padi or sdi tdi

[kevsil]

i want to take some advanced diving courses but am unsure of which agency to go with id like to take a nitrox, and wreck course but am unsure if i should go with tdi since those are "technical" specialities and as the name implies they are a technical diving instruction agency or if padi would be a better agency to go with

 

[Subcooled]

i want to take some advanced diving courses but am unsure of which agency to go with id like to take a nitrox, and wreck course but am unsure if i should go with tdi since those are "technical" specialities and as the name implies they are a technical diving instruction agency or if padi would be a better agency to go with

You have done less than 50 dives after your PADI open water course, you dive solo, and probably with a single tank. You want to do wreck dives. Sure. Wrecks are interesting. What should you do?

Take that nitrox class. It is usefull. Pick any agency. Why not try some new agency, eg. NAUI?

Have you considered taking a rescue diver course? PADI has one. NAUI has one. A good one.

Why wouldn't you take a TDI class? Just write them. Explain your experience and interests and see what they answer. 'Technical' naturally means more in-depth theory and more practice. The course may be more demanding but the skills are rewarding in the coming years.

Tell us more about the diving you want to do. Exactly what kind of diving? A local sunken sail yacht, or the Titanic? There's a slight difference

 

[DevonDiver]

When it comes to wreck diving, pick the instructor - not the agency. No course is going to be exemplary, if it's regurgitated from an instructor manual by someone with no true expertise.

Overhead environment diving, including wreck penetration, is a 'technical' level. Most recreational wreck courses are nothing more than an introduction to that; providing general outlines, basic approaches and governed by strict limits of penetration activity. A course that 'begins with the end in mind' preparing students for subsequent progression is, IMHO, far more beneficial that an 'experiential' type course that is rooted in recreational diving mentality.

Read: The Anatomy of An Effective Wreck Diving Course - How to Select Your Wreck Diving Instructor

 

[hroark2112]

Pick the course for the instructor, not the agency. A great instructor is more important than the name on the front of the card.

 

[kevsil]

You have done less than 50 dives after your PADI open water course, you dive solo, and probably with a single tank. You want to do wreck dives. Sure. Wrecks are interesting. What should you do?

Take that nitrox class. It is usefull. Pick any agency. Why not try some new agency, eg. NAUI?

Have you considered taking a rescue diver course? PADI has one. NAUI has one. A good one.

Why wouldn't you take a TDI class? Just write them. Explain your experience and interests and see what they answer. 'Technical' naturally means more in-depth theory and more practice. The course may be more demanding but the skills are rewarding in the coming years.

Tell us more about the diving you want to do. Exactly what kind of diving? A local sunken sail yacht, or the Titanic? There's a slight difference

as far as the wreck diving i want to do iwould love to eventually do deep dives on places like the andrea doriia fornexample but for the foreseeable future just wrecks in and around MA and RI at depths up to 150 ish i want to take thise courses judt to have the confidence and knowledge to feel somewhat comfortable in the environment as far as the nitrox course when i was on the tdi website i saw they had an advanced nitrox courese which is what made me qeistion. if they would be a better agency to take the technical courses thinking that mabe they would be more indepth rather than just give the basic scratch the surface kind if course

---------- Post added February 17th, 2014 at 09:20 AM ----------

Pick the course for the instructor, not the agency. A great instructor is more important than the name on the front of the card.

hiw do you pick the course based on the instructor ive only met one instructor and thats the one who did my ow course

 

[The Chairman]

I agree with most: pick the instructor. It really doesn't matter which agency they teach for. Getting the right instructor for you will make all the difference.

 

[Subcooled]

Once you venture into true overhead diving or advanced nitrox, recreational trimix/helitrox and finally to trimix then you really need to pick your instructor. Perheaps an instructor interested in wrecks.

Nobody cares where you got your elementary nitrox card as long as you have good buoyancy control, nice back kicks, buddy awareness, communication and proficiency with two tanks.

 

[Redshift]

I think the OP stated his long term goals as well, not the intent of doing all those thing straight away.

And he has asked a very good question. It's often very hard for some newer divers to be able to "choose an instructor". Maybe you should try to ask for if anyone could recommend you an instructor in your area.

TDI does indeed have Advanced Nitrox, but you can still take that course if you have done PADI Nitrox. There's no need to go straight to TDI. The courses should be very similar. Although PADI offers the possibility of doing it with a nitrox computer and in that case I'd prefer to learn tables as well. That's something you should check.

As for wreck diving, PADI offers a wreck diving specialty, although not for wreck penetration. For that you have TDI (possibly others, but I'm not so familiar with that) and you should do some overhead training before.

 

[DevonDiver]

hiw do you pick the course based on the instructor ive only met one instructor and thats the one who did my ow course

Use Google, use the forums, talk to local divers...

Read my article (above post) for ideas on what to look for...

Once you've got a short-list, make contact and discuss your training with them directly. Do quiz them about their experience.

Just walking into your local dive shop and booking, with some anonymous instructor, is a lottery... and the odds aren't in your favor.

 

[hroark2112]

My instructor for the basic nitrox class taught exactly the same information as the advanced nitrox class, with the addition of how to program my computer for the nitrox level. When it came time to do advanced nitrox, it was simple. I knew all the math for EAD, MOD, and best mix along with everything else that is in advanced nitrox.

Yes, that meant that my nitrox class was more difficult than a basic nitrox class, but it was thorough and way more in-depth than the minimum requirements.

Going above and beyond because it's the right way to teach in his mind is the mark of a good instructor.