Where to start technical diving

[broncobowsher]

I am going to ask this a different way. What are you looking to do with the tech diving? Medium to long term goals? Once you know where the (major) destination is at, you can find the road to get you there. Doesn't mean you have to stop once there, you can pick another destination and keep going. But where are you looking to go for now?

I don't know your story, but I will give you mine...
Was doing a wreck off the coast of California and at the end of the day I thought how much effort I went through for a few minutes on the wreck. I like wrecks. Fish and plants are nice, but it is the machinery I am interested in seeing. What would it take to see more of it. I need more bottom time. Also there is a cool plane wreck I want to see, just outside of my depth rating. So I needed a little more depth as well.
Interviewed several shops, found a couple there had some tech classes. Picked a TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco procedures combo. That got me started. A little deeper and a little longer. Got to the first stop in my tech classes.

Ran with that for a couple of years. Got a try dive in a pool with a rebreather. Didn't like that one, but could see the potential. At the same time I was running into the limitations of my first round of training. I was going to wrecks that I could only scratch the surface or upper levels. The cool stuff was deeper. Took a look at what I really wanted to do, got a rebreather and training. Added Helium to the diving. Now it is deeper and longer by another factor. Traveling to places like Truk and (delayed to next year) Bikini to see the wrecks. That is my current destination in my technical diving path and where I am at now. Next destination? Don't know? I am enjoying this one for now. I might go for another level of depth, 100M? I might look at going into caves? Have not picked the next direction yet.

With that in mind, what are you planning to dive?


As for finding people to dive with, you will find them.
You should not have any trouble finding the basic technical classes close to home.
Technical diving is not a one class and done process. You learn some, put it to use, get proficient at it. Then you come back for more. Avoid trying to cram a whole bunch of classes together all at once, that just turns into a mess. Technical training is a journey, not a stop along the way.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I would recommend taking GUE fundies firat and if that system works for you (it doesn't for me) continue with it. Or go the TDI route if it doesn't.

But take fundies to ensure your recreational skills are solid. If you can't/won't, familiarize yourself with the course amd find a non GUE instructor who will replicate it in ITT.

 

[RainPilot]

One important factor to consider when planning to travel for tech dive training, is to ALWAYS budget extra time. All dive course standards with regard to time-in-water / dives etc are MINIMUMS. I have seen too many people budget for JUST enough time, then they realise they need 2 or 3 more training days to really get squared away, and now they are saddled with a problem:

• Convince instructor to sign off "barely adequate' skills which sucks for them and is a really uncomfortable situation for the instructor
• Try do a referral type thing to finish elsewhere later (unsatisfying and, depending on the instructors/agencies involved, borderline impossible)
• Do a whole second trip to finish, which hurts a lot on airfare etc etc

Treat time and cost as a resource, like breathing gas, and always have enough in reserve to complete the mission, or don't start it.

When students travel here to train with me, I do a fair amount of evaluation and assessment beforehand to help with that budget (in-water skill videos, Zoom calls etc) but life has a funny way of getting in the way of our plans.

 

[loosenit2]

I just finished AN/DP this last weekend as part of a 2 year journey into technical diving; I would suggest your journey will go slower than you think it will. Some questions: 1. Do you already dive doubles? 2. Do you already dive in a drysuit? 3. When you dive are you already mostly horizontal? 4. Do you have sufficient control of your buoyancy that you can maintain depths to +- a few feet while doing something else (i.e. working with a DSMB or reel or changing a setting on your computer?

In my case it took me a year to get the basics of being comfortable with doubles and a dry suit, but even when I thought I was comfortable I still took UTD Essentials (very similar to GUE Fundamentals) to confirm that I was on a solid foundation before I started deco training. Essentials uncovered several things that I still needed to work on, but more importantly showed me why they were important. For example I knew I was not particularly good at doing a backwards kick but I had no idea why it was important. (it is important because it is essential for being able to maintain your position relative to someone else in the water. If you have to help another diver you have to be able to stay a fixed distance from them without hanging on them to help). After essentials the skills came really quickly. I went back to my home quarry and videoed myself working on skills and drills; the skills developed within a few months and I moved on to AN/DP.

