When did you begin Tek training?

[EricTheDood]

Thanks all.

I am in Socal. The GUE Fundamentals is appealing. I will seriously look into that.

 

[PfcAJ]

I had about 100 dives and simply asked my shop "what's next?"

Signed up for a cavern class and I've been on the path ever since.

 

[Diver0001]

I did my DM and my initial tek training at about the same time. I think I had about 1200 dives going in.

R..

 

[KevinNM]

Thanks all.

I am in Socal. The GUE Fundamentals is appealing. I will seriously look into that.

There are multiple SoCAL instructors, check the GUE site. I've taken classes from Steve Millington and found he was very good and patient. GUE Instructors | Global Underwater Explorers and GUE class schedule | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[divezonescuba]

During my midlife crisis. It was cheaper than a sports car.

8 years after becoming an instructor, 1400 dives, about 10 years too late.

 

[jfe]

Just did my final check-out dives for my TDI adv EAN & deco. Started my training at about a 100 dives but fortunate enough to be trained by an ex Royal Navy diver. He does not shy away from sending you home if he deems you are not at the required level to do tech, puts you through a tough circuit first to access you before he would even consider training you, he is not the "let's get the ticks in the box" trainer.
I've waited until I've felt comfortable with myself to go onto tech, my goal is wreck diving and in truth I have absolutely no desire to become a DM. IMO if your aiming at working in the industry DM, instructor etc is good way to go, personally I dive for my own enjoyment and don't see the need. I may be completely wrong but I feel the tech training as well as the technician courses I'm undertaking set me up for what I want to achieve from diving.

 

[C Dub]

Steve Millington is the man for Fundies in SoCal.

 

[Tug]

Probably 150ish dives when I took AN/DP on vacation in Florida. At that time, most of my tech diving was on vacation and it was another year or so before I was doing deco locally.

I found that having tech training helped me doing my DM class, especially doing skills neutral.

 

[boulderjohn]

I had about 100 dives and simply asked my shop "what's next?"

Signed up for a cavern class and I've been on the path ever since.

This could be great advice, and it could be terrible advice, depending upon the dive shop. The shop will tell you what they know. They all know the path through DM, and they all know that path can include them teaching it. Some shops don't have the foggiest idea what happens in tech training, and those that don't have any idea about it do know one thing about it--that training will not include them.

 

[They call me Tater]

After I became an instructor, I knew I still had a lot to learn. I felt like I should know and experience far more than what I had to teach. Tech was the next step in both knowledge and skills.