Recreational diving versus Technical? diving

[Walter]

What are peoples (recreationals) view points of the differences between [rec] and [tec] diving? About what they think is needed in terms of extra equipment aswell as what extra training they deem neccessery.

The question isn't valid. It's based on an incorrect assumption. That assumption is that there is one type of diving called technical diving. Folks lump all sorts of unrelated diving into a catch all they call "technical diving." Cave diving requires one set of skills and equipment, wreck diving a different set, deep mixed gas yet another. I personally don't use the term.

 

[rongoodman]

If you choose your gear carefully from the outset, it becomes a matter of needing more gear for tech diving, but not particularly different gear. The BP/W I purchased at the end of my OW class can be extended to use in any enviroment I could imagine.

 

[David P]

Id consider a tech dive anything that:
is deeper than 130'
involves decompression
is an overhead environment
requires further training
requires additional equipment

 

[ianr33]

If you choose your gear carefully from the outset, it becomes a matter of needed more gear for tech diving, but not particularly different gear. The BP/W I purchased at the end of my OW class can be extended to use in any enviroment I could imagine.

Agree with the BP/W but how many OW divers also start off with a long hose,no split fins,DIN tanks and regs,wrist mounted depth timer,light with Goodman handle etc. ?

The reality is most people will end up with almost a complete new set of gear by the time they are "technical" (whatever that means!) divers.

 

[victor]

Agree with the BP/W but how many OW divers also start off with a long hose,no split fins,DIN tanks and regs,wrist mounted depth timer,light with Goodman handle etc. ?

The reality is most people will end up with almost a complete new set of gear by the time they are "technical" (whatever that means!) divers.

Long hose, no problems
DIN tanks and Regs, normal in Germany
Wrist mounted depth times, Citizen common in Europe
Canister light with Goodman handle. Never understood why this is required.

But I do agree, by the time a new diver is ready to get into technical diving they will be ready to upgrade their original equipment anyway.

 

[BKP]

The owner of our LDS, a tec instructor, said he evaluated potential tec students by asking them a simple question: why do you wnat to do this? If they answered "because I want to go to 200 ft" he turned them down and if they answered "there's (fill in the blank) I want to see at 200 ft and I need the training to see it..." he took them on. His point was that there isn't anything intrinsically better about diving at 200 ft than at 60 ft per se, but there are some neat things to see that require that depth and that risk. Someone who has no idea of why they want to tech dive, other than to prove their manhood or something, he didn't want anything to do with...

That's actually interesting. There is an article in one of the dive mags (I'll look for it another time, and reference it), where the author talked about teaching a tech class, in which he asked the same question...

The typical responses were as you mentioned above as the "right" answer...

However, the instructor/author wasn't satisfied until he heard the answer: "because it seems like a cool thing to do..." (or something to that effect).

The instructor explained that the mindset of the serious (as opposed to hobbyist) tech divers was similar to that of mountain climbers... They do it simply to challenge themselves... They do it because they can... They do it "because it's there..."

 

[Luc Dupas]

Agree with the BP/W but how many OW divers also start off with a long hose,no split fins,DIN tanks and regs,wrist mounted depth timer,light with Goodman handle etc. ?

LOL... sorry ianr33... you're simply referring to DIR-talk... "technical diving" is a much broader/wider thing than "only" the DIR stuff, or "only" cave diving you know...
E.g. the long hose is something useful for cave diving but if e.g. you want to go for deep diving etc. there is no added benefit to even considering a LH...
Idem dito for the rest of your list... this is simply a copy&paste from the DIR "religion"...

 

[Meng_Tze]

LOL... sorry ianr33... you're simply referring to DIR-talk... "technical diving" is a much broader/wider thing than "only" the DIR stuff, or "only" cave diving you know...
E.g. the long hose is something useful for cave diving but if e.g. you want to go for deep diving etc. there is no added benefit to even considering a LH...
Idem dito for the rest of your list... this is simply a copy&paste from the DIR "religion"...

While it may be true that the long hose is used in overhead environments, I do see the benefit of this at any depth when sharing gas..... it gives both divers some space and room to fix issues. While n ot strictly needed, it is a nice thing to have.

 

[ianr33]

LOL... sorry ianr33... you're simply referring to DIR-talk... "technical diving" is a much broader/wider thing than "only" the DIR stuff, or "only" cave diving you know...
E.g. the long hose is something useful for cave diving but if e.g. you want to go for deep diving etc. there is no added benefit to even considering a LH...
Idem dito for the rest of your list... this is simply a copy&paste from the DIR "religion"...

I dont consider it DIR talk at all,Hogarthian maybe but not DIR

If you want to do an air share on a short hose at 300 feet because your yoke tank just blew an O ring ,while monitoring your stops on that console mounted computer,go ahead.

Sorry I will not be joining you

Agree that a long hose is not required in open water,but it makes life a heck of a lot easier.

 

[Meister481]

Let's get back to the subject. this hose length talk could last days.

Found this, It's a decent explanation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_diving