Jump to content

  • These forums are for "after booking" trip communications, socializing, and/or trip questions ONLY.
  • You will NOT be able to book a trip, buy add-ons, or manage your trip by logging in here. Please login HERE to do any of those things.

Photo

Thinking of progressing to technical diving, where can I use it?


  • Please log in to reply
20 replies to this topic

#16 WreckWench

WreckWench

    Founder? I didn't know we lost her!

  • Owner
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 53,490 posts
  • Location:FL SC & Dallas, TX
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:DM & Technical certs
  • Logged Dives:5000+

Posted 09 June 2020 - 04:06 PM

I did the SDI Solo Diver course.   Was very pleased with it. 

I have the same cert and I am quite pleased with it. It was the first and IMHO has not been improved upon since its design (other than their own ongoing course updates from TDI themselves)

 

And being a dive pro yourself as well as long term member...thank you for your contribution to this and other discussions! :respect:


  • tickledone likes this

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#17 Jerrymxz

Jerrymxz

    Gettng to KNow Me

  • Premier Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,369 posts
  • Location:Chambersburg PA
  • Gender:Male
  • Cert Level:PADI Master Diver TDI Extended range
  • Logged Dives:453 LOGGED many not

Posted 20 June 2020 - 08:45 AM

So, with having socially distanced during this pandemic, I took some time to really try to map out my diving goals for the next few years. Now, that's not to say that I'm definitely going to do everything, but I am always wondering what might be useful. Learning useful skills to make me a better diver is always worthwhile.

 

2020 is dedicated to professional diving pursuits, depending on the ability to travel. In 2021, however, I'd like to acquire additional skills in the tec realm. For me, this includes solo diving (or as PADI calls it, self-reliant diver) and side mount diving. Eventually, I'd like to do the Tec 40 or Tec 40 CCR courses (2022?). I don't aspire to dive caves. I also don't aspire to dive very deep, but the idea of more bottom time is nice if done safely.

 

Since most of my diving is done during travel, is it worth it to pursue this line of training? 

 

While I don't know that I'd spend much time diving alone, I suspect that the training and skills would be incredibly helpful. I consider self-reliant diving really an extension of technical diving principles, as both require redundancy and planning.

 

Sidemount diving just seems like a lot of fun with more air (or EANx), resulting in greater bottom time. Again, this requires redundancy, planning, and more gear (and who doesn't love more gear). I have never been diving with someone diving SM. (For that matter, I've only been diving once with a guide diving twins - but that was in a cenote in Mexico.) Does anyone travel and use SM? Frankly, I think this is a great option, and I'd consider diving side mount more often on dive boats, maybe if others did too. 

 

Thoughts? Other recommendations? 

 

Good Morning!

I just wanted to put my 2psi into this and impart a little experience. I've Been diving since 1980 and my quest for knowledge of all things diving has been a life long endeavor.  My personnel certification list is very long.  I have TDI deco, advanced Nitrox, and extended range in the tech world.  I also have the SDI Solo diving cert.  in addition to these I have a fist full of PADI certs.  my reasons for tech diving is my desire to one day visit the wrecks on the Bikini atoll and specifically the USS Saratoga.  for some reason I have always had a fascination with that ship.  I love the knowledge and capability I have with my tech certs.  I was never happy with the PADI mantra of do this way or you will die. tech training will allow you to understand the dangers and risks associated with beyond recreational limits diving. 

 

thousands of people have dove the walls of Grand Caymen  and Bonair but how many can say they did 160 or 180 feet on the deep wall that is virtually untouched.  If you really want to get me rolling, ask me about the three trips I've done with SingleDivers to the Wreck diving capital of the world.  The dozens and dozens of wrecks in the island nation of Chuuk in Truk Lagoon.  these wrecks are in the perfect depths to explore with some advanced training.  The vast majority of people who dive Chuuk have nothing more than advanced open water certifications and they have a spectacular, however when doing multiple deep dives over a weeks time the margins of safety are smaller than I care for.  With my training I can plan to dive deeper and stay longer then folks without the advanced training.  my avatar picture has double tanks and two sling bottles.  this was in training for extended range. I went to the rich mix of 80% O2 at 30fsw this mix off gasses nitrogen from my body allowing me to exit the water with a lower nitrogen load than if i had done a shallower dive for a shorter time.  Tech training is about managing the risk to have the capability to see things safely most divers can't.  


  • WreckWench and tickledone like this

Each wreck has a tale to tell about its life and its demise. 

