The Tec - Rec Split: Who Did It?

[DeepSeaExplorer]

As any sport develops and becomes organized and regulated, it will naturally divide itself into different segments or interest groups. I view them as specific divisions: commercial, professional, recreational, cave and technical. Each is easy to define either based on the activity involved such as a work dive or a teaching dive, or by required gear in the case of cave or tech, or even by mindset such as no 'goal-oriented' diving.

Some of the distinctions are necessary for convenience, like designating a dive a tech dive. It lets everyone know there are specific requirements to go on the dive, so someone doesn't show up for a dive and get turned away.

I do see room for confusion though. For example, I don't consider cave diving as sub-division of technical diving, so I don't call it tech diving. It can be technical diving, but it isn't always automatically tech diving. A technical dive normally involves doubles, deco & stage bottles, while you can do a cave dive without any of the traditional 'tech' gear.

My biggest departure with accepted divisions, is in recreational diving itself. I think there needs to be an additional split to distinguish between basic divers that need supervision and advanced divers that don't. Currently, everyone lives with rules geared for the entry level diver. There needs to be two classifications with different sets of rules, with more 'freedoms' given to the advanced group.

 

[scjoe]

The earliest date on the OSHA regs regarding diving is July 22, 1977. Whether the 130 foot limit that is found in the regs exempting recreational instruction from other provisions of the regs was in the 1977 version or a subsequent amendment isn’t clear.

 

[Rhone Man]

My biggest departure with accepted divisions, is in recreational diving itself. I think there needs to be an additional split to distinguish between basic divers that need supervision and advanced divers that don't.

That makes quite a lot of sense. I have seen divers react with dismay both ways (either because they had to be supervised, or because they discovered that they wouldn't be supervised).

 

[FritzCat66]

My biggest departure with accepted divisions, is in recreational diving itself. I think there needs to be an additional split to distinguish between basic divers that need supervision and advanced divers that don't. Currently, everyone lives with rules geared for the entry level diver. There needs to be two classifications with different sets of rules, with more 'freedoms' given to the advanced group.

I think a good example of this is the Solo Diver classification & certification. Here on ScubaBoard, for example, the Solo Diving forum is a subset of the Technical Diving Specialties forum. However, the only Solo certification comes from rec-oriented SDI and not their tech-oriented older sister agency TDI; the implication being that SDI/TDI sees Solo as being an advanced form of recreational diving, not necessarily technical.

That works for me; I hold the SDI cert but do not consider myself tech at all. In fact, part of what I see as tech is the almost military devotion to a diving team, kind of the polar opposite of Solo. However, of course there are decidedly tech solo dives, like a solo deco or cave dive; but those are even more controversial than solo dives within rec limits. Notably, they're specifically outside the limits of the SDI Solo cert, and thus are not currently certified by any agency.

 

[fire_diver]

The earliest date on the OSHA regs regarding diving is July 22, 1977. Whether the 130 foot limit that is found in the regs exempting recreational instruction from other provisions of the regs was in the 1977 version or a subsequent amendment isn’t clear.

OSHA has absolutely no involvement in diver training. OSHA regulates safety in the workplace for employees. It says what a company must do to keep it's workers safe while performing thier paying jobs.

What a hobby instructor teaches a client is completely up to him.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think a good example of this is the Solo Diver classification & certification. Here on ScubaBoard, for example, the Solo Diving forum is a subset of the Technical Diving Specialties forum. However, the only Solo certification comes from rec-oriented SDI and not their tech-oriented older sister agency TDI; the implication being that SDI/TDI sees Solo as being an advanced form of recreational diving, not necessarily technical.

That works for me; I hold the SDI cert but do not consider myself tech at all. In fact, part of what I see as tech is the almost military devotion to a diving team, kind of the polar opposite of Solo. However, of course there are decidedly tech solo dives, like a solo deco or cave dive; but those are even more controversial than solo dives within rec limits. Notably, they're specifically outside the limits of the SDI Solo cert, and thus are not currently certified by any agency.

I've done staged deco solo dives before ... and I don't have any sort of solo certification.

Occasionally someone will want to give me a hard time about solo diving ... because they think I'm supposed to be some kind of role model or something. When they ask my opinion I usually tell them to go log a coupla thousand dives first ... then we'll talk about it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Rhone Man]

Solo diving is slowly becoming more accepted. I have seen at least on Liveaboard group that permits solo diving. Providing of course you have the card and the equipment.

 

[stakanak]

I always thought that he split between tech (or whatever you call it) and recreational diving was deco/non-deco. Once you have to use staging bottles, whether mixed gas or not, things tend to get complicated and dangerous if you are not competent.
Get Wet!

 

[FritzCat66]

I've done staged deco solo dives before ... and I don't have any sort of solo certification.

Sure, Bob, and I certainly don't have a problem with that and don't mean to start any debate about solo diving itself. I think lots of people have been & will continue to dive solo regardless of any certifications being offered. From my personal perspective, SDI's Solo program simply gave me my best certification card that nobody will ever see or even ask for; it's really just for myself, so I can always honestly say I'm diving within my trained & certified parameters, even when solo.

I just think the whole Solo cert issue is a good example of the rec/tech differences. For example, I would never do the solo dive you mentioned - not because it's solo but because deco diving is definitely in a technical class, while my cert is within SDI's specs, which call for all solo dives to be within rec limits, including no planned deco. Yet as I mentioned, here on the SB forums, Solo is placed as a subcategory of tech diving. It's an interesting intersection.

I wouldn't be surprised if the TDI side will eventually have their own version of the solo cert for techies. Then again, I also wouldn't be surprised if none of the techies bother with it.

I do think SDI is showing some good leadership with the Solo program, though - because people are going to do solo rec dives anyway. Same with solo tech dives; I know you guys do it, but I don't think it's in any of the tech curricula, and is probably a blatant violation of some of it. Yet that shouldn't be the case - just like on the rec side, I think a responsible tech diver should certainly be able to dive solo without violating their training parameters.

 

[ianr33]

I think a good example of this is the Solo Diver classification & certification. Here on ScubaBoard, for example, the Solo Diving forum is a subset of the Technical Diving Specialties forum. However, the only Solo certification comes from rec-oriented SDI and not their tech-oriented older sister agency TDI; the implication being that SDI/TDI sees Solo as being an advanced form of recreational diving, not necessarily technical.

I'm pretty sure the SDI solo card is for diving within "recreational" limits only.

Having the Solo diving forum as a subset of Technical Diving makes no sense to me.

Same with solo tech dives; I know you guys do it, but I don't think it's in any of the tech curricula

The NACD "neither condones nor disapproves" of solo diving.

I like that attitude. Basically saying you are a Big Boy,make your own decisions but be aware of the consequences if you get it wrong.