BigBubbaJ
Contributor
UTD Intro to Tech/ Tech Essentials Class Report
I have been diving a DSS BPW for a year and a half as of the time of signing up for this class. I dive a lot of local low vis Colorado lakes. I liked the idea of doubles for the redundancy and not for solo diving, but for self reliance while I can't find my buddy in no vis colorado lakes. I find myself diving down in New Mexiuco at the bloue hole about every other month, on the 3rd weekend. This turns out to be the same weekend that UTD instructor George Watson runs his monthly trip down to
Rock Lake, which is also located in Santa Rosa, NM. I just bought a set of doubles on TDS and really figured I was ready to learn how to go to the next level with my DIR gear setup. I spoke with George and his UTD team over the course of a few
months and decided to take UTD Intro to Tech as opposed to GUE Fundies. We are really fortunate in colodaro here to have the option of both. Ultimately I really like George as an Instructor, and I love the UTD apprach and web site. So after some discussions, I signed up to take UTD Intro to Tech (they changed the name last week to Essentials of Tech) with George. The online materials and integrated 5th DX videos are really great. I got to spend some time with George over a weekend of classroom and pool sessions. WOW. I thought I was a decent diver. Learning to dive doubles in a drysuit with a deco bottle really threw off my prior experience. The dive shop, Ocean First Diver is awesome. They have a tremendous pool, and a liberal pool session policy. I must have spent 20 hours in the pool working on my skills with team members taking tech 1 and tech 2 courses. It was nice to have a UTD instructor but even more so more beneficial that there is such a fantastic emphasis on the total Team with UTD, and George is really great at welcoming in a bringing in new members. Seems like every time I booked pool time there was a tech 2 person or even George there in the water thowring me an OOA and working with me on ascents or no mask work. Its hard to explain how much different this is from diving a DIR singles rig. WOW. Its different. I was taught to feel the difference that proper trim and proper leg position makes for everything. A few weeks ago I did an ascent with a tech 2 team mate, we did a 8ft gas switch and an ascent. he commented to me... wow that was smooth. I thought to myself, wow he was doing this gas switch REALLY fast. I better do this right. The UTD philosophy really drills in the building blocks. I nailed the switch and earned a much appreciated comment from a much more experienced team mate. We do training here in Colorado about six hours south in New Mexico, at Rock Lake. It is a ~280' deep geologically active spring fed lake. There is tons to see in this place. Freshwater sponges, crystal formations, and the occasional goose fricassee (coyotes?). It is a very brief shelf with a wall and a drop to the deep dark bottom. Awesome place for land locked tech divers. The first trip down we did our basic 6. I for some reason found the need to propel myself whenever my mask left my face. I had cold lips (the lake is about 55 deg) which makes clamping lips over a SMB oral inflator almost impossible. My halcyon 3' SMB with the push down valve was almost a no go. You think you are pumping air into it... but no. Just a ton of bubbles. We did a ton of air shares and air share ascents. Someone was always out of air. The ascents were a highlight for me as it really forced me to master the art of drysuit venting. It feels like a real accomplishment to nail a 30' ascent in a drysuit. Of all the skills, I nailed the stage switch and stow. This one was the easiest for me. Don't know why. Did 2 bag shoots, all minimally acceptable. When it was time for my valve drill, I did it well minus the fact that I lost 10 feet and needed to use my inflator. Not acceptable. At the end of the weekend, I made good progress but still needed to demonstrate some skills without spazzing out.
fun times. The UTD team goes to rock lake the third weekend of every month, so there is always another trip.
This trip, I nailed my skills and was able to earn the UTD Tech Essentials Rating after doing a few more skills for George. BTW my new DSS SMB was WAY easier to inflate with cold lips than the H brand one.
I have to say that the UTD instructors really are top notch. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to live within an hour of a tech instructor who loves to teach, loves to dive and holds us all to the highest standards. The things that I have learned are skills that I will have forever. A 1 min ascent drill is priceless. There is nothing better then a successful team ascent.
Thanks to UTD and George Watson for a phenomenal class and team.
I can't wait for Tech 1 and beyond.
Did I mention this team has 2 scooters...? WOW. Talk about a crack pipe!
