Technical Diving Instructor Recommendations - SoCal

[azstinger11]

GUI has a doubles primer course, and TDI Intro To Tech (sometimes called ITT) is basically doubles 101.

 

[tototime]

GUI has a doubles primer course, and TDI Intro To Tech (sometimes called ITT) is basically doubles 101.

Very helpful - thank you. I'll look into this.

 

[ginti]

I don't know about switching from a single tank to doubles mid-course (seems like it wouldn't be a problem but definitely a question for the instructor) but after taking Fundies in a single tank, recreational configuration I've been slowly adding the pieces necessary for a tec pass. Whenever I've got the right equipment and feel confident about the stricter standards, it's just a checkout dive with an instructor to upgrade my rec pass and be able to take Tec and Cave courses.

I took Fundies a few months after getting my OW cert and it was hard enough without the more complicated equipment and higher standards of a tec pass. I'm happy doing it in smaller chunks and spending more time practicing, especially since I don't have to retake Fundies to get the tec pass.

That's a good approach too, but keep in mind that is very personal.

Anyway, definitely too early to think about a tec pass for @tototime. Even if he gets it, he wouldn't be able to use it with less than 100 dives...

 

[broncobowsher]

Robin Jacoway
He does a real good job and is located in San Diego.
Worth the time to give him a call and interview him for the position.
He can be a little difficult to reach, but worth it once the connection is made.
Long history of technical diving, has been around forever.

 

[KevinNM]

Have a GUE Instructor teach you the valve drill for doubles before you start to play with them. You don’t have to take a formal course, an instructors backyard pool and a few hours will help a lot if you don’t want to spend two days

But bad habits are harder to break than good habits are to learn. And turning off all your air underwater is kind of an uncomfortable thing to do and not unknown learning valve drills.

 

[irycio]

Have a GUE Instructor teach you the valve drill for doubles before you start to play with them. You don’t have to take a formal course, an instructors backyard pool and a few hours will help a lot if you don’t want to spend two days

But bad habits are harder to break than good habits are to learn. And turning off all your air underwater is kind of an uncomfortable thing to do and not unknown learning valve drills.

I'd go a step further (or back?) - if you just want to get a feeling of doubles before the course, treat them as one huge cylinder and don't touch your valves on your own at all. Yes, you're losing the real benefit of doubles, but that's ok if you stick to dives which you would have normally done in a single, and you will still get used to how they feel on your back etc. Then in the course you will get your fair share of drilling.
Sure, if you have a willing instructor and spare $200 you can get some coaching session, but I'd argue learning the drills is already what the fundies are for.

 

[KevinNM]

If your objective is to take it for experience and maybe a Rec pass that would be great.

Valve drills are really good at distracting you from things like your buoyancy and trim, so it also challenges the team to maintain formation as the person demonstrating the skill tries to float off.

Fundies is challenging for most people even in a wetsuit and single. Doing it in a dry suit and doubles is highly challenging to most people who don’t have a fair amount of practice maintaining buoyancy and trim to the standard expected while diving with their drysuit and doubles.