If you are observant while diving in dark places listen to the account each has to tell, You cannot come away unaffected.   
Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude


#18 WreckWench

WreckWench

    Founder? I didn't know we lost her!

  • Owner
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 53,490 posts
  • Location:FL SC & Dallas, TX
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:DM & Technical certs
  • Logged Dives:5000+

Posted 20 June 2020 - 02:14 PM

Thanks Jerry...I wondered when you would chime in. Jerry is ANOTHER deep resource on our site and also talented, kind, intelligent and giving of his time and experiences/expertise.

 

Another variant in all of this is where you live and the type of diving you do. Jerry just hinted at that in his post. Sure you can do 130 or more in a controlled environment with only AOW and nitrox (depending on the mix) or equivalent certs. BUT if you have advanced certs and can dive deco gasses to off gas faster that TRAIN you to go deeper (safely) then you will enjoy these div es far more.

 

So many will say...if you are diving beyond your limits you are automatically not being safe. We'll let's look at that. If you have relatively few dives in whatever environment you are diving, then it does not matter how many dives you have total under your belt because you may be 'in over your head' and diving beyond your abilities. Heck you can have the cert but either be so new or have not dove the conditions you are facing despite now being certified for and guess what? You are 'in over your head' and not qualified. You can also have hundreds of dives to well over 60 ft and/or well over 100 and NEVER have gotten your advanced open water or advanced diver cert. Does that mean you are NOT an advanced diver? Well that depends on when you did those dives relative to you doing them now? How good you were to begin with, and if you have 1 dive 100 times or 100 actual dives that build upon each other?  And of course it depends on the conditions of the water and sea conditions. If all your diving has been in warm water then those skills *may* not (and usually will not) transfer to cold water. If all your dives have been in freshwater they *may* not transfer to ocean dives and so on.

 

So many factors come into play. Heck all the above ALSO is contingent on how good or bad your instructor was?  I've seen divers with 10 dives who out dove anytime any place divers with 50, 75 or even 100 dives.  I recall one taking our Rent-A-Mentor program but arrived a day early to get a couple of extra dives in. He never mentioned he was doing the RAB/RAM program and I did not think to ask because he seemed way to comfortable and confident and acclimated to diving. He gave off the vibe of someone who's been doing it for years with hundreds of dives under his belt. He dove with me and I watched him instinctively at first as I do anyone I do not know but he dove like a merman and a natural...or someone with many many dives under his belt. Imagine my surprise when I find out he is my "rent-a-buddy for the week. I was so shocked I asked him why? He said he had just finished he cert dives so figured he needed some additional coaching and guidance. I laughed. In all my years helping new divers there was nothing I needed to tweak with him and I felt guilty taking his money. He insisted and so I racked my brain for what I could help him with to justify the program. Finally I asked his future diving goals and since he was not sure but wanted to be open to anything I started immediately working on advanced trim and form staying perfectly flat and with head bent back and knees bent up. He quickly mastered that trim and buoyancy and has never looked back. And he's been assumed to have hundreds of dives more than he has because of the EXCEPTIONAL training by his open water instructor. And then conversely I have seen divers who were certified that I could not fathom how they ever got certified and then I saw how their instructors dove and realized that they were 'zero to hero' instructors who went from open water to instructor from start to finish without any real 'experience' in between. Then they teach to that minimal level and well the rest is history. :(

 

So my point is that where you live and the conditions you dive and the philosophy of the instructors you have had all influence not only your diving but they also influence HOW something is done in a given area meaning that is usually no one correct answer or way...but rather a number of correct ways and answers.


  • tickledone likes this

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#19 tickledone

tickledone

    On a roll now.....

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 72 posts
  • Location:Beaverton, OR
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:Rescue Diver / Master Diver
  • Logged Dives:178

Posted 20 June 2020 - 10:53 PM

 

...

Good Morning!

I just wanted to put my 2psi into this and impart a little experience. I've Been diving since 1980 and my quest for knowledge of all things diving has been a life long endeavor.  My personnel certification list is very long.  I have TDI deco, advanced Nitrox, and extended range in the tech world.  I also have the SDI Solo diving cert.  in addition to these I have a fist full of PADI certs.  my reasons for tech diving is my desire to one day visit the wrecks on the Bikini atoll and specifically the USS Saratoga.  for some reason I have always had a fascination with that ship.  I love the knowledge and capability I have with my tech certs.  I was never happy with the PADI mantra of do this way or you will die. tech training will allow you to understand the dangers and risks associated with beyond recreational limits diving. 