I have been diving a DSS BPW for a year and a half as of the time of signing up for this class. I dive a lot of local low vis Colorado lakes. I liked the idea of doubles for the redundancy and not for solo diving, but for self reliance while I can't find my buddy in no vis colorado lakes. I find myself diving down in New Mexiuco at the bloue hole about every other month, on the 3rd weekend. This turns out to be the same weekend that UTD instructor George Watson runs his monthly trip down to
Rock Lake, which is also located in Santa Rosa, NM. I just bought a set of doubles on TDS and really figured I was ready to learn how to go to the next level with my DIR gear setup. I spoke with George and his UTD team over the course of a few
months and decided to take UTD Intro to Tech as opposed to GUE Fundies. We are really fortunate in colodaro here to have the option of both. Ultimately I really like George as an Instructor, and I love the UTD apprach and web site. So after some discussions, I signed up to take UTD Intro to Tech (they changed the name last week to Essentials of Tech) with George. The online materials and integrated 5th DX videos are really great. I got to spend some time with George over a weekend of classroom and pool sessions. WOW. I thought I was a decent diver. Learning to dive doubles in a drysuit with a deco bottle really threw off my prior experience. The dive shop, Ocean First Diver is awesome. They have a tremendous pool, and a liberal pool session policy. I must have spent 20 hours in the pool working on my skills with team members taking tech 1 and tech 2 courses. It was nice to have a UTD instructor but even more so more beneficial that there is such a fantastic emphasis on the total Team with UTD, and George is really great at welcoming in a bringing in new members. Seems like every time I booked pool time there was a tech 2 person or even George there in the water thowring me an OOA and working with me on ascents or no mask work. Its hard to explain how much different this is from diving a DIR singles rig. WOW. Its different. I was taught to feel the difference that proper trim and proper leg position makes for everything. A few weeks ago I did an ascent with a tech 2 team mate, we did a 8ft gas switch and an ascent. he commented to me... wow that was smooth. I thought to myself, wow he was doing this gas switch REALLY fast. I better do this right. The UTD philosophy really drills in the building blocks. I nailed the switch and earned a much appreciated comment from a much more experienced team mate. We do training here in Colorado about six hours south in New Mexico, at Rock Lake. It is a ~280' deep geologically active spring fed lake. There is tons to see in this place. Freshwater sponges, crystal formations, and the occasional goose fricassee (coyotes?). It is a very brief shelf with a wall and a drop to the deep dark bottom. Awesome place for land locked tech divers. The first trip down we did our basic 6. I for some reason found the need to propel myself whenever my mask left my face. I had cold lips (the lake is about 55 deg) which makes clamping lips over a SMB oral inflator almost impossible. My halcyon 3' SMB with the push down valve was almost a no go. You think you are pumping air into it... but no. Just a ton of bubbles. We did a ton of air shares and air share ascents. Someone was always out of air. The ascents were a highlight for me as it really forced me to master the art of drysuit venting. It feels like a real accomplishment to nail a 30' ascent in a drysuit. Of all the skills, I nailed the stage switch and stow. This one was the easiest for me. Don't know why. Did 2 bag shoots, all minimally acceptable. When it was time for my valve drill, I did it well minus the fact that I lost 10 feet and needed to use my inflator. Not acceptable. At the end of the weekend, I made good progress but still needed to demonstrate some skills without spazzing out.
fun times. The UTD team goes to rock lake the third weekend of every month, so there is always another trip. This trip, I nailed my skills and was able to earn the UTD Tech Essentials Rating after doing a few more skills for George. BTW my new DSS SMB was WAY easier to inflate with cold lips than the H brand one.
I have to say that the UTD instructors really are top notch. I feel extremely fortunate to be able to live within an hour of a tech instructor who loves to teach, loves to dive and holds us all to the highest standards. The things that I have learned are skills that I will have forever. A 1 min ascent drill is priceless. There is nothing better then a successful team ascent.
Thanks to UTD and George Watson for a phenomenal class and team.
I can't wait for Tech 1 and beyond.
Did I mention this team has 2 scooters...? WOW. Talk about a crack pipe!
