focused on making sure I got the skills than letting me pass, which I think is the right philosophy. It just was a harder proposition to logistically arrange when I was on vacation and didn't know how long I would be there.

Easier if it was local. I only know of the GUE fundamentals course being taught locally (I live in the Bay Area) though. I am not yet clear if I am ready for that.





Yes, I think I'd like to go deeper, assuming that there are critters to be found! I have read stories about people who go deep diving for the sake of it, and that doesn't sound like my alley though.
I find the idea of blackwater diving absolutely fascinating for e.g. but I think I would rather first be a good diver before adding in another variable, cameras into the mix.




So the good news is that my coworker's philosophy towards diving was something I picked up on early on -- I use a backplate/wing, with one backup regulator attached to my neck and a long hose that I use as a primary. At least, I believe that in theory I have most of the gear in a single tank configuration that is "DIR approved".


I do have one clarifying question here: You mention TDI who I am not familiar with. Is my intuition correct that for technical diving, the certifying agency matters less than the instructor? As in TDI/IANTD (or even GUE?) all probably have some level of equivalencies and your instructor matters more?

TDI is a major technical agency. They’ve been around since 1994. All my tech courses (cavern/intro to cave/full cave and CCR) have been with TDI. Yes, instructor matters more than agency. However, I don’t know if other agencies will allow cavern to be done single tank. You may very well have to get doubles or sidemount experience before doing cavern with another agency.

MX would be a much better choice for cavern than FL. I did full cave several months ago in PDC and it was much difference from FL caves due to flow.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

In other words, Master Scuba Diver. And it is well regarded. PADI says do. In fact, if you were to get four Master Scuba Diver patches, and put them on all four sides of your hood, you would find that you never need to use Tinder again! You’d have groupies immediately.

In my open water courses, I ask my student what they think a good diver looks like. I then show them @Trace Malinowski's video here:


I then tell them when evaluating a course, determine if that course will get them closer to their ultimate goal (which can change over time). WCGTTWHI? (What Courses Got Trace To Where He Is?)

 

[Tracy]

On the other hand, there are quite a few people who do conflate certs with learning/skills. I could be wrong, but I was told that this might be the case for a few live aboards -- If a cert is what makes them happy to let me dive, then I guess I have to play that game.

Just to clear something up,
I can't speak for all boat captains, but I can speak for myself.
Qualifications outweigh certifications in all but one aspect.
Insurance.
If you take people out diving below 60' and they don't have AOW, you are in violation of your policy if anything happens.
Same goes for deep diver below 100' and technical certs below 130'.
In the US, liability is what makes the rules, not the owners and captains.

 

[Big Dan K]

My understanding of the rules is that SSI will give you the AOW cert if you have enough dives and complete any four specialties. But they recommend that the four are from the five core classes: buoyancy, night, deep, navigation, and nitrox. Most SSI shops offer a four course bundle for a decent price. At my shop it was all the core classes except nitrox for $350

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

At my shop it was all the core classes except nitrox for $350

4 classes for only $350? For around 8 days of training?

 

[Big Dan K]

Online learning, one day of class & pool, three long days at the lake

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Online learning, one day of class & pool, three long days at the lake

from what I know now, I would not go for this option.

 

[Big Dan K]

The class was an absolute bargain. $280 if I paid $60 to join their dive club. They raffled off prizes at my first club event and I won a gift card for two free classes, that I will use for React right and rescue courses.