TDI Technical Courses
- Thread starter ianr33
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I learned a lot during my Adv. Nitrox and Deco course. The books were OK, but the instructor made the course IMHO.
I just signed up for Extended Range/Trimix with the same instructor. I picked up the manual yesterday. It's pretty lame. Not really a lot of new info. My instructor (same guy) told me not to expect to find all the answers in the book, so I'm sure he'll be supplementing it again.
Even after all the slash and burn in the "Train Wreck" thread I still think it's more about finding a good instructor than the agency. It's kind of like being a good cook. Anyone can follow a recipe but if you want to be a chef it takes skill and talent. Same with a good instructor. Anyone can follow a book and have the students answer questions, but to be a good teacher takes a special person. There are plenty of great practioners who are not good teachers.
I just signed up for Extended Range/Trimix with the same instructor. I picked up the manual yesterday. It's pretty lame. Not really a lot of new info. My instructor (same guy) told me not to expect to find all the answers in the book, so I'm sure he'll be supplementing it again.
Even after all the slash and burn in the "Train Wreck" thread I still think it's more about finding a good instructor than the agency. It's kind of like being a good cook. Anyone can follow a recipe but if you want to be a chef it takes skill and talent. Same with a good instructor. Anyone can follow a book and have the students answer questions, but to be a good teacher takes a special person. There are plenty of great practioners who are not good teachers.
JeffG
Contributor
Can I please ask why you feel the need to move around from thread to thread bashing other opinions. If you don't like the manuals just say so but why do you have to keep putting in very snide comments. Aren't we all adults and aren't we all allowed our own opinions. If you don't agree fine but can't you just be civil....
Ian thanks for opening up this thread.....and Doc thank you for your insights and patients on the other. 
All considered IMOI have found that the TDI programs are good. Their earlier text materials do fall a wee-bit short in many areas, but they have started from the top in terms of advanced level courses and rewritten manuals over the past few years.
I was lucky in finding a 'sorta local' instructor (80 mile round trip drive to his office from my home) to mentor and work with whom besides being a TDI Instructor is also Full Cave and a NAUI Course Director....point being the instructor is so important in helping things come together! Real world experience. We used not only the TDI manuals but other agencies tech manuals in addition for the text/written parts of the classes...lots of study and reading.
I persl. found the Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses quite interesting and providing all the information to get you well on your way. The Extended Range and Trimix courses were ok in terms of materials from TDI....pretty thin in the Trimix area.....so that was fine---again my instructor in addition the those materials had me use the 'new' TDI Advanced Trimix book as our main text.
All the TDI programs had written knowledge reviews to complete and final written tests plus of course training and skill dives and what I term final check out dives....and on computer training for various deco plans software--not req. by TDI but my instructor saw its value and I was glad.
I would and will recommend the TDI courses as a whole, and when matched up with a good instructor will and do give you a great starting point to technical diving at various levels, all you have to do is get out and do the 'dives'.....which I have found the rewarding part for the countless hours of travel/diving/study/$/dedication to task....and more than a few slices of yummy 'humble pie'.
Fun and safe diving to all!!
All considered IMOI have found that the TDI programs are good. Their earlier text materials do fall a wee-bit short in many areas, but they have started from the top in terms of advanced level courses and rewritten manuals over the past few years.
I was lucky in finding a 'sorta local' instructor (80 mile round trip drive to his office from my home) to mentor and work with whom besides being a TDI Instructor is also Full Cave and a NAUI Course Director....point being the instructor is so important in helping things come together! Real world experience. We used not only the TDI manuals but other agencies tech manuals in addition for the text/written parts of the classes...lots of study and reading.
I persl. found the Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses quite interesting and providing all the information to get you well on your way. The Extended Range and Trimix courses were ok in terms of materials from TDI....pretty thin in the Trimix area.....so that was fine---again my instructor in addition the those materials had me use the 'new' TDI Advanced Trimix book as our main text.
All the TDI programs had written knowledge reviews to complete and final written tests plus of course training and skill dives and what I term final check out dives....and on computer training for various deco plans software--not req. by TDI but my instructor saw its value and I was glad.
I would and will recommend the TDI courses as a whole, and when matched up with a good instructor will and do give you a great starting point to technical diving at various levels, all you have to do is get out and do the 'dives'.....which I have found the rewarding part for the countless hours of travel/diving/study/$/dedication to task....and more than a few slices of yummy 'humble pie'.
Fun and safe diving to all!!
Layne, can you tell us a little about the SSI tech courses and how they compare to TDI? Have they been around and are just new to the LDS you're working with? If they're newly developed courses did they write the manuals from scratch or base them on another agency's manuals/philosophy? What tech courses does SSI offer?
Sorry for the slight change of direction, Ian.
Sorry for the slight change of direction, Ian.
We used the NAUI Decompression manual in addition to TDI's....it was 'good' outside of a lot of NAUI propritory charts and wheel things they used as examples.
Hey John,
The manuals are really not that bad. I think they are very well laid out. I think there is still a great deal of room for improvement as with all manuals. Their progression is a little different however and I think it has or will lead to some confusion by those taking a cursory look.
Here is their progression - Advanced Nitrox / Technical Foundations, Decompression Procedures, Normoxic Trimix, and Advanced Decompression Procedures.
Currently the Advanced Nitrox is included as part of the Technical Foundations section. But, if you don't have all the prerequisites, you can take advanced nitrox by itself and then upgrade to technical foundations. I personally think that is very confusing but I think with explanation, it becomes more clear...
As far as where they got the information, it is all out there via web, other manuals, NOAA, US Navy, etc... and SSI pulled from many different sources decided on parameters they felt were the safest.
Still, as I have said in many threads, I believe the material is of extreme value but it is the instructor that really makes the difference...
Layne
The manuals are really not that bad. I think they are very well laid out. I think there is still a great deal of room for improvement as with all manuals. Their progression is a little different however and I think it has or will lead to some confusion by those taking a cursory look.
Here is their progression - Advanced Nitrox / Technical Foundations, Decompression Procedures, Normoxic Trimix, and Advanced Decompression Procedures.
Currently the Advanced Nitrox is included as part of the Technical Foundations section. But, if you don't have all the prerequisites, you can take advanced nitrox by itself and then upgrade to technical foundations. I personally think that is very confusing but I think with explanation, it becomes more clear...
As far as where they got the information, it is all out there via web, other manuals, NOAA, US Navy, etc... and SSI pulled from many different sources decided on parameters they felt were the safest.
Still, as I have said in many threads, I believe the material is of extreme value but it is the instructor that really makes the difference...
Layne
Similar threads
