tmassey
Contributor
By now, you probably know the drill. This will be *LONG*. Grab a beverage and settle in...
As I wrote about in my review of Advanced Wreck with John Chatterton, his class had dramatically changed my perspective on the most fundamental aspects of diving. Before the class, my idea of technical diving was heavily colored by my (incomplete) understanding of "DIR"-style diving as the only way to dive. After the class, I was left with lots of *questions* about *why* to dive one way or another -- which is the first step to truly *understanding* what you're doing.
In the past four years since I took the class, I've continued to reflect on this. What are the underlying assumptions of what I'm being taught? Do those assumptions match up with my requirements? How does this shape the standards and procedures that this class implements? It has added a significantly deeper level of appreciation for the training I have received.
During that time, I've had a fair amount of additional training: TDI Cavern, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures, Intro Cave and Full Cave. These were valuable classes that taught me numerous additional skills, but none altered my perspective the way Advanced Wreck had. Finally, in spring 2019, I took GUE Fundamentals, a class that had intimidated me for a decade. I expected this class to change my perspective on diving, and it did -- but not in the way that I expected. I wrote about this in detail in my review of my class. But in short: I found that the fundamental assumptions the GUE philosophy are valuable and effective, but if you cannot satisfy those fundamental assumptions completely, much of the value of the philosophy is lost. And, for me, the cost (on several levels) to satisfy all GUE assumptions would significantly outweigh the benefits I would practically receive. So while I would encourage *everyone* to take a Fundamentals class, for me, it was not a path forward.
I also found that for me, taking the Fundamentals class had required addressing some deep emotional issues that I hadn't even been aware of just a few short months before. This has allowed me to understand how my internal emotional expectations were not really lined up with my mental expectations -- or what the class was offering in the first place. And finally, I'm no longer looking for emotional validation from technical training! For a very non-emotional person, realizing all of this was a pretty difficult struggle. But it has helped me to understand better what training is and is not going to provide.
So with this background, I was considering what I should do to take what very well may be the last level of training I achieve: Normoxic Trimix. At this point, I was not looking for a fundamentally different way to look at diving. I've been given plenty of perspective on the spectrum of diving from total self-reliance to heavily team-reliant, and I've created my own specific requirements and expectations. In taking this class, I was not looking to change this.
However, I *was* looking for an opportunity to change my perspective. At this point in my diving career, I could not point to a single dive and state, "I was narced on that dive." I do *not* say I *wasn't* narced, but rather I did not have a clear incident where I understood what it was to be narced. I did have a general idea of one dive being harder than another, or where in retrospect I was probably not as effective as I might have been under different circumstances. But I had no real concept of a feeling of narcosis.
This bothered me. Obviously, you don't *have* to experience impairment to understand the idea that being impaired is not a good idea on a dive. And if there were something you could do to ensure that you would never experience the impairment, that might be fine. But you can't: we've all heard stories from even experienced divers where on the wrong day and under the wrong circumstances, someone states that they experience narcosis *much* shallower than they had ever experienced before. So if you can't guarantee that you'll avoid it, it's probably a good idea to understand it. And I didn't want my first "aha!" experience to be on a "real" dive to 200 feet, with who knows what resources to lean on when it happens.
Besides, by this point, I understand the importance of helium in diving mixes. I've read the lipid solubility assumptions and the gas density/WOB research. I appreciate the logic that, outside of cost and availability, there really aren't many downsides to adding helium. Without any real experience, I'm already sold on the benefits. So I don't really need a helium cheerleader. What I really want is a helium naysayer. Someone who might have a more nuanced perspective to offer.
And besides: I've spent the past couple years either surrounded by cave divers, or even more, GUE-trained cave divers. It's time for a change!
So, I decide to take TDI Normoxic Trimix with John Chatterton. From my previous class with him, I was aware of his self-reliant perspective. But it had been four years, and at the time I was an inexperienced tech diver. With a few more years of experience, I welcomed the opportunity to receive additional training from his perspective.
