What next?

[Knavey]

Asking for advice from everyone on what to do next to prepare me for my mid life crisis!

I want to dive Bikini Atoll for my mid life crisis that is scheduled for 2 years from now.

I have about 125 dives to date. I am AoW, Nitrox, Deep, Night, Rescue and O2 provider certified. About one-third of my dives are >100 feet on wrecks in the Keys.

Aside from diving as much as possible, what courses should I take that will prepare me to be a better diver for the Bikini trip.

My LDS is PADI and NAUI, so those would be the courses I would be looking at.

Thanks,

 

[markfm]

I like it -- pre-planned crisis
Ever consider going tech, doubles and a wreck class? It sounds like there's some wreck penetration opportunities there.
(Too much work for me -- a lazy slug -- but it looks like it's popular at Bikini.)

 

[Hemlon]

Knavey,

What makes you feel like you might need more instruction?

 

[SteveAD]

knavey

there is only one operation on bikini and I'm pretty sure they expect their patrons to be fully tech trained. many if not most of the wrecks there are in the 130 to 200 foot range.

 

[Knavey]

Markfm - Thought about cavern and intro to cave. Perhaps with the advanced nitrox and deco on top of that. The wrecks are deep (deepest is 175-180) with some penetration. Tech, doubles, and a wreck class...I have considered them and that is why I am soliciting feedback from everyone to see if they think it is worth the effort.

Stevead - Interestingly enough, they do not require advanced courses or tech certification to dive any of the wrecks out there based on the trip reports I have read and the website of the dive outfit that runs the place.

 

[Knavey]

Knavey,

What makes you feel like you might need more instruction?

Interesting question...

I suppose at some level I believe that there is value to getting a more formal education on some of the finer aspects of diving. I know it is arguable that some of the courses out there are nothing more than ways to separate a diver from his (or her) $$$, but I know this is not always the case.

Looking at some of the classes offered, and comparing them to the diving that you do at Bikini, I would think there might be something to gain from taking some of the intermediate courses that NAUI or PADI offers.

Cavern and intro to cave (you do penetrate the Saratoga during the course of the week) are 2 I have heard good things about.

I listed advanced nitrox and deco because the dives at Bikini are deco dives although you are not required to be certified. No helium on the island so no trimix.

I do not dive doubles, but I could see value to learning if it would make a trip like this more enjoyable.

I guess to answer the question (if I haven't already)...I think a good diver is always learning...in the water, or in the classroom. There is a LOT of stuff for me to learn still, and I can't always get to the water or the classroom, but if I am not in one, why not be in the other if it will make me grow as a diver?

 

[SteveAD]

I wasn't talking about certification, I was talking about training. A couple buddies of mine just came back from bikini, all dives were done with doubles, most involved serious decompression. Bikini is outside the U.S. sue happy zone, so they are much more likely to allow an idiot to kill himself by diving beyond his ability. They will assume that their patrons know what they are doing.

 

[markfm]

You might want to look at wreck training in particular, not cave. I've heard that they do share similarities, but are not entirely the same thing. (I could easily be wrong, as usual).

 

[Knavey]

From the website of the dive operator there:

Marshall Divers - Bikini Atoll

Contrary to what most people believe, Bikini is actually a very benign environment for deep diving as we have a clear, warm water lagoon with no discernible current. The maximum depth attained on any of our dives is 175 feet (you will need a shovel to get deeper than that!). We are set up to deal with the risks of staged decompression diving in a way that divers with no previous experience are allowed to gain some new skills and at the same time have an incredible week of diving. You don't need to be a "Super Tech Diver" to do dive Bikini but we require that you have an absolute minimum of 50 dives and be comfortable in and under the water. Buoyancy and ascent rate skills are an absolute necessity. If basic skills are still a problem for you--such as clearing a flooded mask or recovering a regulator that has fallen out of your mouth--you should reconsider diving on Bikini until you have more experience. For those that come here without formal training we offer IANTD courses on island--Advanced Nitrox, Technical Diver and EANx Wreck Diver (Wreck Penetration) as well as a Nitrox Blender course. Advanced Open Water divers without any previous knowledge of technical diving or decompression have dove with us with success and without any problem."


I have 2 diver reviews from Undercurrent magazine that pretty much echo the above statement. I know they have "tech weeks" where you do have a significant amount of advanced diving. I do not believe that I am at that level right now nor do I think I will ever be. What I do want to do is be at a level that will make me safe when I go there.

Training and certification...you make a very good point. There is a distinct difference. I think you can be one (certified) and not necessarily the other (trained read also as experienced). I do not mind shelling out the dough if the CERTIFICATION also trains me.

 

[KazooDiver]

I would get a wreck cert...not only will you be able to use it in Bikini but you can use it with the wrecks you dive in Fl.
I would also take a class on decompression diving!