Question for you Tech Divers

[wdunne311]

Dive 12 and he's already in a dry suit, wearing doubles and a BP/W? Man, you guys don't fool around.

 

[cloudboy55]

Three years. I wanted to dive deeper and do decompression dives safely.

 

[AndrewJD]

The point of showing my brother in drysuit, doubles and a scooter at dive 12 is to illustrate that "tech" is not easily defined. If I hadn't told you that was his 12th dive would you have classified him a "tech diver". Some things to point out; he still needs to consiously think to do a task like checking his depth and figuring out what it means to him and he has no clue what to do with the light sitting on his left hand. Nor would I have relyed on his dive planning skills but his bouyancy and trim were good enough to trust him with a scooter. Enough to go have some fun.

So, what makes a diver "tech"? Is it the gear? Quantity of gear? How deep you go? How long you stay? How cool you look? Is it how much money you've spent? Is it using a mixed gas? Is it risk? How do you measure risk?

It's all just diving...

Jonathan

...of course tech divers are much cooler looking then rec divers

 

[RoyN]

Edit: Nothing to see here. Move along

 

[battles2a5]

1.5 years, around 115 dives. My personal criteria was 100 dives and DM before I would start tech training. I live in NC. A lot of the good wrecks are 2-3 hours off-shore and 100+ feet. Sitting on a boat for 3 hours for 2 15-20 minute dives is no good. So I'm doing advanced nitrox/deco now. After that I want to go through cave training, normoxic trimix, and advanced wreck. It's all about the wrecks for me. And I"m sure the caves will be cool, too .

 

[SDAnderson]

The point of showing my brother in drysuit, doubles and a scooter at dive 12 is to illustrate that "tech" is not easily defined. If I hadn't told you that was his 12th dive would you have classified him a "tech diver". Some things to point out; he still needs to consiously think to do a task like checking his depth and figuring out what it means to him and he has no clue what to do with the light sitting on his left hand. Nor would I have relyed on his dive planning skills but his bouyancy and trim were good enough to trust him with a scooter. Enough to go have some fun.

I doubt than anyone who actually knows what they are doing would have mistaken your brother for any thing other than a newbie in far over his head, if you'll forgive the pun. Anybody who is still working on basic skills like monitoring their depth, effective finning and handling a light is not ready for a scooter. Period. They certainly aren't ready for technical diving - nobody is at twelve dives. You definitely proved your point, however: owing a tuxedo doesn't mean you know how to dance.​

So, what makes a diver "tech"? Is it the gear? Quantity of gear? How deep you go? How long you stay? How cool you look? Is it how much money you've spent? Is it using a mixed gas? Is it risk? How do you measure risk?

The best quick definition I've heard defines technical diving as involving an overhead environment, either real (caves, wrecks, ice, etc.) or virtual (decompression.) It tends to be very gear intensive but there are a lot of fusterclucks out there staggering around under the load of all the gear that's dripping off them that will never qualify as technical divers. Personally, I think tec should involve unified team protocols (DIR/Hog) but a dive to 300 feet is still a tec dive, even if you do it in a bathing suit on air.​

It's all just diving...

No, it isn't, and that's the point. It may all be sport diving but safe technical diving demands a level of skill, commitment, training, equipment and expense that far exceeds what is required for successful recreational diving. Don't conflate the two just because they both take place in the water.

There are two kinds of divers drawn to technical diving. One is the diver who has been diligently developing his skills, typically diving for some time and who, because he wants to see new stuff, learns about the risks, gets the additional training, masters the skills and invests in the gear to achieve his objective. The second is the preening wannabe who doesn't understand (or care about) the risks and hasn't figured out (or care) that the skills come before the gear. The second type is pretty easy to identify, they're always at least one step ahead of where they should be, pushing to run before they've learned to walk and making sure that everyone notices them in the process. Silly boys. ​

 

[Adobo]

No, it isn't, and that's the point. It may all be sport diving but safe technical diving demands a level of skill, commitment, training, equipment and expense that far exceeds what is required for successful recreational diving. Don't conflate the two just because they both take place in the water.

Is there a way to easily separate the two though? We have people in Mocal diving doubles, stage bottles, scooters and trimix on recreational profiles on a regular basis. At what point does it become technical? Is it the doubles? Is it the stages? Is it the trimix?

And at what point does that virtual overhead appear? Is it when you exceed your MDL by 1 minute? Is it when you exceed it by 5 minutes? At what point can you really say that the "recommended safety stop" becomes a "mandatory deco stop"? I asked a question once.. what is MDL for 60ft on 32? I got 3 different answers, all of them with some level of validity - 60 mins, 85 mins, 170 mins. Even different tables and deco software will disagree.

I struggle to see this clear line that divides tech diving and recreational diving that others seem see.

 

[AndrewJD]

Well, I've had enough of this one.

Brad, if you want to discuss technical diving in person let me know.

Have fun Ted...

 

[texdiveguy]

I enjoy sport as well as recreational tech diving....both offer certain rewards the other does not. You could spend days discussing 'what is tech diving'....its a hold lot of differnt things all rolled into one. I persl. think that the industry is pushing the TECH scene to deepen the market for sales in that area....a lot of recreational divers are 'doing' it with no clear reason other than it looks kool. The bottom line it is expensive...req. true dedication...tons of study and mentorship...and most of all a true reason to pursue it.

 

[wdunne311]

Hey Roy, you mind kicking the sarcasm down a notch? Nobody here is attacking you. This is just a friendly discussion.