Backing off from technical diving

[Kevrumbo]

Sorry for posting here, since I'm not a tech diver, but I wanted to bump what boulderjohn just said. When I read the OP my first thought was, what about just deco diving? That's tech, can be done in shallower water, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Hell, NDL at 130' on air is only 5 or 6 minutes, but you could do a longer dive with some decompression obligation, and really get to look around at stuff.

It's not elite diving, but I think could still be very rewarding. Again, not a tech diver, but seems reasonable to me.

(posted in another thread):
Drifting deco is fun when you've got clear water next to a deep reef wall with abundant big fish & pelagic action to see, in tropical warm waters and hearing the dive skiff/boat crew above clearly tracking your SMB.

Not so in murky cold waters; in the shipping lanes to major ports like Singapore or Los Angeles/Long Beach; or off east coast Sri Lanka (WWII aircraft carrier HMS Hermes) Bay of Bengal/Indian Ocean where the next landmass after Diego Garcia is Antarctica. IOW, you get your SMB up from depth ASAP by at least your 50% stop at 21 meters, and concentrate on keeping it upright so your surface crew can track you. . . (and hope you don't get run over by container ships & supertankers).

 

[RJP]

I'd probably be in the same boat (no pun intended) but since I don't pay for my gas or for charters, there's plenty of wrecks right off the NJ coast, and my gear/training are sunk costs... tech diving is actually about the cheapest diving I can do. A single-tank warm water dive to 70ft for 45min costs me a plane ticket, a hotel stay, meals, ground transport, etc. But two 90min tech dives to a WWII shipwreck only costs me $10 in fuel for my car and 99-cents for a 24oz coffee at Quik-Check. And I'll probably come home with enough scallops and lobster to host a few of the neighbors that evening.

:d

 

[Tug]

I'd probably be in the same boat (no pun intended) but since I don't pay for my gas or for charters, there's plenty of wrecks right off the NJ coast, and my gear/training are sunk costs... tech diving is actually about the cheapest diving I can do. A single-tank warm water dive to 70ft for 45min costs me a plane ticket, a hotel stay, meals, ground transport, etc. But two 90min tech dives to a WWII shipwreck only costs me $10 in fuel for my car and 99-cents for a 24oz coffee at Quik-Check. And I'll probably come home with enough scallops and lobster to host a few of the neighbors that evening.

:d

Ok, I hate you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RJP]

Ok, I hate you

I'm over it.

:d

 

[Centrals]

Tec dive is still reasonably affordable in Philippines. And I keep it simple ie. deep air to 50m range and no helium, 25kg is the absolute max for check in. Buy the ticket well in advance for the special fare.
As long as I am healthy i see no reason to give up.
Life is not perfect so I can give Bikini a miss with no regret.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Tec dive is still reasonably affordable in Philippines. And I keep it simple ie. deep air to 50m range and no helium, 25kg is the absolute max for check in. Buy the ticket well in advance for the special fare.
As long as I am healthy i see no reason to give up.
Life is not perfect so I can give Bikini a miss with no regret.

Philippines is also developing a network of caves to dive & explore.

Hopefully in a couple more years --when all my seventy-year-old WWII Indo-Pacific wrecks are collapsedl & gone-- the interest and infrastructure (and my retirement condo!) will be ready to explore these resources. . .

 

[Teller]

Sorry for posting here, since I'm not a tech diver, but I wanted to bump what boulderjohn just said. When I read the OP my first thought was, what about just deco diving? That's tech, can be done in shallower water, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Hell, NDL at 130' on air is only 5 or 6 minutes, but you could do a longer dive with some decompression obligation, and really get to look around at stuff.

It's not elite diving, but I think could still be very rewarding. Again, not a tech diver, but seems reasonable to me.

Most tech divers dont use air. Or atleast the ones I know dont. The goal isnt to go into deco. The goal is to be able to conduct the dives you want even if that means going into decompression and making it back to the surface safely with your team. Air is typically not the best choice for this.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I don't disagree that air isn't always, and is often not, the best choice for technical dives. But just like you said, it's about the dives you want to do and if you want to stay past the NDL times, that means a deco dive. All I'm getting at is that there might be dives shallow enough to not require helium (150' or less maybe) that are still worth while, and would still be considered "technical" based on bottom times, amount of penetration, etc.

 

[Centrals]

Philippines is also developing a network of caves to dive & explore.

Hopefully in a couple more years --when all my seventy-year-old WWII Indo-Pacific wrecks are collapsedl & gone-- the interest and infrastructure (and my retirement condo!) will be ready to explore these resources. . .

Have you done the IJN Haguro and the liner Sun Vista yet?

 

[BRT]

Well I'm at a crossroads myself after this trip to Bikini & Truk last month after the gas costs, airline excess luggage fees ($400 just for my X-Scooter), and getting type I DCS hit --traveling technical diving overseas doesn't have the appeal anymore especially with regards to the "physicality" involved diving & lugging this heavy stuff all over the Indo-Pacific region. (I'm getting old for this *scat*). Reluctantly looking at Rebreather training, or probably just doing pure single tank recreational diving for the next year (oh yeah, my health --considering elective keratoplasty/tissue transplant for my left cornea).

The interest & passion is still there, but the effort, motivation and financial means is starting to wane. . . :depressed:

Why are you considering the cornea transplant?