What Defines a "Tech" Diver

[formernuke]

that's a good point! sometimes you have to learn from experience. a few humbling experiences will do wonders IMO

Problem is when diving those humbling experiences can leave you paralyzed or dead.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

If you mean adjective rather than verb....it might make more sense.

Yep.... Got me there! Thanks for the correction...

 

[boulderjohn]

A few years ago, I got an instabuddy for a recreational dive on the wreck called the Lady Luck in South Florida. That is a huge wreck, with the upper levels within the range of almost any diver and the deepest parts close to technical levels. In fact, it is often done as a technical dive. On this day we were doing an NDL dive. The only tech equipment we had between us was the AL 40 of 50% I carried and planned to use on the safety stop.

We of course went to the deepest part first, and then ascended to a shallower level. He, however, did not ascend as much as I thought he should. I watched my computer carefully as he swam well below me, and I wondered how he was staying within NDLs. As we began our final ascent, I saw that he was not within NDLs at all. He had to do deco stops. When I was ready for the surface, he still had 10 minutes of deco. The operator had a DM in the water, and by then the 3 of us were the only ones left on the ascent line. The DM was running low on gas, so I signaled her that I would stay and watch him. I still had back gas and most of the 50% bottle. He finished his deco with his tank nearly empty.

As you might guess, we had a conversation back on the boat. He clearly considered himself to be a tech diver, and he saw nothing wrong in what he had done. He said he did that sort of dive regularly. I would argue that this is a case of a recreational diver thinking he was a tech diver, but doing tech dives did not make him one.

 

[boulderjohn]

The CDL allows you to drive a commercial truck or a car, so the commercial driver can drive either.
The non-CDL driver can only (legally) drive a car.

Driver or diver is describing the person; drive or dive describes the action.

Nice analogy.

Here in Colorado we are starting the trial in a case where a semi driving 75 MPH slammed into the back of a car that had had to stop because of traffic. The semi driver was evidently not paying attention. Everyone in the car died.

It turned out he did not have a commercial driver's license, and it also turned out that the operator for which he was driving has a history of hiring unlicensed drivers.

Apparently driving a commercial vehicle does not make you a commercial drive.

 

[formernuke]

He said he did that sort of dive regularly.

Those are key words right there, I've done this before with no issue I can do it again. It's called luck and stupid. At those depths (bottom end of recreational limits) something going wrong leads to big problems. Even you can come straight up unless there is a physical overhead the results are very bad.

But some people just want Darwin awards.

 

[formernuke]

Apparently driving a commercial vehicle does not make you a commercial drive.

I still maintain if you drive a semi, you are a semi truck driver. By strict definition. If you don't have a CDL then you are a illegal semi truck driver.

Commercial driver though is a separate thing, as that is purely defined by licensing and includes others besides just semi trucks.

Remember I'm going on very strict definitions. If you perform.those actions then.you are that type of person. Having a license or cert makes you a licensed or certified of that.

 

[tursiops]

I still maintain if you drive a semi, you are a semi truck driver. By strict definition. If you don't have a CDL then you are a illegal semi truck driver.

Commercial driver though is a separate thing, as that is purely defined by licensing and includes others besides just semi trucks.

Remember I'm going on very strict definitions. If you perform.those actions then.you are that type of person. Having a license or cert makes you a licensed or certified of that.

So long as we can distinguish between the person and the action, I think we have the necessary tools to make progress on the technical diver/dive definitions.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I do not agree....we are caught in a Schrödinger dilemma: You cannot be simultaneously be a recreational and a technical diver.

Why not? For example......when I look at your forum profile on the left it shows that you are a:

• Scuba Instructor
• Master Instructor

So as you are sitting there reading this.......aren't you simultaneously both a Scuba Instructor and a Master Instructor?............ even though one of them involves a substantially higher level of training than the other?

 

[tursiops]

Why not? For example......when I look at your forum profile on the left it shows that you are a:

• Scuba Instructor
• Master Instructor

So as you are sitting there reading this.......aren't you simultaneously both a Scuba Instructor and a Master Instructor?............ even though one of them involves a substantially higher level of training than the other?

Are you simultaneously (from your profile) a scuba instructor and a divemaster? Or does the former supplant the latter?

 

[formernuke]

Are you simultaneously (from your profile) a scuba instructor and a divemaster? Or does the former supplant the latter?

Yes to both. If you hold a higher cert you are still the lower as well.

So in my case I'm a DM and a instructor. I didn't lose DM when I became an instructor.