TDI Technical Courses

[Robert Thompson]

Of the 12 or so certification courses I have completed, Deco Procedures and Advanced Nitrox were the best courses. My instructor was/is a practicing deep technical diver with over 8000 dives and even the DM for my courses was a deep technical diver with over 2000 dives. Deep is relative to the diver of course, these guys had done the Doria, lot's of dives on the U869, as well as other 300' cold water dives on trimix rebreathers of course. I wanted to learn from instructors who go to deep, dark, scary places.

Very well said!!!!

 

[texdiveguy]

My instructor was/is a practicing deep technical diver with over 8000 dives and even the DM for my courses was a deep technical diver with over 2000 dives.

Always amazes me the dive count some guys/gal rake up over their career in diving.

 

[Rainer]

I know Tom Huff (assuming this was the instructor) has a lot of dives, but 8000? That's 22 years of diving every day, no break, ever...

 

[CompuDude]

I know Tom Huff (assuming this was the instructor) has a lot of dives, but 8000? That's 22 years of diving every day, no break, ever...

Not very hard to do. Diving 4 days per week, getting 3 dives per day, that's 12 dives per week. Let's say 50 weeks out of the year, that's 600 dives per year. That's only 13 years of diving.

I have an instructor friend who is 19 years old. She once showed me a milk crate full of log books where she dutifully logged 2,150 dives (by hand, in those little PADI log books). She stopped logging after that 2150th dive, which was 3 years ago. She feels she has done MORE diving over the last few years than those first years.

If you really dive a lot, and work in the industry, it's really not difficult to rack up many thousands of dives.

(Incidentally, she very much regrets stopping logging her dives, because now she has no solid idea of when she passes milestones like 5,000 dives, etc.)

 

[Rainer]

Yeah, but no one is doing four dives per day here in MA (every day); we just don't have an industry to support that, especially in the winter (water in the mid-30s). And he does a lot of tech diving. And I know he isn't doing four 300' dives per day. Maybe 8000 dives in warm water resort diving, but in cold water?

 

[texdiveguy]

Yeah, but no one is doing four dives per day here in MA (every day); we just don't have an industry to support that, especially in the winter (water in the mid-30s). And he does a lot of tech diving. And I know he isn't doing four 300' dives per day. Maybe 8000 dives in warm water resort diving, but in cold water?

Rainer has a point there...not to mention when you are talking instructors, particulary in the recreational side of the industry, SO many of those dives are student training dives done at 20-30ft for 20-30minutes.....yep you can rake up the numbers--I am impressed! :mooner:

 

[matt_unique]

Tom has been diving for 34 years as I recall. You will not find a lot of divers, anywhere, with that kind of resume. The DM I referenced was Ken Goguen. Those gentlemen have been to places I never wish to see. They are not "feel good" instructors, they just do it and I welcomed the opportunity to learn from them.

Rainer, neither instructor needs your validation for their credentials.

 

[Rainer]

Rainer, neither instructor needs your validation for their credentials.

LOL. That wasn't my point. I just don't understand how anyone has 8000 cold water dives (again, 22 years of diving EVERY single day, no breaks). I doubt he's done that many dives in local waters. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a TON of experience (recreational and technical). He's very well regarded in the community for good reason. 8000 dives or less. No need to get your panties in a bunch, ok?

 

[Jrock1062]

I took the Nitrox class last night with TDI the book was easy to read everything was well laid out and after taking the class i have a much better understanding of deco times, gas, and how the tables work also agree the instructer was who really made the class

 

[CompuDude]

I took the Nitrox class last night with TDI the book was easy to read everything was well laid out and after taking the class i have a much better understanding of deco times, gas, and how the tables work also agree the instructer was who really made the class

Their Basic Nitrox course is pretty good. More thorough than PADIs, and less fluff.

The higher end certs, however, are a topic worthy of 8 pages of debate... so far!