What Defines a "Tech" Diver

[EL1]

When I first heard about the delineation, I assumed it meant that that's not something you do for fun, it's something to risk your life on for money.

The phrasing of "recreational limits" doesn't help either, almost as if that's intentional, a psychological trick, a lie to get out of teaching people how deco works.

Even if it's supposed to convey extremeness, extreme sports are still recreational.

And "tech", what is left that the standard tech diver has more of technology wise? Everyone has computers now, so what, gas analyzers? That's the line I was taught, air from outside vs technical gases from a technical gas vendor, but then nitrox doesn't count because that's not cool enough, it's all a bit pointless.

 

[MichaelMc]

The phrasing of "recreational limits" doesn't help either, almost as if that's intentional, a psychological trick, a lie to get out of teaching people how deco works.

The name predates the wide prevalence of really good and cheap computers. Think making dives with several dive plans written out on sheets and needing to follow them exactly to ensure you have enough gas to get back safely, or know how to adapt the three or so variants you brought down with you to what you've actual done in the dive. Plus rebreather diving, an underwater gas mixing computer that might or might not goof up and start trying to kill you by accident or your inattention. A highly technical (lots of detailed paperwork, systems and timing) undertaking compared to going down around 80' to 130' and coming up before some time limit and pausing at 15' for some extra safety.

 

[Wibble]

The name predates the wide prevalence of really good and cheap computers. Think making dives with several dive plans written out on sheets and needing to follow them exactly to ensure you have enough gas to get back safely, or know how to adapt the three or so variants you brought down with you to what you've actual done in the dive. A highly technical (lots of detailed paperwork and timing) undertaking compared to going down around 80' (or 130' sure) and coming up before some time limit and pausing at 15' for some extra safety.

That may be the case, but the term is an excellent description of the difference between simple recreational diving an complex diving requiring specialist and highly technical planning and operational skills.

Or Technical Diving for short.

 

[MichaelMc]

I think I said that... I tried to..
It is no longer so unique in the tech that is worn, which is a common meaning of tech. (skipping over the rebreather computers and heads up displays, and the scooters.)

Edit: Hmm, I guess I skipped that the planning and knowledge needed is still that involved, aka detailed/technical. (well... not that involved, there is desktop software to lay it all out rather easily and you can dive your computer..., which is a really good computer, and you have two of them.)

complex diving requiring specialist and highly technical planning and operational skills.

It is not as if you are an electronic warfare officer or running and maintaining a nuclear reactor.

 

[happy-diver]

There are varying degrees of schools regarding death as opposed to degree of injury

Well even with a deco obligation you "can" go directly to the surface. You may get a little DCS hit which can be treated.

This however is approaching surpassing the most ill informed post ever on ScubaBoard


Treatment usually in most aspects of medcine fall far short of cure

 

[EL1]

That may be the case, but the term is an excellent description of the difference between simple recreational diving an complex diving requiring specialist and highly technical planning and operational skills.

Or Technical Diving for short.

The "highly technical planning" at the lower end of what people define as tech here with any virtual ceilings at all amounts to just looking at a dive table, or just looking at the plan feature of a better computer, just like you would with ndl. Gas planning doesn't get all that more complicated with or without deco, except if you don't do gas planning at all and just randomly pick a turn pressure. Which some people do, sure, but mostly when guides try to do the gas planning for them anyway.

If people drew the line at stages/accelerated deco I would understand, but they don't.

 

[MichaelMc]

Thinking of ye typical vacation recreational diver...
The concept of "you can't just surface when you get bored/run out of gas", is a new one, and it might stretch their diving mindset.

Yes, "you need to do a simple stop and have gas for it" is not that complex, particularly compared to managing multiple gases and not breathing some of them when they are toxic. But it is a bright (fuzzy) line that will get you hurt if you ignore it.

Which is why I think tech-lite (not that complex) vs full tech (can be complex) makes sense.

 

[Wibble]

The "highly technical planning" at the lower end of what people define as tech here with any virtual ceilings at all amounts to just looking at a dive table, or just looking at the plan feature of a better computer, just like you would with ndl. Gas planning doesn't get all that more complicated with or without deco, except if you don't do gas planning at all and just randomly pick a turn pressure. Which some people do, sure, but mostly when guides try to do the gas planning for them anyway.

If people drew the line at stages/accelerated deco I would understand, but they don't.

It's more about redundancy. The theory being that you've always the surface to bolt towards should your gas disappear -- they even have removable weights! Even light deco would not have a massive SurfGF.

Change that for doing 60mins at 30m/100ft and you've around a 30min deco obligation. Then you need sufficient redundant gas supplies.

Complexity seems to be almost exponential.

• Jump off a boat for a 18m/60ft 45 minute runtime dive in clear water and you literally have no planning and only need to know if you've enough gas, it's turned on, and you're wearing the standard kit.
• For that 30m/100ft 60min bottom time you'll need a stage cylinder preferably with oxygen rich gas with planning for contingencies and practised NoTox drills.
• For a rebreather you need a lot more training course time and practice.
• For 60 mins bottom time at 60m/200ft you need bottom gas redundancy, two different deco gasses, planning for failures, more honed skills and redundant equipment.

Whilst the 40m/130ft no deco rule is a bit arbitrary, it's set at a level where recreational skills and training would just about cover it.

 

[Kay Dee]

For those that say it is depth and decompression. Would you consider this to be a recreational dive? There was no deco with an average depth of around 4M. Just curious.

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Probably a 'trick' question Tracy, but I'll bite. Can't say about the dive itself, but IMO the profile is not 'technical' as long as it was not in a hard-overhead environment. I agree fully with what some one else said; if you can directly surface from wherever you are when the proverbial hits the fan - or for any other reason - without a mandatory deco obligation then it is not a 'tech' dive.

 

[Kay Dee]

It is not as if you are an electronic warfare officer or running and maintaining a nuclear reactor.

While I don't want to caste dispersion on the above professions, I'd posit to say that some technical divers juggle more than just the 'diver' hat. Yes the above have more responsibilities for others per se, but the end result for a tech diver that f's up one of the many things that may be involved in completing his / her dive - from go to whoa - i.e. planning the dive, choosing / mixing the gases used themselves, setting up all his gear, whether OC or CCR, etc, is his / her own life - and if diving with 'buddies' - possibly putting them in danger also.

I'd even go so far as to say that some tech divers are more rounded in their skill set than 99.9% of either military or commercial divers.

But just carrying a bunch of gear / using a scooter or CCR does not make one a tech diver either, IMO.