TECHNICAL PROGRAMS
Why do tech course?
- Better buoyancy and propulsion techniques
- Better awareness (depth/time/team)
- Better/safer procedures (ex SMB deployment)
- Better Knowledge “why” we use certain equipment and how it works with decompression mechanics and how your body is affected on an everyday dive as well as technical dive.
My personal “Thinking” on how I think being a tech diver change the way you "are" , “think” and “behave”
I was working professionally as a dive instructor for 4½ years before I started working at Evolution (Malapascua, Philippines) I did considered myself to be a "good" and competent diver, also in theory when it came to equipment, physic, physiology and decompression theory. As being an instructor, I thought that I had good General awareness during a dive (I’m used to look after students so I thought I had good multi-tasking and knowing what was happening around me).
However, then I started a tech diving, I did the TDI Advanced nitrox and decompression procedures with Matt Reed and then soon after Extended Range with David Joyce.
and I realised how "wrong" I was. especially when it came to buoyancy, awareness, and multi-tasking and this made me change a lot in my own diving but also how I teach diving.
so in my opinion "everybody" should do a tech course, even if you are not planning to do loads of tech dives in the future, but to widen your knowledge, diving technique and have better awareness. You become a more competent diver simply said.
I often hear other divers say that they have done their Dive Master course to be a better diver and learn more about diving. However, they are not really intending to work as a professional diver. I think a tech course will teach you much more in this case.
I have after my tech courses also changed a lot of how I teach my recreational students, so if you are a instructor even more benefits to do a tech course. Especially when it comes to dive more in trim. and much more focus on buoyancy from the beginning when the students learn diving. but the same with the continuing classes (Advanced and upwards)
A good example is when I teach a nitrox course, I normally teach much more around the course that the book require, but also when I take students on deeper dives, why do we do deep stops, why are we ascending so slow and even slower the last meters? so with the wider knowledge from the tech diving a believe that I’m teaching much better courses and students can get more wider knowledge on the courses they take.
If not a professional diver, photographer? Diving side mount or with a redundant tank (like doing the Solo diving class) will make you much more self-reliant and if you have equipment failures you will have different options available for you
and the continues steps in tech is fun and challenging also, why not cave diving or wreck diving? or side mount? it is all there to learn more and become a more aware diver and knowledgeable.
so why not start doing tech?
Let´s look at a typical techworX class:
All classes are taught under TDI (Technical diving international) and a typical class schedule is that we will start in the classroom first. Learn what is expected of you, how to reach that and with what procedures and equipment we will be using to do that. It will be many hours in the classroom covering (Dive procedures, Equipment, Deco mechanics, Dive planning etc)
Then we will be in shallow water for a couple of sessions, which will be filmed and the video will be used in the debriefing. Why? As a teaching aid to see yourself underwater (position, how we follow procedures and so on) is super helpful and will increase your learning. After we are comfortable with the new equipment and procedures we will proceed to either simulated deco dives, when we practise more as a real dive will be. With the correct procedures (descent rate, maintain depth, ascends, gas switch, SMB deployment etc) so that we are then comfortable going into real deco later.
Then last is obviously the real decompression dives. So we will dive to the maximum depth of the class if that means 45m, 55m, 60 m or even 100 m. Finally it’s a written exam in the end of each class and when all of this is done (or you completed this online before the class) then Celebration!
How I teach classes involves also a kind off “newer” thinking to the technical dive mentality. Old school tech diving was more a macho attitude, that never have concerns or could not really say no. However how I teach and dive is that the mentality/psychological factors plays a big roll in how to be a good technical diver but also a safer one! So we will discuss this during the class and have a lot of examples of this. Same with old school was more everyone for them self, I believe team diving and problem solving is correct way and this is how I will teach the classes as well.
