PADI TecRec

[jenmichigan]

Here's a link to an article that some my find interesting about PADI and Tech Diving.

http://www.outsidemag.com/magazine/200101/200101disp2.html

 

[Hocky]

Hi

Has anyone out there done the PADI Tech Deep course yet? I was thinking about enrolling as they have just introduced the course here in Australia, and I wanted to know if anyone has (A)done the course and (B)what they thought about it.

If you have please let me know.

Thanks.

Hocky

 

[The Chairman]

I would like to know the same! I am taking the PADI Deep Diver specialty just so I qualify. Sounds cool, but I would like to hear some input.

Pete from Orlando...

 

[mark hamon]

I was going to to the deep diver course, but I found out I got better value for money sticking with the advanced course I did and am now doing the rescue divers course. The advanced course covers alot of different specialities including deep water and the rescue course you can see where the training is actually beneficial, the other courses to me are just money makers for PADI.
I did my courses through NAUI as I see PADI as the equivalent of MICROSOFT in the diving world.

 

[Iguana Don]

You would be far better off and safer if you went with one of the agencies that specialize in this type of diving, ie.
IANTD, TDI or better yet GUE.
NAUI has some experience in this area also.

As stated above I see this as nothing more than a money maker/grabber for PADI.

When you need brain surgery, you don't go to a General Practioner.

Just my .02

ID

 

[Hocky]

I think you are being a little hard on PADI.

Its true what you say about the other tec agencies, they have had more experience than PADI in this area and therefore offer a "different" course to what PADI is offering. But...and I mean this, I have had a look at the PADI Tec Deep Diver course, and I have gone through the materials and its a good course!

It will take the recreational diver into the tec world and give them a really good grounding. I think this is a good stepping stone for divers looking to test the tec world and those of you out there that pan it without seeing it, are doing yourself an injustice. Have a look, read the materials and then make a constructive coment.

All PADI have done, in conjunction with DSAT, is reconise the need for tec orientated courses and in doing so have come up with a good intro course for the recrecational market. Good on PADI for finally taking the step.

regards

Hocky

 

[Iguana Don]

Hockey,

I must respectfully disagree with you on this. This area needs to be left to the specialists, not just some agency (pick whichever one you want)who wants to get in on the act.

There are far too many accidents in the "technical" area of diving for a "One Stop Shop" to think they can teach technical diving. One has to only look at the state of Florida and see what is happening down there in this area.
Sooner or later Big Brother is going to step in and take control of the situation.

It's not that I am against PADI or any other agency for that matter. But I think they need to stick with what they do now an perfect it before moving into another arena.

Try stepping a a deep wreck diving boat and tell them you're a PADI TECH REC diver and see if they let you go down.

Will continue this on another post, it's getting late.

ID

 

[turnerjd]

just another .02 to the debate...

Is the PADI Tec Deep really Tech diving???????

Under the american definition, anything deeper than 18m is deep, and anything requiring a deco stop is technical (note:- this is a generalisation).

Under the european definition, deep is deyond 50m, and technical is when you start changing regs to change gas mix. (again a generalisation).

As someone who origionally did an OW (PADI course) then changed to BSAC, then BACK to PADI, and now to FFESSM, the level of 'technicality' of PADI training is very low. You are really just learning diving at its most basic form.

Now, with the EUROPEAN agencies I hold licences for, even if you don't GO TO THEIR LIMMITS then you are still made far more aware of the limmits, and how you overcome then (deco diving, stops, gas mixes etc...).

To me, the PADI Tech Deep certification is just bringing my PADI level upto the same level as I am qualified to dive to under BSAC, although less deep than under the FFESSM (60m). Is this really technical diving?? I don't think so, for me technical diving is when you go beyond the 50-60m mark, because this is the cutoff where you start needing far more gas, far more planning, and far more backup.

I think that the Tech Deep course in many ways is a good precursor to doing any technical diving, it is building you up to the level where you can start pushing the limmits, but it is doing it in the PADI - diver orientated educational approach. I think that upto this level the PADI course approach is good, although after that a system of mentoring is better.

As ID sais 'this area needs to be left to the specialists' - I have to disagree with this, simply because to me this is a normal part of club diving. Beyond this is the area of specialists certainly, however, (MY OPINION) is that technical diving has been diluted to make it a more comercial proposition - done it the right way, and taught correctly, almost any diver with good basic skills (GAS MANAGEMENT!!!!!!! + buoyancy) can safely dive to this depth, although, there will always be some without the mental maturity to go to this depth.

Jon T

PS, Yes, My opinion of the American 'technical agencies' is not that flattering either!

 

[Aegir]

My thougts exactly Jon, you beat me to it.

 

[DiverDave]

Jon,

Most agencies are very much against deep diving on air (or Nitrox) so the issue that deep diving doesn’t start until 50+m seems very strange to me. IANTD advanced deep diver is for up to 49m. They have a normoxic trimix course for depths of 39m to 60m. TDI extended range is to 55m. It seems to me that the chosen depth of 50m for Tech Rec is entirely in keeping with the “Real” technical agencies’ views of what constitutes this type of diving.

The PPO2 of air hits 1.4 at 56m, which is seen by nearly everyone as the max for the active portion of a dive. It seems that defining deep as 50+ is saying that deep = trimix. 50m is a long way from home and needs planning far beyond simple recreational diving.

Dave