Technical diving and the new diver

[00wabbit]

I'm one of those new divers. I was originally trained in Nj by a shop that caters to North East wreck diving. In class we weren't pushed towards tech it was always referred to as the dark side and somewhere some of us may go in the future if we chose. After getting certified and learning of all the wrecks of the Northeast and the history I got very interested.

I have now moved to Indiana due to family issues and needed to find people to dive with. Since I refused to stop diving when it got cold it seems like the majority of people I dive with are tech divers who dive to keep skills sharp. I find this extremely valuable. Not only do I learn from them by talking and observing but I also learn that I'm not ready yet for tech by talking and observing.

With that beig said though I am still plotting a course for tech. It's become less about when in time I will be ready and more about when in skill I will be ready. I have transitioned most of my gear over to tech flavor not because its cool but because most of the people I dive with have the same config and when you read the reasons why the gear is like that it just makes sense.

What I would like to see is a long term plan to tech.
For example. I have AOW/nitrox and drysuit.
What should I do next and when? Should it be a set number of dives or a professiency with certain skills before moving on?

its difficult for me in this I between time because I get mixed answers. Some say get doubles now and practice. Some say wait until trim and bouyancy are better. Some say take gue fundies or intro to tech others say wait.

It would be great to see a plan that says something like achieve profecciency in x then take this class, achieve proficiency in y the take this class. With an understanding that there will be a lot of diving in between.

i would equate it to college where you take foundations as prerequisites for the next classes etc and you have a clear 2-4yr plan ahead of you.

I would be much more patient if I could see a path.

 

[TSandM]

I take a slightly different view of this. I don't think there is recreational diving and technical diving; there is diving, and it exists in a continuum of complexity and risk. I think GUE's approach is absolutely perfect in this respect -- from the very beginning, the new diver is educated in the equipment and skills he will need if he decides to go on from basic diving to anything more involved. No artificial distinction is made between diving in shallow open water and diving at depth or in overheads, but it is made very plain that more training and experience is required before the OW student is ready to move on to the latter.

I conceived an obsession with cave diving about four months after I was certified, and I laid out a plan for how I was going to get there, and it took three years to get it done. I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all -- I did a lot of diving, took a bunch of classes, learned a lot and had a ton of fun in the process.

 

[KD8NPB]

Before my OW class, I accepted that all the wrecks I want to dive are dark & deep.

Thus, it has been my only objective.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

I took OW. Taught me how to clear my mask and find my reg if it came out of my mouth. I took AOW which was basically just supervised experience (maybe a little navigation). Took Nitrox; taught me a little about PP O2 and MODs. Put in about 40 - 50 dives in the ocean and my buoyancy got better but my trim still sucked -- roll mostly. Contemplated taking a 'peak performance buoyancy' class, but decided instead to take Cavern instead, since I knew that would have buoyancy and trim as part of it and would also open some new terrain for diving. Worked great! My OW skills improved enormously after a day of overhead training. Plus once I got a peek into the cave I had to get cave training. Still have plenty of room for improvement managing steel doubles in small passages, but strap a single AL80 or HP100 on me and my OW form is pretty solid. I attribute most of my confidence and skill in open water to the rigorous training for the caves. For me there was great benefit to my OW diving by getting 'tech' training (plus I really enjoy what I've seen of the caves).

 

[CamG]

Interesting thread any aspiring diver of any level should be acutely aware of their abilities / experience.
If you THINK you might be ready think again, YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT!
JamesK, Bobby you know what I speak of.
I had the pleasure of spending two quality days with a mentor this past trip to FL.
I learned very much in just those two days.
With many thanks I share this statement," TAKE YOUR TIME TO TRAIN AND TRAIN WELL!"

All diving accepts a level of risk but take time to master skills and gain experience safely.
Listen to those who have the experience and when they open your eye's to a hole in your game take it to heart!
They are not trying to bruise your ego, they are trying to help you survive!
NO EXCUSES but heed the warnings!

Should OW divers be exposed to Tech gear / Diving?
Why not? Should they be pushed into it? ARE YOU CRAZY?
These topics could be debated and many posts but in the end it is up to every individual diver to determine their training plan.
Whether doing Recreational limit dives or Technical dives WE ALL NEED TO BE VERY "AWARE" OF OUR LIMITS!
Humility, Conservatism, and a few Reality checks are always good things to embrace!

CamG

 

[261311]

I think there's a difference to setting ones eye on far off goals, and someone setting out to accomplish their goals then and there. So long as this divers obsession leads them to education, skills and understanding and not their goal, everything's in the clear. Through their obsession, if they are truly wanting to discover a higher level of diving they will not only see that there are reinforcing opinions from their instructors that diving without appropriate training is not only dangerous but dumb.

Right now I'd say I'm personally diving obsessed, I'm not sure if I have goals to go further than a diver with first response training of some sort, but I do know I'd like to make this a long term, safe and fun sport of mine that is fairly frequent. In that realization that those are my goals for the future I've read a lot, talked to others, etc on how to achieve these goals and can objectively step back and recognize that I will have to be honest with myself throughout this process and take it as slow as I need to in order to maintain that I have a future in living. I have however, made purchases that I think will satisfy me for my first few years in diving and will help me transition and grow into more advanced diving, I've started thinking about how I dive and improving based on how other people would "like" to see other divers.

Long and short of it is, a goal for the future can be helpful so long as there is an educated honest and objective look at what you're doing in the moment.

 

[Centrals]

What is wrong with that, from OW to Tec? We all have different ideas on everything.
As a young boy I wanted to be professional football(soccer) player but it never materialized due to various reasons. But it never stopped me from playing until my knee told me enough is enough.
Technical diving is not unapproachable. Not much literatures to read or complex mathematic calculation to worry about. And the skills aren't that complicated. Kicking a football with various parts of the foot, in-step, heel, outside, top etc etc, would require a lot more practice and technique.
How do we as individual to tackle the problem is another matter.
Rome was not built in one day.

 

[fnfalman]

When you're new to the sport, your zeal tends to be a bit more than you think you want.

I was no different. Seeing all the cool technical gears and "badass" trainings, etc., excited me too. Until I dived more and found out that rec diving is plenty enough to keep me entertained and busy.

The people that wanted to get into tech diving tend to get into tech diving after they've matured a bit with good old fashion rec diving.

 

[rmh84]

I remember diving with a young man who was over 1 summer doing OW - Rescue & drysuit in order to meet the minimum requirements for a univeristy program in Commercial diving he was enrolled in for the fall (needed 100 dives and the certification as a prereq.) Honestly I'm not sure how 100 20-30' dives in a fairly calm and not that cold lake could possibly prepare him for a career doing cold water, LONG deco dives on oil rigs, but I was not the person who admitted him to the program. We didn't stay in touch - so I don't know how that university program went.

That said, I think knowing what the possibilities are from day one helps you to hone in your own goals if you're that sort of person. Personally, I'll get tech certed one day just to dive a few specific wrecks with a good tech instructor, other then that I'm happy in nice, warm, blue water at 60-90'

 

[Rhone Man]

I am not seeing the issue here. In any sport there are more advanced levels of skills, and there is no harm in telling people about them, particularly if you warn them about what they don't know. I wouldn't have any issue with an instructor telling newbie parachuting students about the joys of freefall skydiving, even if it is a long road before they would ever be ready to do it. Is the suggestion that instructors should pretend that tec diving doesn't exist, or is some dark hidden secret of the diving community?