Intro to tech
Normally the “try tech” step (a.k.a discotech :P). If you are simply curious about technical diving but not sure if you want to commit to a full class, why not start with Intro to tech? We will cover basic Equipment, Procedures and diving techniques that is the fundamental core for any further tech class or just will make you a more comfortable diver. Taught over 3 days and will focus a lot on buoyancy, situational awareness, and propulsion techniques (Frog kicks, Helicopter turns and reversing). Also “simulated” dives, with practice valve drills and how to react on out of gas, all ascents we will focus on staying in trim and ascend with proper ascent rates. So will teach you all the fundamentals to starting any tech class. This class is recommended as well if you don’t have a lot of dives and wants to go into tech diving.
Sidemount
The TDI Sidemount class is a side mount class that is more focused on technical diving. Meaning that
the prerequisites for the class is that you need to be certified side mount and technical diver already.
The class is normally over 3 days and will teach you how set up the equipment and different variations on doing this (tanks and harness setups). For the dives we will cover more specific skills to sidemount and how to be able to do safely deco dives on sidemount. During the class we will be using up to 4 cylinders (two main tanks + two deco tanks). Procedures we will focus extra on is skills more specific to side mount such as how to safely gas switch to the deco tanks, how to do SMB deployment and for example mask remove/replace in a different setup than you maybe normally dive in such as double tanks. The last dives will be real deco dives on the class.
TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures class (AN/DP)
The TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression procedures class is the first level of decompression diving. It’s a challenging 5 day class and will teach you to use up to 100% oxygen and how to plan and execute decompression dives. The TDI standards for this class require 6 dives but we will do 8, more training in the water. During the class we will cover some theory sessions in Dive procedures, Equipment, Deco mechanics, Dive planning etc. It will be rotated with practical skills on land / in shallow skill sessions, so we get hands on experience in-between theory.
After getting comfortable with that we will progress deeper with simulated dives, which is to 30 m and we will “pretend” we doing a real deco dive and we have the deco obligation. So focus on following all the proper procedures for the dive and execute the dive safely and in control (especially on buoyancy, problem solving and awareness) after passing simulated dives we will then progress to the final dives to 45 m!
Advanced Nitrox/Helitrox
Very similar to the AN/DP class (still 5 days) but additional you will learn also to use helium in the breathing gas, which is called Trimix. You will get certified to use up to 35% helium in the bottom mix and up to 100% for the deco gasses. So why use helium? It will offset the effect of narcosis at depth and making you more aware and less “slow” in your head. Using trimix is recommended especially for cold water diving due to the increased narcosis with cold/dark water or just to be more clear on tropical dives.
Extended Range
Want to explore deeper than 45 m ? Next level after the AN/DP class is extended range, this class will certify you to 55 m which is the max depth for air in technical diving due to the max PPO2. With deeper depth also more effect of narcosis so how to minimise the effects of narcosis is discussed and during the class we will also add a deco tank (now with 2 deco tanks). So you will be using 50% and 100% for the decompression.
The class is over 5 days and will in the theory focus on more advanced procedures, problem solving and decompression mechanics. The TDI standards for this class require 6 dives but we will do 8 so more training in water. Added also what I teach is we will do a long session on only rescue. Its little more challenging with 8 tanks and two people to do towing and surfacing unconscious diver. Last day we will do 55 m dives and explore deep walls or wrecks.
Trimix
Diving deeper also increase the narcosis, so how to limit the effects people will opt for using Trimix.
The class for extended range and trimix is very similar except that we will use trimix for the four deco dives on the class, also slightly deeper 60m. The necessary theory will be covered and the slightly different dive planning when using trimix (more focus on EAD and END and how this affect your dives). This certification certify you to use down to 18% o2 and have no limit on the helium.
Advanced trimix
The TDI Advanced Trimix Diver Course is the highest level of training for open circuit divers wishing to dive to depths as deep as 100 metres using hypoxic levels of oxygen (below 17 percent). The class is 6 days and like the other classes we will dig deeper into the theory side, especially deep trimix related deco mechanics, discuss Isobaric counter diffusion and HPNS. Additional we will now use 5 tanks in total and final dive is to 100m!
This is a short description about the classes. Please contact me for additional information.
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