When did you begin Tek training?

[EricTheDood]

Curious as to when you began Tek training in terms of experience level.

I'd like to get a divemaster cert at some point and am curious if it'd be beneficial to go through that before getting into Tek.

Thoughts?

 

[BabyDuck]

i was doing cavern/intro at dive 100, 13 months after being certified. i just knew that cave diving was what i wanted.

the answer to the dm question is for you to suss out. it will in no way help you with tech training or education, but if you have another reason to do it, fine. personally, i think it would be a waste of time and money, but teaching wasn't what i was called to do, and if that's you, then lovely.

 

[lermontov]

When you say experience im assuming you talking about dive experience - this may not be the baseline though - there are many people who are experts another fields that have skills that carry over to other disciplines e.g. a motocross rider taking up mountain biking
if you have a background of extreme sports then you already know that systems, gear configuration, protocols are fundamental to safety.
I dont think theres a one answer solution to your question.

For me I discovered wreck diving when on my AOW course and knew without doubt that this is what i wanted to do, i have been very fortunate that the tech instructor recognised my focus and commitment to make any improvements necessary to advance and looked after me while i gained enough experience to know that i wasn't experienced !
That epiphany has brought more caution and made me more thorough.

I suggest that you have a go -find an instructor that will give you honest feedback as to what you are ready for, i see many posters wishing that they had done such and such years ago - dont be one of them

 

[decompression]

Several hundred dives and instructor level.

 

[RyanT]

I agree with the advice so far. While getting your DM is certainly not a bad thing, it is really unnecessary for a transition into tech diving. Basically, you just need to be a solid diver before starting your tech training. You should have a good handle on buoyancy control, have some experience with deeper dives (e.g. a basic sense of how you handle narcosis in the 120-140' range) and just generally be in a place where you feel fairly self-sufficient. When I started my tech training, I had those things, but I didn't appreciate the level to which you need to be able to handle those things when you become increasingly task loaded. During my tech training, I felt "behind the curve" many times. Under the eye of my awesome instructor, I was able to improve my ability to handle problems under increasing task loads.

I agree really strongly with @lermontov about finding a good instructor. For tech training compared to OW, it's even more important to find a competent instructor who meshes with your style. Look around, talk to other divers, and don't be shy about interviewing potential instructors.

 

[boulderjohn]

As BabyDuck said, if you want to work as a divemaster, get trained to be a divemaster. It will not help you in technical training. The opposite, however, is true. If you have tech training, you will find the DM training to be an entirely different experience in many ways. You will be much better equipped to handle some of the required skills.

 

[sea_otter]

Hi Eric,

If you're interested in tech diving, I'd highly recommend considering a GUE Fundies course. I'm not sure where in California you're located, but Beto Nava in the Monterey area and Karim Hamza in the Los Angeles area are both fantastic instructors who teach it regularly.

It will give you an idea of the baseline skill required to start tech training, what to expect, and what foundational skills you need to improve to get there. It will also make you a much better diver, and if teaching is your thing, a better divemaster too!

My personal answer to your question is after ~150 dives, not any time soon. ;-) However, I have taken a rec 3 class which includes a very limited amount of staged deco, introduction to handling failures underwater, heavy focus on midwater capacity, and trimix within recreational depths. I'm also planning a Mexican cavern class in a couple weeks. Neither are "tech" classes, but they're both small steps in that direction.

 

[DevonDiver]

I was a DM, circa 300 logged dives, when I took TDI training with Mark Powell. Even then, it was a steep learning curve.

Divemaster isn't good preparation for technical diving. You're better served in sourcing done dedicated pre-tech foundational coaching, expert mentoring... or a program like GUE fundamentals.

 

[Fathom044]

At around 15 when I started cave diving. Before there was training, etc, when we were losing many almost every weekend.

 

[Fathom044]

3 Georgia tech students - one who stab his friend in LR for air, the third bolted for surface only to die right before sunlight. It was a difficult season. Swimming from peacock to pothole was absurd. Lw, se, cl, etc those are for me the heroes!