Two questions

[jbd]

Considering both the academic and water sessions

1) What was the most difficult part of learning decompression diving?

2) What was the most difficult part of learning mixed gas diving?

 

[karstdvr]

I think the key work to decompression diving and Mixed gas diving is the word diving. All too often I see people taking these classes that really haven't mastered basic diving,and spend most of their class time with the instructor dealing with some basic issues,and losing out on quality instruction time of a new skill. To answer your question neither is overly difficult,but it is important to be squared away with basic dive skills,and if using different types of diving equipment to accomplish these goals,then have a rudimentary skill level.

 

[*Floater*]

Considering both the academic and water sessions

1) What was the most difficult part of learning decompression diving?

2) What was the most difficult part of learning mixed gas diving?

It's not difficult. You write the profile you want into your deco planning program, copy it down on a slate, write down a few contingency plans and then you are good to go. Alternatively, you can just follow a multi-gas wrist computer if you have one and a banckup computer/tables, or just do it all in your head if you know how. Now you do need to know your gas consumption rate and reserve sufficient spares to make it back if you or your buddy experiences an OOG emergency, or if you loose your deco gas. But as long as you know everyone's SCR, the computer can calculate your gas needs.

As for in water, you have to have to be comfortable diving heavy doubles loaded with equipment and deco bottles. You need to have the buoyancy control to hold your deco stops. You have to remember and be able to switch from back gas to your deco mix or between deco bottles at correct depths and times and not breathe the wrong mix. You also have to have the discipline to deal with emergencies underwater since surfacing quickly is not a good option if you have a deco obligation. Obviously things become more complicated the deeper you go and at some point you have to start worrying about travel mixes and such.

 

[in_cavediver]

Considering both the academic and water sessions

1) What was the most difficult part of learning decompression diving?

2) What was the most difficult part of learning mixed gas diving?

My opinion is the dive management part. Its the managing all of the new tasks. IE creating a well thought out dive and gas plan. Then having the skills, attidue and maturity to follow that plan. It also involves mastery of fundemental dive skills to allow heavy task loading.

With that, for any technical diving, be it deco, mixed gas or cave, it's the demostration of the water skills that are the toughest and most important. The academics are just that, academic. Anyone, even non-divers can master those skills. Its the water side that will actually kill you if your not up to the challenges presented.

 

[theskull]

Gaining enough flexibility in my shoulders to do the vavle shutdown drills!

theskull

 

[diverrob]

Hauling doubles and 2 deco tanks down the dock while all the rec divers and the divemaster look on in horror and not offering to help lift them onto the boat.

For tech classes a good instructor makes all the difference.

 

[jbd]

Thank you all for the replies. I've been working on the planning part but so far have not yet had the opprotunity to practice following a detailed plan yet. Also I don't have doubles yet but that will change in the near future. I have the BP/wing but still need the manifold.

I have talked with an instructor in Michigan and one of the things he talked about was people not really having the basic skills down so they end up doing and extra 6 or more dives just getting that squared away before they can even work on the actual training dives related to the course at hand.

Hopefully the course(s) I want to take will happen this coming spring or summer which gives me thiswinter to get myself well squared away. Any further advice or suggestions are sincerely appreciated.

 

[Jason Ooi]

I strong agree with Floater.
Fitness, awareness, depth and times, used to know your decoplanner mix, NOTOX switch in correct, good in buoyancy

 

[Hoosier]

I have talked with an instructor in Michigan and one of the things he talked about was people not really having the basic skills down so they end up doing and extra 6 or more dives just getting that squared away before they can even work on the actual training dives related to the course at hand.

That's true, but it isn't the student's fault and ignorance. The Adv. nitrox/deco is the entry class for the tech diving as you may agree. Those basic skill that the tech instructor mentioned doen'st used to be taught in the rec. diving classes. I am wondering who teaches the valve drill, horizontal ascent and decent, frog kick, back kick, etc.... in the rec. classes. Maybe, some students have some idea before taking the entry tech class by taking DIR-F in advance. My point is that the students are taking the class to learn something new, not simply cut the table, demonstrate the skill that already mastered, and get the card. I learned a lot from the basic from my tech instructor. Otherwise, where could I learn it? Internet or buddy? I am still practicing all skill that I learned from the tech instructor regular basis.

My tech instructor was also complaining in the same way as Michigan tech instructor told. But, I told him if I knew everything already, why did I need to take your class by giving away my money? The tech class isn't for the card collector....


Just my 2 bar....

 

[jbd]

My tech instructor was also complaining in the same way as Michigan tech instructor told. But, I told him if I knew everything already, why did I need to take your class by giving away my money? The tech class isn't for the card collector....


Just my 2 bar....

A valid point. However as an instructor myself, I understood his point regarding basic skills like bouyancy control, trim, ability to deal with some problems without automatically losing control of position in the water column. These are the kind of things that cause me, as an instructor, to not accept people for AOW or above courses unless they demonstrate they have some reasonably solid diving skill.

Essentally he is indicating not to show up if I'm clueless on things like bouyancy contro, minor task loading, or have issues with flooded mask or no mask on etc, etc.

The other thing is, show up able to dive with doubles so he doesn't have start from scratch with those kinds of things.