Question When do we speak of technical diving ?

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Can you go directly to the surface?

Yes = Rec dive
No = Tec dive
Except in a cave/wreck, you can always go directly to the surface. The question is whether you will develop symptoms. And if so, how severe? The difficulty in defining a boundary is that it's really a continuum, though the size of a common single tank has long been a strongly limiting parameter.
 
Rec v. Tech is always fraught as "it depends".

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

except...

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Except in a cave/wreck, you can always go directly to the surface. The question is whether you will develop symptoms. And if so, how severe? The difficulty in defining a boundary is that it's really a continuum, though the size of a common single tank has long been a strongly limiting parameter.
Overhead is overhead, hard or soft.

Happy to redefine my statement to "should you go directly to the surface?" if it makes you feel better. :wink:
 
Overhead is overhead, hard or soft.
I agree. But soft overhead is a continuum. You could surface and develop DCS. But under other circumstances you could surface and just have some mild skin bends. Or you could surface and just feel strangely fatigued. Or you could surface and have no signs or symptoms or fatigue whatsoever. You can always go directly to the surface through a soft overhead; the question is how much risk does it involve.
 
I agree. But soft overhead is a continuum. You could surface and develop DCS. But under other circumstances you could surface and just have some mild skin bends. Or you could surface and just feel strangely fatigued. Or you could surface and have no signs or symptoms or fatigue whatsoever. You can always go directly to the surface through a soft overhead; the question is how much risk does it involve.
Cool, but the question was when is it a tech dive vs rec dive, not how much risk is involved.
 
Cool, but the question was when is it a tech dive vs rec dive, not how much risk is involved.
Your assertion was that if you can go directly to the surface it is a rec dive, and if you can't go directly to the surface it is a tech dive. That is not true because--at least in open water--whether you can go directly to the surface is not the determining factor; rather, it's whether you can go directly to the surface with little to no risk. You can always go directly to the surface in open water, regardless of whether it's a tech dive or a rec dive, but the consequences may differ.
 
Define "mixed gas".

For me;
If there is a gas switch during the dive, that is technical.
If there is Helium mixed in, that is technical
If it is just Nitrox (the basic stuff), that is not technical anymore. That is mainstream. There are recreational charter boats that require it.
Yes, with mixed gas, I mean a gas switch. And Trimix of course. But usually with Trimix you have at least 1 gas switch
 
Here is a recent presentation from Michael Menduno explaining what Technical Diving is, the history, definitions and why we should continue to call it so.


Is this already technical diving?
No, it is not. SSI's Decompression Diver is a specialty course within their Advance Scuba Diver program. Their technical program starts with Extended Range Foundations.

I did technical foundation, wreck exploration course and soon MOD-1 CCR and I still wouldn't call/identify my self as a tec diver. I agree with many in this thread that once diving Trimx it is technical diving. This however does not mean that any diver can adapt valuable practices from tec and DIR, like back-plate wing, long hose, doubles, etc.
 
7 x 25min RT working dives in a day @ 50m on air in tropical conditions is recreational to me.
Doing the same amount of bottom time in two dives would be technical regardless of gas choices.
YMMV but errybody got opinions and 2 opinion dispensing orifices to voice them with.
 

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