those who have taken tech1

[globaldiver]

JJ is a phenomenal instructor. To have the privilege to study with him is a great opportunity. Even if the class "kicks your butt" the first time around, you go home, practice, and then come back to finish the class as a better diver.

You still have one month of possible hard training before the class...

Anders

 

[Kevrumbo]

limeyx, you are not exactly delivering an advertising prospectus for Tech 1.

Very demanding of you physically, mentally, & cognitively. Throw in some open water x-factor variables (i.g. visibility, current, surge, surf zone wave action etc.), and you can have one helluva ordeal. I sincerely hope that Nick (LimeyX), Pete and Andy pass --after witnessing what they've learned and practiced, at least they'll be much better prepared for actual/real contingencies at depth should they occur, and just being better skilled & accomplished divers in general. One of these days, I hope to find the courage to actually enroll & undergo the Tech 1 Course (especially here off the Beaches of California). . .

 

[Ben_ca]

thanks for the advice guys. im actually going to take longer time to refine my skills i was originally set for tech1 on june but i think il postpone til august. will sit in martin's fundies and act as his assist and and maybe cameraman il take this oppurtunity to cement my fundies skills.

what i have been addressing and practicing is learning to manage all my gear while using the can light. i swear i had the valve/s drills, smb deployment nailed! add the goodman handle on the left hand and suddenly im a bit awkward. still trying to rack as much dives with the light in hand.

You guys are lucky... no thick hoods, drygloves and dry suit to deal with

 

[cmalinowski]

You guys are lucky... no thick hoods, drygloves and dry suit to deal with

Amen brother. My skills were so much better in the caymans with a 3mm wetsuit than they are in the quarries with my drysuit, hood, gloves, etc. No real need to worry about purging gas from a wetsuit

Chris

 

[Ben_ca]

It's amazing how much more your situational awareness opens up when you don't have to wear a hood.... you hear everything... the air sloshing in your wing... your exhaleation bubbles... your buddies bubbles... I wear a nice warm 12 mm hood and I can't hear $hit

 

[limeyx]

We've been doing everything here (low vis waters) with light deployed (except gas switch).

Yes ,blowing a bag with light deployed is fun!

Probably best to stow the light when shooting a bag (generally). Why make things harder than they already are?

 

[limeyx]

limeyx, you are not exactly delivering an advertising prospectus for Tech 1.

ha, please dont get that impression. Is it hard? of course. But it really builds on the skills you learn in DIR-F. It's an amazing course that taught us so much, and really showed us where our skills were in an objective manner.

It took a *lot* of practice and a lot of patience and learning hard lessons for us to pass this class. And honestly, had we not been out almost every week this year at the beach practicing, we would not have passed. But it's really just growing the skills you are already working on and adding some more on top of it.

Stuff like being able to stop at a particular depth -- not 3 feet below or 2 feet above, but exactly at the depth. They may not seem so important in recreational diving, but things like that get way more critical as you go deeper and longer. So you learn them in DIR-F, practice them in your dives, and then learn them even better in later classes.

We will still be absorbing this class for a long (long) time to come. 5 11-12 hour days is really intensive, but in the end so so worth it (in my opinion). However, not really a class to rush into -- you very quickly find out exactly where you are and are not. We spent a lot of time cursing and swearing at our un co-operative skills in 30 feet of water to make this happen.

we capped it off with two awesome experience dives today.

 

[TSandM]

Well, congratulations on getting through it.

Fundies was a big challenge for me, and it's taken a lot of hard work and time to get to where I think I may well pass it. But it's done so much for my diving . . . I can imagine that the level of skills called for in Tech1 would do the same. Taking diving to another level

 

[nadwidny]

Stuff like being able to stop at a particular depth -- not 3 feet below or 2 feet above, but exactly at the depth. They may not seem so important in recreational diving, but things like that get way more critical as you go deeper and longer. So you learn them in DIR-F, practice them in your dives, and then learn them even better in later classes.

Well...actually...when doing the deeper and longer dives, being 3 feet below or 2 feet above really isn't that important. In the real world doing real dives one is rarely at exactly the prescribed depth, especially in the open ocean.

What is important is that before one goes on to deeper and longer that they possess the ability to do as you describe. Deco is not so precise that a diver must actually maintain such a narrow parameter while doing advanced diving. What is important is that they must have the ability to do so.

 

[limeyx]

Well...actually...when doing the deeper and longer dives, being 3 feet below or 2 feet above really isn't that important. In the real world doing real dives one is rarely at exactly the prescribed depth, especially in the open ocean.

What is important is that before one goes on to deeper and longer that they possess the ability to do as you describe. Deco is not so precise that a diver must actually maintain such a narrow parameter while doing advanced diving. What is important is that they must have the ability to do so.

Agreed that it's not that "precise" -- which is why it's harped on about so much. It would be really easy to say "well, what's 2 or 3 feet between friends" then get into a habit like that which will be really hard to get out of when you want to procede to the next level.