Taking the Adv Nitrox/Deco plunge. (Warning, LONG)

[fire_diver]

Congrats on getting full cave ianr33!

I think you also have to look at your goals. Why do you need the mixed gas class? Is it because you want to explore deeper? Is it because the dives you are doing will force you into deco? Do you want to simply reduce narcosis inside recreational limits?

Sadly, I can find no local instructors who share my diving goals. I want to get into wreck diving. Every wreck diver I have talked with, have said the same thing... If you want a great wreck, you gotta go deeper. Take the "O" for example (not getting into the real vs reef wreck debate for here). As a typical rec diver, I could swim around the tower, or do a bounce to the flight deck. BIG WHOOP! The only divable carrier in north america and that's what I get to see? No thanks. I want to see the screws, the hangar, the whole enchilada. Same goes for the east coast wrecks and the great lakes too.

So therein lies my goals. I plan to take the adv and deco this year, and practice on these new skills. Hopefully next year, I can take wreck/adv wreck up north with one of the great lakes shops. Then take intro and normoxic trimix the year after that. Hopefully I can squeeze in a cavern/intro cave in there somewhere too. I hope that I am ready after that to start hitting some of the good wrecks. My ultimate goal is to dive the bikini atoll wrecks.

Soooo much diving to be done, sooooo little money!

Comrade Stroke

 

[The Chad]

I did IANTD adv nitrox (which includes deco). I found the book very basic but then again, I had already read all the nifty papers out there on decompression theory (e.g. Understanding M-values, O2 window, etc). The instructor also threw in a TDI adv nitrox card because he didn't feel the 50% limitation in IANTD was appropriate for Florida cave diving. He said he much preferred the IANTD book over the TDI book so I can't imagine how bad the TDI book is but I've seen the TDI trimix book and it is a complete joke (a whopping 9 pages cover trimix).

Thats b/c the book your talking about is extended range/trimix intro. The book that you want is the TDI advanced trimix

 

[ianr33]

When I did my Trimix course I was required to have the Advanced Trimix manual.

That is tantamount to saying that the Trimix manual is a waste of paper. Most of it is a defense of Deep Air and then a little Trimix tacked on at the end.

Imagine if the required text for OW was the AOW manual ! Makes no sense does it ?

 

[PerroneFord]

Fire Diver, your goals are similar to mine. I can do all my mixed gas training locally, and will be doing trimix training in caves and on the Oriskany. But for wreck work, I'll be training elsewhere. Probably in the Lakes. I haven't picked an instructor yet.

 

[Jimmer]

Like some others have mentioned, maybe you should consider going somewhere to take the course that suits your future goals better, ie. North East US or Great Lakes. I'm in the middle of researching courses/instructors for advanced nitrox/deco as well. At least here on the shores of Lake Erie, we have plenty of instructors with plenty of deep wreck experience.

 

[Warren_L]

You're welcome buddy.. Ya gotta admit though, wraping your legs around stuff makes tossing up a bag a piece of cake doesn't it?

You're the man Steve. For me, it just didn't seem quite right from the beginning, and the video just basically confirmed it after the fact. I had a buddy asking about the DSAT course as well, and when he saw the video, basically came to the same conclustion. But I'm not saying to everyone not to check it out. See for yourself and make up your own mind. It just wasn't right for me.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

Well what the Intro to Trimix course book covers on Trimix is appropriate for the TDI course. The fact is the depths in the Intro course are staying within the Normoxic range, and therefore alot of the other info covered in the Adv Trimix course, like the total pressure issues don't apply.

 

[padiscubapro]

I not looking at the materials to base my decision. Oklahoma is pretty "tech" limited. SO I need to find a good instructor who really enjoys and does a lot of mixed gas dives. They both just happen to be TDI shops. I will probably read the student materials a dozen times before I ever step foot in the class, that's just how I am. SO if a different agency has better books, I want them to study too.

Comrade Stroke

Hey FD,

I am, ANDI, PADI, TDI instructor... I never applied to teach the PADI tech clases because I personally didn't like the class layout and content..

If you are looking for quality manuals, the ANDI manuals are by far superior to everyone else out there.. The ANDI CSU class (its a recreational rating) is approximately equivalent to everyone else's nitrox + advanced nitrox.. The text books cover alot of areas the others do not.. The difference is that ANDI limits o2 to 50%.. 100% is allowed once you take the deco class..

The ANDI CSU manual is unbeatable, the Technical diver is a very good text but will receive a major rewrite this year.. The Ext Range / Trimix manual, has alot of info but is a bit dated.. This will be rewritten this year as well..

I know of several long time tech instructors and Instructor trainers that have been using the ANDI CSU student textbook as their instructor manual for their non ANDI classes..

The newer TDI manuals have been a big improvement and I would recommend them over PADI TECH material..

The ANDI manuals can be purchase online at www.andihq.com or at any ANDI facility..

In the nature of full disclosure, I have co-authored 2 CCR rebreather student texts (both are recognized by the CCR community as the most desirable reference text), a major contributing author to a 3rd CCR manual, and have authored major sections in ANDIs instructor procedures and a few other student texts.. I have also
authored (and in the process of) manufacturer user manuals..

 

[Hoosier]

Hey FD,

I am, ANDI, PADI, TDI instructor... I never applied to teach the PADI tech clases because I personally didn't like the class layout and content..

If you are looking for quality manuals, the ANDI manuals are by far superior to everyone else out there.. The ANDI CSU class (its a recreational rating) is approximately equivalent to everyone else's nitrox + advanced nitrox.. The text books cover alot of areas the others do not.. The difference is that ANDI limits o2 to 50%.. 100% is allowed once you take the deco class..

The ANDI CSU manual is unbeatable, the Technical diver is a very good text but will receive a major rewrite this year.. The Ext Range / Trimix manual, has alot of info but is a bit dated.. This will be rewritten this year as well..

I know of several long time tech instructors and Instructor trainers that have been using the ANDI CSU student textbook as their instructor manual for their non ANDI classes..

The newer TDI manuals have been a big improvement and I would recommend them over PADI TECH material..

The ANDI manuals can be purchase online at www.andihq.com or at any ANDI facility..

In the nature of full disclosure, I have co-authored 2 CCR rebreather student texts (both are recognized by the CCR community as the most desirable reference text), a major contributing author to a 3rd CCR manual, and have authored major sections in ANDIs instructor procedures and a few other student texts.. I have also
authored (and in the process of) manufacturer user manuals..

I absolutely agree with Padiscubapro about ANDI program, but it isn't easy to find a local ANDI insturctor.:no And, even though there is locally, it might be only one instructor, so we don't know how much he/she teachs well. :huh: