My journey into tech

[Dizzi Lizzi]

I just knew this was coming when you got your necklace going

 

[UWZen]

Yeah, I know that about the split fins. I won't switch until I absolutely have to. The stiff paddles I tried (Dive Rite XT, Hollis F2, Apeks Rocket RK3) all hurt my knees something awful. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

See if your instructor/ mentor will do a few dives with you to observe and work on kicks alone. A improper frog kick can put some bad torque on the knees, and is for sure one of the more difficult aspects to learn won your own. There isn't much in the way of feedback you you can work on in terms of kicks like there is for working in buoyancy unless you are filming yourself and know what your kick *should* look like when you review. I think it would be worth it for you to fast-track that skill so you don't have to go struggle through that learning curve and associated discomfort.

Also, consider training in your drysuit year round, or at least as much as a wetsuit to maintain comfort and familiarity with managing another airspace. You'll be doing all tech dives in the Great Lakes in a drysuit so you'll want to be very proficient with it. I'm assuming you're diving the drysuit "correctly" already (only adding air for squeeze, not buoyancy control) since you also dive wet, but if not, best to break that habit now as that won't fly when you're compensating for multiple cylinders.

 

[stuartv]

Buoyancy, Trim and Propulsion.

Buoyancy, within a few feet (to start) i.e. 20ft stop, you are at 18-22ft in mid water (i.e. not much to reference from) is the ideal.

When I got this same kind of advice 2+ years ago, it would have helped me if the advice had been a little more explicit. It's not just holding a depth to +/- 1 foot or whatever. It's holding that while doing any/all of the other things one needs to be able to do. Hold your depth while shooting an SMB. Hold your depth while removing/replacing a deco cylinder. Hold your depth while passing or receiving a deco cylinder. Hold your depth while changing regs, doing a valve shutdown drill, doing an S-drill, etc..

Just holding your depth is easy. Holding it while shooting a bag and sharing air with someone else is ... less easy....

You'll probably want a fin that isn't too negatively buoyant if you're going SM vs BM doubles. OMS slipstreams, Deep6, Apeks RK are all classic paddle fin designs that will work with any kick but aren't as negatively buoyant as Hollis F1 or Jets. I think Hollis does an F1 lite now too.

An ongoing thread on this subject:

Tech fin options - neutral buoyancy?

The Hollis F1 LT was MUCH easier to move around in the water than the DR XT. I don't have knee issues, but I could see how the XTs are so big and stiff that they create a lot of resistance to ANY movement, not just active kicks, and could be hard on finicky knees. The F1 LT fins are so much shorter and not as stiff, it seems like they would be a lot easier on the knees. They worked so well for me, I think the reduced effort they require to get decent propulsion forwards or backwards would also help the knees just because you don't have to kick that hard to move yourself.

I am looking forward to trying some Deept 6 Eddy fins soon, to see how they compare to the others.

 

[mdb]

I plan on going tech in the future. There was never any question it would eventually happen. I'm not interested in caves at all, but deeper wrecks, especially on the Great Lakes? Heck, yes! My goal is the Thomas Hume in Lake Michigan, at 145ft (very pretty wreck that went down in 1891, very well preserved). I'm Great Lakes wreck obsessed and have been for something like 25 years. My wreck class with limited penetration is this weekend. I've already been diving some Great Lakes wrecks.

What skills do I need to have down cold before I begin any tech training?

I'm currently at 62 dives. Have Advanced rating and Nitrox, as well as drysuit. I'm planning on the SM class next season (BM doubles are not possible due to knee issues, period). Solo/intro to tech in 2019. AN/DP maybe in 2020. Advanced Wreck and trimix, who knows when. I figure it may very well take me 5 years to get to the point where I can dive the Hume.

Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to observe an AN/DP class working on dropping and retrieving stage bottles at the local quarry (they came to the platform I was working on). That was very interesting to watch.

I'm looking for info such as: need to be able to hover with x amount of deviation (1ft, or whatever it is), etc. That sort of thing. Would like to know what exactly I need to work on. I'm something of a long-term planner. Thanks!

You are most definitely a long term planner.

Seems like you are well on your way to being a very accomplished advanced diver.

Seeking advice in forums such as this is another wise step as well as continuing open water training.

All the best for lots of safe adventures under water.

 

[Scott]

practise the basic 6.......over and over again....

^^^ This

Practice the basic 6 from a hover.
Practice stowing and retrieving items from your pockets ie: mask, wet notes, spools, SMB, tying the spool to the SMB.
Then when you think you have it down, try doing it all in shallower water progressively until it can be done in four feet of water without hitting the surface or bottom.

 

[rhwestfall]

what I found to be the most critical is buoyancy. You start playing with accelerated DECO on rich gas (100% - O2) which is required with Helitrox or Trimix, you must be spot on holding your stops. I actually put Helitrox on hold as I wasn't comfortable with 100%/20', and currently use 50% for deco.

Task loading such as donating bottles... again, spot on buoyancy.....

 

[DevonDiver]

The following articles may give some ideas:

Prepare Yourself For Technical Diving

Ten Tips On How to Prepare for Technical Diving Training

 

[KevinNM]

Given how I've struggled with some scuba things, I feel it's better I separate out SM from ITT. I'd like to have a season of diving with SM under my belt before any tech classes.

Learn sidemount from a tech instructor whose students look the way you want to look when you dive.

 

[KevinNM]

Yeah, I know that about the split fins. I won't switch until I absolutely have to. The stiff paddles I tried (Dive Rite XT, Hollis F2, Apeks Rocket RK3) all hurt my knees something awful. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

If you can't do a back kick in your fins you need to get different fins before you go into overhead. People can supposedly learn to back kick in split fins, though I have never actually seen anyone doing this.

 

[CuzzA]

I plan on going tech in the future. There was never any question it would eventually happen. I'm not interested in caves at all, but deeper wrecks, especially on the Great Lakes? Heck, yes! My goal is the Thomas Hume in Lake Michigan, at 145ft (very pretty wreck that went down in 1891, very well preserved). I'm Great Lakes wreck obsessed and have been for something like 25 years. My wreck class with limited penetration is this weekend. I've already been diving some Great Lakes wrecks.

What skills do I need to have down cold before I begin any tech training?

I'm currently at 62 dives. Have Advanced rating and Nitrox, as well as drysuit. I'm planning on the SM class next season (BM doubles are not possible due to knee issues, period). Solo/intro to tech in 2019. AN/DP maybe in 2020. Advanced Wreck and trimix, who knows when. I figure it may very well take me 5 years to get to the point where I can dive the Hume.

Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to observe an AN/DP class working on dropping and retrieving stage bottles at the local quarry (they came to the platform I was working on). That was very interesting to watch.

I'm looking for info such as: need to be able to hover with x amount of deviation (1ft, or whatever it is), etc. That sort of thing. Would like to know what exactly I need to work on. I'm something of a long-term planner. Thanks!

I'd like to hear more about your diving goals, Marie. 145 ft wreck doesn't sound like there would be a specific need for advanced technical training, though certainly beneficial. Are you wanting to do full wreck penetrations, visit deeper wrecks, extend your dives into deco?