Recommended Courses for Introductory Tech

[mike.chuanshi]

One of the best scuba instructors it has been my good fortune to work with told me, "Do all the dives you can do with your existing certification, and when you get thoroughly bored, get more training."

Have you seen everything there is to see where you are, that you can do on a single tank and within NDLs? Have you explored some difficult entries, and some high current dives, or been out on boats when the conditions are challenging?

I will jump on the bandwagon about doing Fundies, but in a single tank . . . that will a) introduce you to the gear configuration you will be using for technical diving, should you go there, and b) introduce the concept of a stable platform and maintaining that, and your situational awareness, when task-loaded and stressed. It's an excellent class, and what's still kind of unique about it is that it teaches to a technical standard but in fully recreational gear.

Don't rush. This is a fabulous sport, and you are in a splendid place to have a ton of fun doing it. You have a lot of reef life to learn about; you have fantastic opportunities to do photography. You can learn to mentor other beginners (which is a solid challenge of its own). Don't let anybody march you into tech diving.

I think this is excellent advice and I very much appreciate your input. I'm going to take this to heart and follow your recommendations.

 

[Doppler]

The instructor you trust so implicitly is giving you a right proper rogering...

I have not heard that expression in a while... absolutely spot on assessment though... DSMB course indeed.

---------- Post added December 18th, 2013 at 05:34 PM ----------

I think this is excellent advice and I very much appreciate your input. I'm going to take this to heart and follow you're recommendations.

Mike: first of all -- and I should have said this earlier -- welcome, mate. This is a great activity and I hope you get as much out of it as you can.

You have taken some ribbing and it seems you have done so in the best spirits, ONYA.

Now, let's deal with your situation.

As everyone agrees, get some diving in. Forget courses -- especially a ****ing DSMB course... however, in fairness at least your @instructor is using the correct term. Drop me an email and I will send you a copy of the procedures for using a DSMB and even a suggest of how to rig and carry it... won't cost you a penny mate.

In the meanwhile, DIVE, brother. DIVE.


email... doppler at techdivertraining dot org

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I have not heard that expression in a while... absolutely spot on assessment though... DSMB course indeed.

Well, we wouldn't want to upset the censor routines...

 

[RickyF]

Mike,
PM me and let's go do some real diving! I am here on Oahu!

 

[DevonDiver]

PADI has a dsmb specialty...

Oh jesus, why does that not surprise me though?

Some background on this, Jim. The DSMB course was introduced in the UK, as a 'standardized distinctive' quite a few years ago. At the time, it was looking likely that DSMB use/carry was going to become mandatory etc for UK diving. Many instructors taught the rudiments on OW course, but it was decided that a short 2-dive course would offer a better opportunity to master the skills.

I actually signed-up to teach this at the time it was introduced, but never bothered to promote it, so never actually taught it. I've always managed to fit the skill into other courses. I don't think it really caught on and, of course, PADI are now introducing very basic DSMB/Sausage skills as a coherent part of their updated OW course.

If doing multiple courses, especially with the same instructor, there's little reason why DSMB use can't be developed one dive at a time as a small addendum to the other courses.

For the OP: I do concur with what many other posters have expressed. There is a big difference between rushing towards technical diving... and wanting to develop a technical-level quality of skill. Take it easy when progressing your diving boundaries, but enjoy working hard to perfect elite skills, if that's what you enjoy. It's a good long-term goal.

Check out these articles, which relate to diver development:

A Guide To Expert Scuba Diving Skills Development

The Progression of Training

The Value of Progression - 'Putting Another Dollar In'


A few specifics, on what you mentioned:

Self-Reliant Course: Firstly, you'd need to have 100 dives experience to do this - it's a minimum prerequisite. The logic behind that high prerequisite (it's higher even than that needed for Divemaster) is that the first step to self-reliance is to gain significant experience diving outside of a training/supervised environment. You'll never become truly 'self-reliant' for as long as you are diving with your 'training wheels' on. Diving under supervision is definitely 'training wheels'. The self-reliant diver course is also pretty much entirely composed of elements of the Tec40 course (which includes self-reliance training) - so any entry-level technical course will achieve the same outcome. Doing both; self-reliance and entry-tech (advanced nitrox etc) is just a replication IMHO.

Narcosis Management Course: I've always struggled to rationalize the need for this course. Trimix diving has become much more accessible in recent years, and many agencies now offer training at a borderline recreational level (normoxic trimix). As you step into technical diving, you'll quite soon establish a clear idea of what level of narcosis you are happy to operate at (your Equivalent Narcotic Depth: END). This will be somewhere between 40m/130ft and 55m/180ft... and you'll experience that anyway, as you move through Tec50/Extended Range levels.... or will avoid it by shifting to trimix after Deco Procedures training... That leaves 'narcosis management' as a preserve only for exceptionally deep divers: those who might seek to start re-introducing nitrogen to counter-act HPNS (high pressure nervous syndrome) under extreme depth pressure.

