TDI Deco Procedures.

[SailNaked]

Seems to me that there should be a Deco procedures course that was on deco procedures and deep diving to some limit (limit of air for instance but I would accept 150'). include everything you need to dive past the NDLs. and include deco at 20ft with O2.

Then you have an advanced gas course that has all the speedy gas mixes. (He & O2 < 21% > 40%). I would like to stay on wrecks at 130' in warm water for more than 8 minutes, and need a course to do so. I would pay about 6-700.

As it is I have to take 2 courses and then a third for 3k, such is life, but it will take me a lot longer to save the pennies when I could be diving safely sooner if the course was actually what it was advertized as "deco procedures- certified to dive to 150ft" maybe TDI should change it up a little, "deco procedures - 1/2 the course to be certified to dive to 150 ft." why are they offered seperately if you must have both? I do not have other alternatives in Houston or Austin that I know of.

 

[rjack321]

Seems to me that there should be a Deco procedures course that was on deco procedures and deep diving to some limit (limit of air for instance but I would accept 150'). include everything you need to dive past the NDLs. and include deco at 20ft with O2.

Then you have an advanced gas course that has all the speedy gas mixes. (He & O2 < 21% > 40%). I would like to stay on wrecks at 130' in warm water for more than 8 minutes, and need a course to do so. I would pay about 6-700.

As it is I have to take 2 courses and then a third for 3k, such is life, but it will take me a lot longer to save the pennies when I could be diving safely sooner if the course was actually what it was advertized as "deco procedures- certified to dive to 150ft" maybe TDI should change it up a little, "deco procedures - 1/2 the course to be certified to dive to 150 ft." why are they offered seperately if you must have both? I do not have other alternatives in Houston or Austin that I know of.

My wife has GUEF ~3-4 yrs ago in a single tank. And GUE Cave1 in doubles. And took UTD Tech1 this past summer. She has had some great 25-30min dives in the 120-130 range on 25/25 with O2 for deco.

Maybe the TDI shoe just doesn't fit. The reality is that Austin isn't exactly a diving/training hub anyway so why not get a bit of training in during your dive travels?

There are plenty of good instructors offering courses that meet your needs in FL, CA, and elsewhere.

 

[Blackwood]

No, TDI recognizes 150ft in Cozumel is not the same as 150ft off Vancouver Island. This allows the instructor to use discretion based on environmental and other conditions.

Is there a minimum depth to which is must be taught? Or can students who live in cold murky waters potentially go through a deco course only doing simulated decompression?

 

[AndyNZ]

Is there a minimum depth to which is must be taught? Or can students who live in cold murky waters potentially go through a deco course only doing simulated decompression?

For AN&DP there is no minimum depth. Most "critical" skills need to be conducted shallower than 30m.

Most instructors I know tend to aim for 70-80% depth of the course limits, irrespective of the course.

You can still do a good DP course if you limit it to a max depth of 35m - the challenge is getting students to realise that 45m is a big dive, and a big step up from 35m.

 

[AndyNZ]

As it is I have to take 2 courses and then a third for 3k, such is life, but it will take me a lot longer to save the pennies when I could be diving safely sooner if the course was actually what it was advertized as "deco procedures- certified to dive to 150ft" maybe TDI should change it up a little, "deco procedures - 1/2 the course to be certified to dive to 150 ft." why are they offered seperately if you must have both? I do not have other alternatives in Houston or Austin that I know of.

You can do DP as a separate course, you just don't get the value of doing it in conjunction with AN.

AN is separate as it is a pre-req for CCR courses that require O2 knowledge without deco knowledge.

You could always look at other agencies, DSAT, IANTD etc.

 

[ianr33]

Although they are technically 2 separate courses Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures are normally done at the same time. In practice it is difficult to tell which course is which.You do what is essentially one course and come out of it with a card good to 150 feet and 100% O2. Combined cost is probably somewhere around $600 ??

There are now at least 2 instructors in the Austin area and probably many more in the rest of central Texas.
Lake Travis is very convenient. It is also pretty deep dark and cold (or at least it will be deep again if it keeps raining) While I would not recommend diving in these conditions to 150 feet on air, many people will do 120-130 (DIR types flame me now )
A 130 foot dive through the trees in Travis feels like a much "bigger" dive than a 150 foot dive in Cayman

 

[Scott L]

Kinda my point. Why not take a more comprehensive course now? E.g. UTD has a great "tech1" course using 25/25 + O2 for deco in the 90 to 130ft range. And it can be upsized to 21/35 + EAN50 for deco in the 120-160ft range with a few more days of class - typically taken 3-6months after part1.

Helium is neither difficult nor evil so introducing it sooner is better IMO. If you chose not to use it that's fine, but at least you're educated about when/where its a good idea and why. BTW, to me its way more about low solubility and low density than narcosis issues.

Deco proc by itself is really useless. No higher O2 mixes, no helium either.

Very logical statement. What are the basic diffirences between GUE Tech 1 and UTD Tech1 and the agencies in your opionion? No instructors in east coast USA? GUE/UTD agreement? Odd!

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Adv. nitrox alone doesn't even get the ability to switch gases, nevermind the lame 21% to 36% balony.

Advanced Nitrox alone gets the ability to switch gases up to 100% O2 within the non-deco limits.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Although they are technically 2 separate courses Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures are normally done at the same time. In practice it is difficult to tell which course is which.You do what is essentially one course and come out of it with a card good to 150 feet and 100% O2. Combined cost is probably somewhere around $600 ??

Advanced Nitrox alone certifies the student to use up to 100% O2 mixes within non-deco limit. Deco Procedures introduces the student to decompression diving.

 

[Rhone Man]

To be honest, they might as well consolidate Adv Nitrox / Deco Procedures into one course. I have never met anyone who didn't take them together.

Amen on the 150 feet in the Caribbean is not the same as 150 feet off Vancouver Island concept. Diving deep in Caribbean waters involves a lot less task loading. For one thing we don't need to carry lights or wear drysuits. I did my 180' checkout dive for TDI Extended Range in a shortie.