Where to start technical diving

[divezonescuba]

It might sounds ridiculous at first but tech40 is roughly equivalent to intro to tech and isn't a prerequisite. 45=an/dp (1 deco gas) 50=extended range (2 deco gasses) 60=trimix (2 deco gasses) and tec trimix = advanced trimix. So it really isn't so ridiculous after all. Basically the same as tdi

TDI intro to tech does not certify divers for any particular depth and does not certify divers for up to 10 minutes of decompression. TDI AN is considered the closest equivalent to tec 40. These statements are based on both the TDI and the PADI equivalency charts.

 

[divezonescuba]

Here is the PADI chart.

 

[Wibble]

Here is the PADI chart.

One hole: TDI extended range trimix != PADI tmx65. Yeah right

 

[DiveClimbRide]

Ok I got tec40 wrong but my point stands

 

[Wibble]

Now let’s pick up the technical instructor's skills for a moment.

An instructor that’s only qualified to the same level as they’re teaching is a nonsense. Technical instructors need to be properly experienced across a wide range of styles and circumstances of diving and certainly to the next level or beyond with a lot of dives under their keel.

Whilst one could teach the entry level ANDP with just that qualification, that instructor cannot know the context of the training; to know the why it’s done that way and can demonstrate exemplary skills and "stories" from their own personal experience library.

One would expect a technical instructor to have hundreds of decompression dives over hundreds of hours including many dozens of dives over 2 hours.

For rebreather diving, all MOD1 instructors should be MOD2 qualified with many hundreds of hours on different rebreathers. A MOD2 instructor should be MOD3 qualified and regularly dive to those depths.

Similarly cave instructors.

When "interviewing" a prospective technical instructor, even for ANDP, ask about their experience of trimix diving to normoxic levels (60m/165ft) and ask about the most recent ten dives that weren’t training dives. What was your biggest mistake, best learning example, what places they’ve dived, the wrecks, etc.

The deeper/longer you go the less that qualifications matter: recent experience is king.

 

[elan]

TDI intro to tech does not certify divers for any particular depth and does not certify divers for up to 10 minutes of decompression. TDI AN is considered the closest equivalent to tec 40. These statements are based on both the TDI and the PADI equivalency charts.

GUE Rec 3 is not equivalent to Advanced Nitrox, GUE Tech 1 is not equivalent to Decompression Procedures Rec3/Tech1 teach decompression and trimix R3 30/30 and 21/35 Tech 1 21/35 and 18/45 which ANDP do not.

 

[elan]

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?

There should be good instructors in France and UK , In Germany there is Akhim Schlöffel which teaches DIR style and is a former GUE instructor.

 

[Wibble]

Someone got me to look at that useless PADI website for technical courses. What a turd.

No proper information on the syllabus of any technical courses. No course standards. Basically no meaningful information.

Their Tec40 CCR…. What a joke…. Obviously written by a non CCR copy writer. No mention of the supported rebreathers, course duration, standards, etc. Not even a photo of someone wearing a rebreather.

Oh, the photos. Instructor showing their RDP for technical diving (clue, you don’t use that algorithm in technical diving). The sidemount Tec looking decidedly messy, almost like he’s putting away his kit and a floaty decompression cylinder on top of his right hand cylinder. Very unconventional.

Noticed a picture of a someone wearing a rebreather in their Tec100 CCR course. It looks a real mess with no hood (it’s cold at 100m), near vertical bailout (with no clear MOD markings) for "both left" clipped, awful hose arrangements and dangling— dangerous? — HUD cable, the LH CCR controller cable not wound around the arm, no visible torch (it’s dark at 100m) and that strange dangling clenched hand stance — definitely not superman and not streamlined.

Oh, FFS, the Inspiration diver "buddy" has a leak emanating from the front LH mounted lung connection! Also why is his wing inflate next to his ear?


Not a great demonstration of top-of-their-game competence from PADI. Almost looks like some recreational person's idea of technical diving. Did they get a DiveMASTER to do the copy?

 

[ginti]

The issue with the PADI technical courses is the instructors are primarily drawn from a pool of recreational only divers. Technical instructors MUST be experienced and practiced in diving to technical levels. Taking an OW instructor, training them to minimum standards and letting them teach the technical courses without spending years diving to technical levels is, bluntly, awful. Of course some instructors who teach PADI technical courses are fully experienced in technical diving. However the temptation for a "professional" instructor to make their daily bread from OW teaching is strong.

The other agencies select their technical instructors from the much smaller pool of experienced technical divers. Some agencies demand their instructors have to log a certain number of non-teaching/training technical dives to retain their certification.

It seems to me that is the same for all agencies except for DIR ones (that have other issues). Not much of a difference between PADI, TDI, IANTD and so on... You still need to find the right instructor in terms of personality AND skills

 

[kensuf]

Now let’s pick up the technical instructor's skills for a moment.

An instructor that’s only qualified to the same level as they’re teaching is a nonsense. Technical instructors need to be properly experienced across a wide range of styles and circumstances of diving and certainly to the next level or beyond with a lot of dives under their keel.

Whilst one could teach the entry level ANDP with just that qualification, that instructor cannot know the context of the training; to know the why it’s done that way and can demonstrate exemplary skills and "stories" from their own personal experience library.

One would expect a technical instructor to have hundreds of decompression dives over hundreds of hours including many dozens of dives over 2 hours.

For rebreather diving, all MOD1 instructors should be MOD2 qualified with many hundreds of hours on different rebreathers. A MOD2 instructor should be MOD3 qualified and regularly dive to those depths.

Similarly cave instructors.

When "interviewing" a prospective technical instructor, even for ANDP, ask about their experience of trimix diving to normoxic levels (60m/165ft) and ask about the most recent ten dives that weren’t training dives. What was your biggest mistake, best learning example, what places they’ve dived, the wrecks, etc.

The deeper/longer you go the less that qualifications matter: recent experience is king.

I think this is a pretty good point and agree emphatically that tech instructors should be actively diving at a level higher than they teach. Aside from the ability to translate the "why's" into real world experience, there's another reason why this is critically important: task loading of the instructor and ability to manage problem scenarios. When an instructor is "on the rivet" and at the edge of their personal capacity (mentally, physically), their ability to arrest a problem and resolve a situation will be limited. In my opinion, an instructor that can barely manage themselves on a given dive because it is the edge of their experience/comfort/capacity, is basically incapable of managing and supervising students safely.

But in addition to technical diving experience there's also the teaching element that should not be discounted. I'm a firm believer that anyone that aspires to be a tech instructor should spend some time in the trenches teaching recreational levels first. There is very valuable experience to be gained in managing real students that have very limited diving backgrounds on their first deep dive (30m), or on their first limited visibility dive, or in their first drift dive, etc. Learning the ropes how to work with students in non-decompression / overhead settings, managing the flow of the course, and dealing with real world student problems will only help would-be tech instructors be better prepared when they teach their first tech courses.

I wouldn't trade the experience I personally had teaching recreational levels for anything.