Advanced Nitrox Course: Many see this as a way to get 'into' technical kit and techniques at an early stage. That's fair enough. I offer the PADI Tec40 course (I think the Tec40 has a more 'rounded' syllabus than Adv Nitrox for this goal) for recreational divers for the same reasons - it's a 'borderline' course, that established good protocols and procedures. Beyond that, the diver can gain experience with their long-term goals (technical diving) in mind. That said, there are alternatives. People have mentioned the GUE 'Fundies' - and this is a truly beneficial foundational course... a 'benchmark', if you like.

MY ADVICE:

1) Consider getting more experience as an unsupervised diver; no abdication of responsibility to instructor or guides. Find a buddy, go plan and conduct your own dives with them. This is 'real' self-reliance diving. Take the time to apply and ingrain the skills you've already learned.

2) Appreciate the difference between striving for 'technical quality' skill development and rushing into advanced/aggressive diving levels. It's admirable to want to develop precise and robust skills with a long-term goal in mind. It's less prudent to rush towards that long-term goal at the expense of developing solid foundations. Begin with the end in mind, but resist the temptation to rush through training levels. Just because you 'could' move forwards, doesn't mean you 'should' move forwards. Seek mastery of your last training, before engaging in the next. You've done a lot of training already - be honest in your self-appraisal about whether you've fully ingrained the skill-set already taught.

3) Do seek Rescue Diver training. Few here would counsel against that. Dive medic/technician training is good...and very interesting if you've got an interest in it... but such training may be more beneficial only once you've got a very solid understanding of diving. You can do a lot of independent learning in the mean-time: the internet is saturated with available knowledge... read all the DAN papers, spend months reading through the brain-mountain that is the Rubicon Foundation...

4) Consider alternatives to formal courses. Especially as a means to cement and ingrain existing skills and knowledge. Ask your instructor whether they can supply a more flexible form of 'mentoring', without the confines of a syllabus. Mentoring works well as a long-term solution, especially in conjunction with formal courses. You may be very lucky to find a devoted mentor who'll do it for free... or you may need to pay a pro for their time (reality of life).... the practice and results should be the same.

I do this and it works very well indeed. Students pay daily expenses, not formal course fees. Many instructors seem unaware they can operate this way. We dive, I observe strengths and weaknesses, we fix those. The student self-analyses and determines also what they want to work upon. We still progress through formal courses, but only when the mentoring work has ironed out all the creases and created solid foundations... so there's lots of diving, learning and hard work between formal courses. I also offer my students the chance to 're-take' courses for free - whenever I have a vacancy on a course they've already done, they can come back and re-cap/refresh and re-work at that level. It works well and costs me nothing. Win-Win is always good.

5) Make use of self-study. Knowledge development supports skills development (but doesn't replace it - don't become an 'internet' diver). There's a wealth of information available online about all aspects of diving; from the most basic to the most advanced. Youtube is awash with great instructional videos. There are millions of good online articles - some of the best originating from members of Scubaboard (which is, itself, an amazing knowledgebase). I have a bunch of articles, also see Doppler (Steve Lewis) and Rob Neto. There's many more great bloggers... it's worth asking for recommendations on a separate thread.. Also look into some great books to read; for instance, Mark Powell's 'Deco for Divers' and Steve Lewis' 'Six Skills'.

Lastly - always remember: The volume of certification cards doesn't define a good diver. Neither does the quantity of skills learned. What makes a great diver is their mastery of skills..the quality. Don't underestimate just how well polished you can be... the quality of skill development is near limitless. A little, mastered exceptionally well, far outweighs a lot, done superficially.

Bruce Lee illustrated that concept very well: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times". It applies very well to diving...

 

[Centrals]

Narcosis Management Course? He's making you pay to buy him beers?

PSAI do have such a course for cert. tec diver.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

PSAI do has such a course for cert. tec diver.

Yes, they do. I just watched a YouTube clip showing such a dive. They took someone to 60m on a single tank. Strikes me as a bad idea...

 

[Centrals]

Yes, they do. I just watched a YouTube clip showing such a dive. They took someone to 60m on a single tank. Strikes me as a bad idea...

It is a tec course so should be on twin set. But I could be wrong because I am NOT PSAI trained.
60m is Level V so pretty advanced as well.

 

[mike.chuanshi]

Thank you very much for the welcome, and for offering to share your resources. After all the advice given (yours included), I will be putting the courses on hold for a bit and getting some "real" dives in. I just purchased some quality gear, and since I live in Hawaii I will be going out often.

---------- Post added December 18th, 2013 at 06:07 PM ----------

There is a big difference between rushing towards technical diving... and wanting to develop a technical-level quality of skill. Take it easy when progressing your diving boundaries, but enjoy working hard to perfect elite skills, if that's what you enjoy. It's a good long-term goal.

I think you summed up what I would like to do very nicely here: develop a technical-level quality of skill. I do enjoy working hard to perfect my skills.

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times"

As a martial artist, I can very much appreciate this. Excellent advice!

I have checked out the links you posted and will be sure to spend some time reading the articles. The books you recommended are on their way to me.

 

[Ragnar]

PADI has a dsmb specialty...

You've got to be kidding me!!.......what's next "Water Diver" specialty!!? I know it's the instructor that matters, but I dropped Padi after my Advanced, saw too many really dumb things going on and my experience dives for the Advanced were seriously NOT advanced, was a joke....