Divin'Hoosier:
This thread of course has digressed into a bash PADI fest. That wasn't my intent, but often times it is warranted. As the OP, let me offer a follow-up question to attempt to put this thread back onto a positive track ...
What is the best way to go about safely learning and experiencing recreational (within NDL and depth limits) deeper diving? Please don't come back with Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures. That's not the kind of diving I'm talking about. That's technical deep diving and is not the intent of my question. I can find tons of advice on that both here and on TDS.
How does a sport diver safely acquire the proper theory (physiology and physics), equipment requirements and practical experience to dive in the 100-130 range within NDLs in the cold, dark water we have in the Midwest?
Actually Adv. Nitrox and Deco *is* or up until recent was the way to do exactly that. PADI Deep does not get into equipment requirements, physiology and physics and offer significant practical experience.
PADI Deep taught me <- -> much about deep diving. Enough to get a taste for it, learn it won't kill me all under the guidance of an instructor. I then "hung around" several other PADI Deep classes with the same instructor getting some additional deep dives under my belt. Not specifically under his care, custody and control of the class but close enough to help (or be helped). So if PADI Deep specialty requires 4 dives total, I figured I hung around him for at least another 4, maybe 8 dives.
And you're right about it being around here. These weren't all around here. Most of the dives were in Florida, places like 40 Fathoms, Blue Grotto and Paradise. Others were in the Keys on the Speigel Grove, Duane, Bibb and Eagle. Deep around here means cold and dark. To me the 70 ft. platform at Gilboa is the equivalent to some degree stress and skill-wise of a 100 ft. dive on the Speigel Grove.
After I probably had 50 dives all in excess of 100 ft., some at 130 ft. even, I took an extended range course before progressing on to Adv. Nitrox and Deco class. Extended range taught me more about equipment, gave me my first taste of doubles, redundancy, lift bag and so on... all within recreational limits (mostly). Extended Range also taught me more about the physiology and physics.
After doing some extended range dives and some practice dives where I actually paid the instructor to come along, I then tackled Adv. Nitrox and Deco. So it kept building onto of each other. Even went as far as to get the PADI Recreational Diving Encylopedia, the PADI Diving Knowledge Workbook and the "Wheel", tho I wasn't shooting for DM. Nothing wrong with a little book learning.
Not heard of anyone teaching Extended Range diving around here though. Overseas, Canada and Florida mainly I think.
You're asking for something that just isn't being taught until you get to Tech diving usually here in the Midwest, at least that's my take on it. That is unless you go with GUE. They really start this from the beginning from what I've seen. But the teaching style, requirements and costs are much different than a typical PADI course.
