TDI - Whats it all about

[AquaPixie]

I am currently a PADI OW/AOW/RSC - Diver - however i am starting feel as if I would like to explore other realms of diving not just at the rec level. I am currently going through the PADI -DM cource and have been approach to take a TDI advanced Nitorox and Decompression Theory cource. If any one has had any experiance with TDI (good or bad) could you drop me a line and let me know your thoughts?

 

[Hyper-limits]

I am currently a PADI OW/AOW/RSC - Diver - however i am starting feel as if I would like to explore other realms of diving not just at the rec level. I am currently going through the PADI -DM cource and have been approach to take a TDI advanced Nitorox and Decompression Theory cource. If any one has had any experiance with TDI (good or bad) could you drop me a line and let me know your thoughts?

My experience with TDI has been really good. Of course like any other cert. agencies it is the instructor that really matter . But I found the course content really good.
I had done a Complete Safeair Diver with ANDI before taking the Adv Nitrox/deco procedure course from TDI so the math/calculation of MOD,EAD etc was really easy for me.
One thing that I found a little difficult was getting use to all the new equipment.
Double, deco bottle, lift bag etc. You will be challenge if the instructor is on the ball,
I know I did. I see the ADV Nitrox/Deco procedure as the OW of tech Diving where
you should learn all the basic skills you need to move to more advance tech courses (Trimix).

Cheers

Al

 

[matt_unique]

The single most beneficial course I have ever taken in terms of developing diving skills was Deco Procedures.

--Matt

 

[do it easy]

I took the adv nitrox and deco procedures class last spring and it has opened up so much diving, especially around the Great Lakes. If you're looking for something new, you'll find it.

 

[hex92]

I am currently enrolled in TDI's Advanced Nnitrox and Deco Procedures. I have finished the book work and both written tests. The course work isn't that difficult. And I don't feel like I have learned too much yet. In addition to the books ($60) and the classes ($500) I had to buy dive planning software ($89). Of course the gear requirements are quite expensive too. You can get away with an H valve on your tank, but I decided that doubles (LP 95s- $730) were the way to go. Of course I had to buy another reg with a 7' hose ($320-killer deal). I have known that I was going down this path for awhile so over the last year or so I have picked up gear when the price was right.

The true training starts this weekend when we assemble my doubles and the instructor looks at all my gear and pieces it together for my first pool dive with them. Using all this gear together while sticking to a dive plan in open water will obviously take some getting used to.

I have talked to several divers that have taken these courses from the same shop. They all feel that the Deco course is worth every penny. The Adv. Nitrox is just a hoop you need to jump through to get to the Deco course b/c it really doesn't train you to do anything. It just lets you get the 100% O2 fills that you will use when doing Deco.

I will be able to give my impressions on the diving portion of my training as the dive season progresses.

 

[mossym]

hex92, as someone else looking to go down this road soon your feedback on the course would be much appreciated, either here or by email/pm

 

[netmage]

I am currently a PADI OW/AOW/RSC - Diver - however i am starting feel as if I would like to explore other realms of diving not just at the rec level. I am currently going through the PADI -DM cource and have been approach to take a TDI advanced Nitorox and Decompression Theory cource. If any one has had any experiance with TDI (good or bad) could you drop me a line and let me know your thoughts?

In general, with technical diving, the instructor makes and breaks the course - not the particular agency. I know of two awesome TDI instructors in the Great Lakes that I would recommend. Steve Lewis (Doppler) or Shipwreck Adventures (Greg Such/Glenn Heitman)

 

[matt_unique]

....The Adv. Nitrox is just a hoop you need to jump through to get to the Deco course b/c it really doesn't train you to do anything. It just lets you get the 100% O2 fills that you will use when doing Deco.
....

You don't need to take Adv. Nitrox to take the Deco Procedures course. Most people do take them together but it is not a requirement. You will be doing simulated deco dives for this course. Adv. Nitrox is really nice to have when you start doing real deco dives because of the time it can shave off your hangs.

--Matt

 

[theskull]

The PADI DiveMaster course is an excellent way to get prepared for tech diving. The refinement of your skills, task loading, supervision responsibilities, and buoyancy control required for DiveMaster really help prepare you for tech.

You will feel like a beginner again once you don the doubles with stage bottles, but learning is a good thing.

And to answer the specific question asked, TDI as an agency is just as well recognized as IANTD, GUE, ANDI, and anyone I may have omitted. So get a well-recommended instructor and do your best to totally master all that is asked of you. And don't forget to have fun along the way!!

theskull

 

[scorpiofish]

I would finish your DM first, just a consideration.

When it comes to tech diving, it is absolutely the instructor that matters, not the agency. I did the TDI courses. I had a very experienced technical dive instructor. There were other instructors available, some with surprisingly little experience. Some were his former students.

The course materials were poorly written, but not a big deal.