But the biggest reason for choosing his class was his perspective on dive gasses. This includes the role that low- or no-helium gasses play in diving, as well as the selection of deco gasses. Before the class, my perspective was heavily influenced by GUE, and that means Standard Gasses and the heavy use of helium (at 100'!). That is not Mr. Chatterton's perspective. And I wanted to understand that perspective more fully. There were some other elements that were different than my previous training: bottles on both sides, for example. I was looking forward to experiencing these as well.
Once again, John was very generous with his time leading up to the class. I discussed with him my perspective on deep dive gas selection centered on Standard Gasses. But I also stated that I was looking for an opportunity to experience narcosis in a controlled setting. That agreed with his goals for the class as well. His description was that if you haven't experienced narcosis it's a boogyman. He was very flexible with his approach to making sure that my desires were met.
One thing that made planning for this class more difficult than it needed to be was my desire to be a cheapskate – and to be prepared in advance. My goal was to bring with me the gasses that I would need for the class. It turns out that Force E's Trimix prices are pretty reasonable, and I should have simply let them take care of it. (Ironically enough, their deco O2 prices are a little less reasonable than their Trimix prices, and I needed O2 fills while I was there....) To bring my own gasses required that I knew what gasses to blend! Of course, when diving best mix, that leaves the blend open, and discussing the advantages and disadvantages is a big part of the class, plus there's a buddy with his own desires, of course, etc.
In the end, I should have simply got my fills at Force E. Don't make the same mistake I did. But we did get it worked out in advance. In fact, it looked a *lot* like the current class structure (ours was the last of the pre-2020 structure) if you combined the two Hydro Atlantic dives: slight Trimix x 2 on the Newtown Creek (Lady Luck), air on the Hydro Atlantic (with a stage of 21/35 for the middle of the dive), and 18/45 on the Lowrance. Deco gasses were 36% and 80% (only 80% on the Hydro with the 21/35 stage). Getting to that point required a lot of e-mails back and forth. (OK, it required a lot of e-mails from me: Mr. Chatterton is very patient...)
As I wrote about in my review of Advanced Wreck with John Chatterton, his class had dramatically changed my perspective on the most fundamental aspects of diving. Before the class, my idea of technical diving was heavily colored by my (incomplete) understanding of "DIR"-style diving as the only way to dive. After the class, I was left with lots of *questions* about *why* to dive one way or another -- which is the first step to truly *understanding* what you're doing.
In the past four years since I took the class, I've continued to reflect on this. What are the underlying assumptions of what I'm being taught? Do those assumptions match up with my requirements? How does this shape the standards and procedures that this class implements? It has added a significantly deeper level of appreciation for the training I have received.
During that time, I've had a fair amount of additional training: TDI Cavern, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures, Intro Cave and Full Cave. These were valuable classes that taught me numerous additional skills, but none altered my perspective the way Advanced Wreck had. Finally, in spring 2019, I took GUE Fundamentals, a class that had intimidated me for a decade. I expected this class to change my perspective on diving, and it did -- but not in the way that I expected. I wrote about this in detail in my review of my class. But in short: I found that the fundamental assumptions the GUE philosophy are valuable and effective, but if you cannot satisfy those fundamental assumptions completely, much of the value of the philosophy is lost. And, for me, the cost (on several levels) to satisfy all GUE assumptions would significantly outweigh the benefits I would practically receive. So while I would encourage *everyone* to take a Fundamentals class, for me, it was not a path forward.
I also found that for me, taking the Fundamentals class had required addressing some deep emotional issues that I hadn't even been aware of just a few short months before. This has allowed me to understand how my internal emotional expectations were not really lined up with my mental expectations -- or what the class was offering in the first place. And finally, I'm no longer looking for emotional validation from technical training! For a very non-emotional person, realizing all of this was a pretty difficult struggle. But it has helped me to understand better what training is and is not going to provide.
