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Certified a year. Have 5 rec dives over my certs. Really enjoyed going deep and looking through wrecks. Would like to network with DFW area tech divers willing to mentor a late-comer to the sport.
Do you mean 5 dives since you got your OW "rec" cert or 5 wreck dives?
Late-comer aside, there are a lot of great wreck dives available without needing "tech" training / certification.
I'd suggest diving [many of] them before considering technical training / diving.
I agree with TT. DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!! There is nothing more important to becoming a Tech diver than than to be a good diver. At 5 dives you have not even started diving.
Certified a year. Have 5 rec dives over my certs. Really enjoyed going deep and looking through wrecks. Would like to network with DFW area tech divers willing to mentor a late-comer to the sport.
Being so early to the sport I'd be very carefuly with this question. I've whitnessed with my own eyes a lot of crazy things local "tech divers" have been doing. I've even seen some stuff from some local "instructors" that has made my jaw drop. The problem is being that green you are going to have a hard time sifting through the BS.
I'd recommend getting lots of books and reading them as a starter, everything from books like caverns measureless to man, the darkness beckons, Jill's new cave book, winkie's book on decompresson, all the GUE material you can get your hands on. After you read all of that go lurk at places like the deco stop and play the game "spot the BS".
At least then you'll be armed with enough knowledge to start to be able to sort the BS from the good stuff, if you get the wrong mentor you could end up dead.
Not trying to be a stick in the mud, its just that now that this new fangled "tek" stuff is all the rage the gene pool has degraded a lot, educate yourself and talk to a lot of people, and bring your hip waders.
I would suggest DIVING, and get your basic skills down pat. The more you dive the better.!!!!
I also might think the PADI Wreck Spec. is a good place to start, thought cave and wreck have a lot in similar, there are notable skill differences and training standards/skills between the two when it comes to penetrations.
Artificial reefs that are safer 'ships' are the way to start after you have attend more dives in OW. True wrecks are another story...and 'don't penetrate' either till you have attained the training/skills.
Both the PADI Wreck Diving book for the basics is a good one, forget the CD....for advanced wreck diving/reading their are several on the market, but TDI offers one of the better.
With only 5-6 dives you really need to 'get a good amount more diving experience' before following the path to any discipline of technical diving.
Dive dive and dive some more. Also save your money. I added up what all I have spent in dive gear and its almost sickening, and I have yet to start my tech classes.
Before you can start anything in tec diving you would at least advanced and nitrox. I would also do a rescue class but don't let classes be all of the diving you do. Go out to CSSP and down to Lake Travis, after a while go down to South Padre and Dive the Texas Clipper.
What Capt. Randy is telling you in a nice way, and my post to you ,is GET To DIVING and take more of the recreational level courses prior to ever considering tech....two whole different worlds, not to mention gear and function.......hope your in good shape, as tech can be trying many times!
Certified a year. Have 5 rec dives over my certs. Really enjoyed going deep and looking through wrecks. Would like to network with DFW area tech divers willing to mentor a late-comer to the sport.
Some people would think this is a troll posting. If not, you're being very naive. 5 dives in one year after getting OW certification, if that's what you have, is nowhere near the level of experience to even consider technical diving.
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