Normoxic trimix

[Gilldiver]

I'll bite. What would be a scenario where you'd need to identify your deco tanks in a zero viz situation? Wouldn't you be doing your deco in the open water while ascending?

If a diver intends to dive caves this skill has a purpose. If the diver never intends to dive caves this may be a skill in need of a purpose. Although, there are some dives in Long Island Sound where its nice to be able to tell.

As for can I tell my O2 tank from another tank, the O2 tank has the DIN to Yoke converter on the 1st stage, all other Regulators are DIN. Very easy to tell in the dark and with the converter, all regs are interchangable.

 

[AndyNZ]

I think 4k is very steep, more than I would ever be willing to pay. You would be better off buying yourself a place ticket and doing a training vacation at the destination of your choice.

Bit of a currency thing going on here - that's NZ$4k, about US$2.5k.

Both Packhorse and I are looking at trimix classes here, there's one local TDI instructor I trust to do a very good job. His course cost is NZ$2.3k, but gas on top of that is the killer. This particular instructor tends to teach above the minimum standard - my AN&DP course, for example, was essentially an Extended Range course in terms of what was covered. For normoxic trimix, he essentially teaches advanced trimix. Part of the cost issue is that all dives are done on Trimix - here in NZ, Helium just is not cheap and you'd easily blow through $1500 worth of gas in a 6 dive programme. Adding in boat fees and the rest of it, total cost is likely to be $3.5k.

We're hopefully running a GUE Tech 1 course in January, which at first glance looks like it will work out about the same price per person - but for Packhorse, he also needs to factor in the cost of Fundies which really puts the price too high. I've just been double stung, having committed to doing Tech 1, there's now a slim chance of doing Cave 1 next year as well. I'm not relishing putting $8k on the table for training within a few months - and for me it's tax deductable, so I fully understand why Packhorse is concerned about the cost!

I guess its a question of not knowing what I dont know.
For $4k I would hope to learn a lot but as it is I simply cant figure out what that would be.

Sure. Maybe it's a question to ask potential instructors - what am I actually going to learn from YOU. You are of course fairly limited in NZ, but I'd be intrigued to hear the answers the various instructors give you!! :cool2:

Australia may be another cost effective option? Certainly the gas seems cheaper, almost to the point where what you save on gas would cover the cost of the flight. I've heard good things about Jason Blackwell in Brisbane, but at the same time when I tried to contact him about some training he never replied to the email. But there are a few more trimix instructors on the east coast who are worth trying.

 

[jeandiver]

If a diver intends to dive caves this skill has a purpose. If the diver never intends to dive caves this may be a skill in need of a purpose. Although, there are some dives in Long Island Sound where its nice to be able to tell.

As for can I tell my O2 tank from another tank, the O2 tank has the DIN to Yoke converter on the 1st stage, all other Regulators are DIN. Very easy to tell in the dark and with the converter, all regs are interchangable.

Cave Divers are NUTZ anyway
(oh wait , datz me)

We ARE taught to recognize deco tanks by feel. We clip them onto the line in the team order on exit. I've never been in a TRUE lights-out / silt-out condition when picking up deco tanks , but it's bound to happen.

Most times , our O2 Bottles are of a different size than our other deco tanks.
(AL40 for O2 , AL80 for thinner mixes etc)
But some use steels for deco etc , so it can be quite a mix of bottles sometimes.

Jean
Fort White , Florida

 

[Kevrumbo]

I can tell you about that now.
Great dive, Leningrad lounge is **** scary but one of my top rated dives to date. As is the engine room. I cant wait to get back! Not sure I would bother using Trimix on it though. Especially at NZ prices. Gases would cost 2 times more than all the other costs put together.
. . .
I want to continue doing the dives I am doing now (<55meters) and slightly deeper with out getting narked out off my head.
Looking at it from the outside I dont see any real differences in diving normoxic trimix than what I am doing now.
But for quoted prices of $4K for training I must be missing something right? . . .

Go to the Philippines and take the class (Techasia in Puerto Galera): little less expensive; cheap food, beer and accommodations.

Thanks for the comment on the "Lermie" --I would like to do that cruise liner wreck someday! btw-- Helium in Truk Lagoon is $0.14/Liter or $4/cubic ft and rising: is it that expensive too in NZ?

 

[ianr33]

About the only thing I got out of my Trimix class was the card.

If you want to play you need to pay....................

As has been said a million times,its the instructor that makes (or breaks! ) the class.

 

[AndyNZ]

Thanks for the comment on the "Lermie" --I would like to do that cruise liner wreck someday! btw-- Helium in Truk Lagoon is $0.14/Liter or $4/cubic ft and rising: is it that expensive too in NZ?

More! Last time I looked, kosher Helium was 16c per litre.

You can get 99% pure for less than that, but I've never seen anything less than 12c per litre. I haven't looked particularly hard, mind you.


The Lermi is a fantastic dive, well worth travelling for. If you want to make it easy, Pete Mesley arranges a number of liveaboard trips there each year - just fly in, all tanks are on board and just dive.

Wreck diving in NZ, Mikhail Lermontov,

 

[jtivat]

I'll bite. What would be a scenario where you'd need to identify your deco tanks in a zero viz situation? Wouldn't you be doing your deco in the open water while ascending?

Lost mask would also apply.

 

[Blackwood]

Lost mask would also apply.

I could probably tell a 70 bottle from a 20 bottle without a mask, even if my team was unable to assist me. Deeper than that is anyone's guess.

 

[jtivat]

Correct me if I am wrong but they are not necessary things involved in normoxic trimix. If I cant do those things now it will be practice that will make those things easy. Not spending $4k on a weekend course. ( im not saying I cant do these things but Im also not saying I couldnt improve on them either).
As it is I believe my skills are good enough for the types of dives I do now. Im not looking at adding another 2 mixes to the dive or going to much greater depths. I am simply talking about changing the gas mix I use for dives I am currently doing.

Correct but the deeper you get the faster **** hits the fan. Also it is not just doing these skills but doing them while task loaded. There were times that we had three failures thrown at us at one time. Will this happen in real life nope but when one or two things do you know you will be ready. When your deep deco reg will not give you any gas and you have over an hour of deco left that can be a real bad feeling.

 

[jtivat]

I could probably tell a 70 bottle from a 20 bottle without a mask, even if my team was unable to assist me. Deeper than that is anyone's guess.

True I would bet I could also. I can tell you that 39 degree water in the eyes is not fun.

One of the drills we did in class was to swim half way down a line and snap both our bottles to the line. We then swam to the end and waited for all four divers to do this. At this point there are eight bottles on the line. The instructor then mixed them up and added a scooter. We then had to find our bottles and put them on with out losing the line in zero viz. Plus they sent us all at once. It was a lot of fun and everyone managed to get their own bottles and put them on correctly.