So with this background, I was considering what I should do to take what very well may be the last level of training I achieve: Normoxic Trimix. At this point, I was not looking for a fundamentally different way to look at diving. I've been given plenty of perspective on the spectrum of diving from total self-reliance to heavily team-reliant, and I've created my own specific requirements and expectations. In taking this class, I was not looking to change this.
However, I *was* looking for an opportunity to change my perspective. At this point in my diving career, I could not point to a single dive and state, "I was narced on that dive." I do *not* say I *wasn't* narced, but rather I did not have a clear incident where I understood what it was to be narced. I did have a general idea of one dive being harder than another, or where in retrospect I was probably not as effective as I might have been under different circumstances. But I had no real concept of a feeling of narcosis.
This bothered me. Obviously, you don't *have* to experience impairment to understand the idea that being impaired is not a good idea on a dive. And if there were something you could do to ensure that you would never experience the impairment, that might be fine. But you can't: we've all heard stories from even experienced divers where on the wrong day and under the wrong circumstances, someone states that they experience narcosis *much* shallower than they had ever experienced before. So if you can't guarantee that you'll avoid it, it's probably a good idea to understand it. And I didn't want my first "aha!" experience to be on a "real" dive to 200 feet, with who knows what resources to lean on when it happens.
Besides, by this point, I understand the importance of helium in diving mixes. I've read the lipid solubility assumptions and the gas density/WOB research. I appreciate the logic that, outside of cost and availability, there really aren't many downsides to adding helium. Without any real experience, I'm already sold on the benefits. So I don't really need a helium cheerleader. What I really want is a helium naysayer. Someone who might have a more nuanced perspective to offer.
And besides: I've spent the past couple years either surrounded by cave divers, or even more, GUE-trained cave divers. It's time for a change!
So, I decide to take TDI Normoxic Trimix with John Chatterton. From my previous class with him, I was aware of his self-reliant perspective. But it had been four years, and at the time I was an inexperienced tech diver. With a few more years of experience, I welcomed the opportunity to receive additional training from his perspective.
But the biggest reason for choosing his class was his perspective on dive gasses. This includes the role that low- or no-helium gasses play in diving, as well as the selection of deco gasses. Before the class, my perspective was heavily influenced by GUE, and that means Standard Gasses and the heavy use of helium (at 100'!). That is not Mr. Chatterton's perspective. And I wanted to understand that perspective more fully. There were some other elements that were different than my previous training: bottles on both sides, for example. I was looking forward to experiencing these as well.
Once again, John was very generous with his time leading up to the class. I discussed with him my perspective on deep dive gas selection centered on Standard Gasses. But I also stated that I was looking for an opportunity to experience narcosis in a controlled setting. That agreed with his goals for the class as well. His description was that if you haven't experienced narcosis it's a boogyman. He was very flexible with his approach to making sure that my desires were met.
One thing that made planning for this class more difficult than it needed to be was my desire to be a cheapskate – and to be prepared in advance. My goal was to bring with me the gasses that I would need for the class. It turns out that Force E's Trimix prices are pretty reasonable, and I should have simply let them take care of it. (Ironically enough, their deco O2 prices are a little less reasonable than their Trimix prices, and I needed O2 fills while I was there....) To bring my own gasses required that I knew what gasses to blend! Of course, when diving best mix, that leaves the blend open, and discussing the advantages and disadvantages is a big part of the class, plus there's a buddy with his own desires, of course, etc.
In the end, I should have simply got my fills at Force E. Don't make the same mistake I did. But we did get it worked out in advance. In fact, it looked a *lot* like the current class structure (ours was the last of the pre-2020 structure) if you combined the two Hydro Atlantic dives: slight Trimix x 2 on the Newtown Creek (Lady Luck), air on the Hydro Atlantic (with a stage of 21/35 for the middle of the dive), and 18/45 on the Lowrance. Deco gasses were 36% and 80% (only 80% on the Hydro with the 21/35 stage). Getting to that point required a lot of e-mails back and forth. (OK, it required a lot of e-mails from me: Mr. Chatterton is very patient...)