The burn! (Negativity towards tech divers)
- Thread starter CamG
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JamesK
Contributor
Ok so maybe its me but after a few days of activly searching for a tec instructor and my most recent endevor I was told that I didn't really know what I wanted! I was told that I needed AN/DP and Helitrox but SM was going to far and that I couldnt possibly want that as it would be to much of a headache? REALLY all I was getting at was that I dont want to hump doubles around on my back! Mostly because I own steel 120's and that just would be uncomfortable. Am I really expecting to much or is it just a dive shop trying to steer me into what they can make the most money on?
JamesK
Contributor
Your dive shop sounds like they do not have a SM instructor, so they are going to talk you out of it.
Contact Dive-Aholic on this forum. His name is Rob Neto. He is a SM and tech instructor up in Marianna. He might be far for you, but good training is worth driving for right? He might also be able to point you to someone closer.
Rob Neto
Contact Dive-Aholic on this forum. His name is Rob Neto. He is a SM and tech instructor up in Marianna. He might be far for you, but good training is worth driving for right? He might also be able to point you to someone closer.
Rob Neto
Hydreliox
Contributor
I like to think I am pretty open to an individuals wishes when it comes to diving. Weather it be the dives you like to do (big walls for me) or the equipment you like to use (as many cylinders as I can clip off 
) it is a very personal thing. Each to their own.
What really drives me nuts is when people ask why I do something, or ask a question with regards to certain techniques - I explain, and then they just tell me I am talking rubbish without being able to provide a coherent argument for their opinion (or against mine). CO2 retention is the biggest one that springs to mind....with most people telling me 'nah, that's just b0**0cks mate, you don't need to worry about that'. Maybe not, but it is certainly something I choose to think about and consider.
Don't get me wrong, it still drives me up the wall when I see people doing things I disagree with, but I either politely try and offer them honest advice and leave it up to them. Or I have a small chuckle to myself and let them crack on!
I can't remember whose sig this is from (I have searched around to find it in a post - I'm sure some of you will know right away so please tell me and I will edit to add their member name):
"It truly does boil down to motivation ... if you believe something is hard, or unnecessary to learn, you won't learn it ... even if it's completely within your capability."
) it is a very personal thing. Each to their own.What really drives me nuts is when people ask why I do something, or ask a question with regards to certain techniques - I explain, and then they just tell me I am talking rubbish without being able to provide a coherent argument for their opinion (or against mine). CO2 retention is the biggest one that springs to mind....with most people telling me 'nah, that's just b0**0cks mate, you don't need to worry about that'. Maybe not, but it is certainly something I choose to think about and consider.
Don't get me wrong, it still drives me up the wall when I see people doing things I disagree with, but I either politely try and offer them honest advice and leave it up to them. Or I have a small chuckle to myself and let them crack on!
I can't remember whose sig this is from (I have searched around to find it in a post - I'm sure some of you will know right away so please tell me and I will edit to add their member name):
"It truly does boil down to motivation ... if you believe something is hard, or unnecessary to learn, you won't learn it ... even if it's completely within your capability."
Keep looking! Going to sidemount right from the beginning with your tech training is definitely becoming more common. There was a time that you absolutely had to go to back-mounted doubles first, then switch to sidemount (on your own I might add) if you so chose. Those days are coming to an end. There are a growing number of tech instructors who will teach you in sidemount right from the beginning. Keeping looking and you'll find them. As has been mentioned, Rob Neto in Marianna might be a great option. I don't know him personally, but he does have a great reputation as a sidemount instructor and does appear to be able to cover any level of technical training you wish. I'm sure their are others as well. Steve Lewis is another option, but he's based in the Northeast. He does however do alot of traveling and training in FL and the Caribbean. Here are their websites.
Techdiver Training with Steve Lewis -- Diving Beyond the Limits
Rob Neto
As has already been said, typically when you get the "you can't do that in sidemount" line it's because they can't teach that in sidemount. There are a few of us around that can and do teach all of our classes in pretty much any configuration. I offer every class I teach in both backmount or sidemount. Being that I primarily dive sidemount that's my preference but it doesn't mean I won't dive backmount or teach students in backmount. I can do both and will do both. Your best bet is going to be to seek out an independent instructor not one affiliated with a shop. This way you'll get someone who isn't bound by shop rules and isn't going to try to push gear on you because it happens to have the highest profit margin for the shop.
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I second this advice ... last year I flew all the way from Seattle to Florida to take sidemount training with Rob ... and consider it money very well spent. If you're going to learn sidemount, it behooves you to learn it from someone who actually dives sidemount, as opposed to some shop instructor who learned just enough to get certified to offer the class.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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hawk44
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I am by no means a tech diver, but my stepdad is. When I go out I use one of the sets of Jetfins we have laying around the house. I have had so many people ask me/tell me "get a new pair of fins those are way old and are not nearly as good as new ones." It's kinda funny after the dive when they come out saying how the current was "bad" in their split fins. My stepdad and I have this look of "what current?" on our faces
I've also gotten the comment "you know we are only going down to 60ft" before as well, gets kinda old.
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