 

thousands of people have dove the walls of Grand Caymen  and Bonair but how many can say they did 160 or 180 feet on the deep wall that is virtually untouched.  If you really want to get me rolling, ask me about the three trips I've done with SingleDivers to the Wreck diving capital of the world.  The dozens and dozens of wrecks in the island nation of Chuuk in Truk Lagoon.  these wrecks are in the perfect depths to explore with some advanced training.  The vast majority of people who dive Chuuk have nothing more than advanced open water certifications and they have a spectacular, however when doing multiple deep dives over a weeks time the margins of safety are smaller than I care for.  With my training I can plan to dive deeper and stay longer then folks without the advanced training.  my avatar picture has double tanks and two sling bottles.  this was in training for extended range. I went to the rich mix of 80% O2 at 30fsw this mix off gasses nitrogen from my body allowing me to exit the water with a lower nitrogen load than if i had done a shallower dive for a shorter time.  Tech training is about managing the risk to have the capability to see things safely most divers can't.  

 

I am so glad you wanted you share your 2psi - what a fantastic response, and thank you so much for sharing. 

 

Your reasons for training in tek diving align with some of my rationale. For me training and getting the experience in tek isn't so much for me to dive depths much more than 160 ft, but rather to be able to dive longer at recreational depths that have very short bottom times to explore, etc. The margin of safety can be very low and NDLs violated if not watching the clock closely. It's fascinating to me that you can surface having off gassed more nitrogen than a recreational diver, but to be able to do that, one has to have a good understanding of the physics and physiology as well as a commitment to appropriate dive planning. Those who pursue tek diving have to demonstrate this understanding in order to safely practice decompression diving because the alternative results in injury or death. 

 

I agree with you that it's hard to follow the "do it this way or die" philosophy. But, unless infrequent recreational divers choose to pursue further diving education, it's far simpler to get people in the water with this philosophy. Unfortunately, "do it this way or die" is taught, but not consistently used. When was the last time many vacation recreational divers set up their gear doing all the steps outlined in OW skills or really do the pre-dive buddy check as demonstrated in videos?  Even coming up with a dive plan after a dive briefing? (Having been doing a lot of learning and reflecting on my own diving, I'm guilty.)



#20 tickledone

tickledone

    On a roll now.....

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 72 posts
  • Location:Beaverton, OR
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:Rescue Diver / Master Diver
  • Logged Dives:178

Posted 20 June 2020 - 11:09 PM

Thanks Jerry...I wondered when you would chime in. Jerry is ANOTHER deep resource on our site and also talented, kind, intelligent and giving of his time and experiences/expertise.

 

....

So my point is that where you live and the conditions you dive and the philosophy of the instructors you have had all influence not only your diving but they also influence HOW something is done in a given area meaning that is usually no one correct answer or way...but rather a number of correct ways and answers.

 

This is so true in so many aspects of life. I must say that the instructors I had for OW and Rescue really made lasting impacts on me in diving, and I consider myself blessed for that. They gave me some wonderful advice and taught me the skills I needed to advance as a diver. That said, I've also spent a lot of time on my own development as a diver to get to a point where I feel like I can advance in the professional (DM, instructor) realm, as well as tek. For me, probably the most effective way to improve is by watching others when diving. I would always be in awe with someone with perfect trim just effortlessly maneuvering up down and all around. Likewise, for every diver with magical buoyancy, there was a bull in a China shop diver. I have learned from them all, and I will continue to do so. 

 

PS I love your story about the RAM/RAB. Some folks take to diving like a fish, and sounds like he was one of them.


  • dive_sail_etc likes this

#21 WreckWench

WreckWench

    Founder? I didn't know we lost her!

  • Owner
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 53,490 posts
  • Location:FL SC & Dallas, TX
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:DM & Technical certs
  • Logged Dives:5000+

Posted 27 June 2020 - 01:26 PM

One of the best things a diver can do is to LEARN and HONE their craft aka skills. Would you take classes to be a race car driver if you had just completed your learner's permit?

 

Of course not and yet many divers do just that in our sport. They race thru the certs and classes trying to get the end goal without actually "PRACTICING".

 

Its like being a doctor...you go to school to learn all the thing you need and then you do your residency so you can APPLY what you learned to real life conditions and then you continue to PRACTICE your craft.

 

So too like doctors and others... divers should really practice diving FIRST before moving on to pro or tech courses.  Just my two psi as we say!



Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users