Flightlead
Contributor
This weekend I achieved my Scubaboard challenge goal of Tech Deep by the end of the year, with 2 months to spare.
I started this journey in early January with NAUI NTECH, followed by PADI/DSAT Tec 1 & 2 path in March. This was the toughest thing I have done in scuba, and I really feel like I earned this certification. Along the way I also certified as a Trimix Gas Blender.
Before I started tech I thought I was a pretty good diver, and I probably was in a purely recreational context. I had over a hundred dives, most in cold water and limited to no visibility conditions, I had at least 30 dives in doubles and probably 15 in a drysuit. Man, my first tech class was a disaster, took my arrogant butt down a peg or two I can tell you. A very frustrating experience!
Now I'm comfortable holding a stop mid water within a foot, without reference, for 20 or more minutes, while managing two stages (80's) switching multiple gasses, manipulating valves, all while having my fins and mask stolen by sadistic instructors. My gas management skills, dive planning, and understanding of decompression are all much more advanced. My recreational diving is much improved also, as I could tell this past weekend at Vortoberfest (the first non-training dives w/o deco bottles in a looooong time).
My heartfelt thanks to Bobby and John of South East Technical Scuba (southeasttechnicalscuba.com) without whose patience, knowledge, experience, and encouragement I couldn't have done it. If you are considering technical instruction in the South East, I heartily recommend pm-ing daddyjohn or deepdaddybob here on sb. Thanks guys!
All that work just to look at a bunch of rusted cars in the black depths of the local quarry (155' and 42 degrees)? Gotta find somewhere to use those skills now
I started this journey in early January with NAUI NTECH, followed by PADI/DSAT Tec 1 & 2 path in March. This was the toughest thing I have done in scuba, and I really feel like I earned this certification. Along the way I also certified as a Trimix Gas Blender.
Before I started tech I thought I was a pretty good diver, and I probably was in a purely recreational context. I had over a hundred dives, most in cold water and limited to no visibility conditions, I had at least 30 dives in doubles and probably 15 in a drysuit. Man, my first tech class was a disaster, took my arrogant butt down a peg or two I can tell you. A very frustrating experience!
Now I'm comfortable holding a stop mid water within a foot, without reference, for 20 or more minutes, while managing two stages (80's) switching multiple gasses, manipulating valves, all while having my fins and mask stolen by sadistic instructors. My gas management skills, dive planning, and understanding of decompression are all much more advanced. My recreational diving is much improved also, as I could tell this past weekend at Vortoberfest (the first non-training dives w/o deco bottles in a looooong time).
My heartfelt thanks to Bobby and John of South East Technical Scuba (southeasttechnicalscuba.com) without whose patience, knowledge, experience, and encouragement I couldn't have done it. If you are considering technical instruction in the South East, I heartily recommend pm-ing daddyjohn or deepdaddybob here on sb. Thanks guys!
All that work just to look at a bunch of rusted cars in the black depths of the local quarry (155' and 42 degrees)? Gotta find somewhere to use those skills now
) !!!!!! 
:cool2:
