The transistor
I am a recreational cave diver and I have never understood the need for a concept like "technical diver". Maybe there are grounds for it. Don't know.
Your own definition
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The transistor
I am a recreational cave diver and I have never understood the need for a concept like "technical diver". Maybe there are grounds for it. Don't know.
Ego. Marketing. Misunderstanding. Assumptions. Mostly ego.
They are all dives. They are all bounded by limits, acknowledged or not. Broken or kept. I don't think "technical" is helpful as a term to differentiate various types of diving. Look at all the confusion and posturing in this thread about what constitutes a tech dive. How does calling it a 'tech dive' help you plan it? Depth, time & gas are the most important limits to contemplate during a dive. Those are affected by other factors such as overhead, temperature, skill set, physical limits and so on. When I go into a cave I don't consider whether it's a tech dive or not as I plan, gear up and execute the dive. It simply has no bearing on how I establish and honor my limits. Really... who cares what call it?
I've noted quite often that there seems to be an underlying baditude among Scuba enthusiasts and particularly instructors. "If I don't teach, sell or dive it, it must be junk!" It's the underlying elitism that needlessly criticizes divers for thinking or doing things a bit differently. Look at some of the memes that bash how some dive. Let's just call that ego babble for the lack of a better term. They can be downright mean and I doubt that they will actually effect any meaningful change. I'm a trim fanatic: just ask any of my students. I also hate hand sculling, danglies and a few other habits I see in a lot of divers. You can be sure that I teach my way of diving to my students, but I'm not about to try and embarrass others into doing things my way.
So label your diving any way you see fit. Change it for whatever reasons you may want to. Ignore the fidiocy that tries to tell us there's only one way to dive. Tech diving is indeed in the eyes of the beholder. Just be sure to sanely establish and then respect your limits whenever you enter the water. Safe diving is no accident.
kwinter
Contributor
If your dive gear is worth more than the house you store it in.
All the best definitions are in this thread over on TDS.
The Deco Stop
All the best definitions are in this thread over on TDS.
The Deco Stop
No not really.
The term "technical diving" is quite adequate and helps to differentiate certain characteristics (which have already been mentioned in other posts) that do indeed set it apart from other types of diving. There are egos and posers in every aspect of diving... whether they are into photography, fish ID, or re-breathers.
I do not feel you have really made a convincing argument.
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Aotus
Contributor
Netdoc, I think you just came in to a room that was at "4" and scolded us all as if we were all at a snarling "10." No one here is bashing anyone, and amazingly, everyone so far seems completely comfortable with not agreeing with one another. I think you brought the "baditude" in all by yourself.
That's good... I wasn't arguing. How many definitions and variations on those definitions do we have in this thread? Use whatever works for you, but realise your definition may not fit mine. I was on a boat that labeled anyone going into one minute of deco as a 'technical dive'. It suited them, but not everyone else.
Maybe you're so used to it, that you're inured to it? People who silt out a dive site rarely know that they're doing it.
Aotus
Contributor
No, seriously, read the other posts in this thread again and you'll see that everyone has been on board with the idea that these are our own definitions, and then you came in and said everyone who uses the term is an egomaniac. That's all you, dude.
I think you know what I meant by "argument" but I'll rephrase it. I do not feel your post was convincing.
I think that there is still a common ground that most divers engaging in technical diving can agree upon... and it is clear that it's a viable classification by the mere fact that it is given it's own specific section on SB... and with a disclosure no less:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/technical-diving-specialties/206875-warning-please-read-first.html
Yes some may choose to see some fuzzy lines on how to define it, but there are enough characteristics within the term that help to define the nature of this type of diving and what is involved in that kind of training... regardless of whether this term has evolved over the years, is a "marketing tool", or simply how an agency (or divers) choose to define it.
If I want to read more about wreck penetration or decompression diving with mixed gases... I'm probably going to pay a visit to the Technical Diving section here on SB or look up Technical Diving on Amazon - I'm guessing the majority of folks here would probably do the same.
I don't see where I called anyone an 'egomaniac'. However, I do see a lot of people use the term as a source of pride.
From reading your post, it appears you missed the point. A lot of people define tech diving to boost their egos. It's OK in a general usage, but I don't look at any particular dive and assign it to tech as opposed to rec. Rather, each individual dive is defined by it's limits on it's own merits.
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