Going into technical diving is NOT like taking recreational course where you show up and because you paid your money you are going to get a certification, it requires a great deal more commitment. For that reason I would never advocate you start your tech diving path as a destination adventure. If you do start small, take intro to tech/doubles primer/drysuit primer or even yet essentials or fundies; then come home and practice or a few months before you move on to AN/DP.

 

[Wibble]

Three words sum up technical diving: practice, practice and practice. Maybe also the ability to want to have better standards. Technical diving's very much about higher standards which are required to mitigate the greater risks.

You must sort out your basic skills. There's simply no point in starting your technical training until your core skills (buoyancy, finning, trim) are to a good standard -- generally way higher than recreational standards. You must be able to effortlessly remain still at a specific point without flapping fins, etc. This is the reality of decompression or doing line-laying in a cave.

 

[NothingClever]

Now obviously I care about proper training and safety but my biggest priority in terms of the location is the price difference. I'm planning on going all the way to trimix.

I would:

(a) make skills along with safety your number one priority;

(b) seek something closer to home to account for the extra day or two as @RainPilot astutely pointed out;

(c) identify the potential instructors closer to home and then interview them so you can make an informed decision. YOU are paying them a lump of money to train you. You are NOT paying them to be admitted into a club. Come back here to share the approach and attitude of your candidate instructors to receive some context / appraisal;

(d) forget about Helium for the moment. Setting your aim point on trimix is like proclaiming you’re going to compete in a gran prix race right after learning how to drive at speed around a track. Continuing with that metaphor, you need to spend some time in the novice and intermediate classes developing your skills before you can bump to expert and apply for your race license.

Good luck with and enjoy your journey in developing your skills.

 

[divezonescuba]

One important factor to consider when planning to travel for tech dive training, is to ALWAYS budget extra time. All dive course standards with regard to time-in-water / dives etc are MINIMUMS. I have seen too many people budget for JUST enough time, then they realise they need 2 or 3 more training days to really get squared away, and now they are saddled with a problem:

This is one of the reasons why Egypt and Bonaire are two very good places to take technical diving courses. They both offer mild climates with easy access to deep water shore diving which is way less dependent on weather. A day or two of bad weather can easily blow the already tight schedule of most training trips.

We frequently do the initial training locally and then take students on trips to either of those locations to complete their certifications. I you don't have the ability to do something that from where you are at, there are many good instructors in both of those areas.

 

[Marie13]

Hey folks

So next year I'm planning to finally step into technical diving. I'm completely new to this part of diving and don't have any friends to ask.

I plan on doing it abroad and have been considering Egypt, Malta, and the Philippines for quite some time. Now obviously I care about proper training and safety but my biggest priority in terms of the location is the price difference. I'm planning on going all the way to trimix. I was hoping someone with actual experience could shed some light on the different places. I've heard that the helium in the Philippines is insanely expensive compared to Europe, but at the same time, the courses are a lot cheaper in Asia as far as I can see. I would prefer TDI. What do you recommend?

Do you plan on diving abroad or at home? I chose to do my training localish (dive sites within 2-4 hours). I’m diving in my region (mostly, aside from FL cave country). If you’re going to be doing local tech dives in cold water and such, train at least partially locally. Dealing with reels and such with dry gloves and liners, for example, is quite different than with bare hands. Or doing valve drills with thick undies that limit your range of motion…

 

[Marie13]

Adding Helitrox (up to 35% helium down to 150ft/45m) to TDI AN/DP is an option if the instructor also teaches Trimix. I get narked bad and wanted the helium. Very nice. Worth every penny.

 

[Wibble]

Adding Helitrox (up to 35% helium down to 150ft/45m) to TDI AN/DP is an option if the instructor also teaches Trimix. I get narked bad and wanted the helium. Very nice. Worth every penny.

And all this technical training is a great move towards... a rebreather. The silent world where gas limits are a distant memory (within reason), helium costs a couple or three quid/bucks/Eurogeld a dive regardless of the amount required.


Ah, blast, don't mention the rebreather. I did once but think I got away with it!