New diver here and reading this confirms I am on the right path. I am assembling my own scuba gear. I went with plate and wing. It's been a long road. I have done a lot of listening to experienced divers. This winter I have gotten to know my gear. Since I will doing a good amount of quarry diving in low viz I have gone as far as kitting up and practicing in a pitch black room. Try getting out of Bcd, locate spg,etc with thick gloves on in the dark. Gives you an appreciation of how hard it is. One of the local Lds owners is an accomplished technical diver and told me that you should know where and how to reach every piece of gear by memory... Cannot agree more with this post and us new divers appreciate reading this type of feedback as it makes us safer.
Hello Landlocked123,
I am a newly minted Tec 40 diver. I agree with your tactic of learning your rig using tactile means.
During my Tec 40 training, we dived a reservoir for one dive as Monterey was blown-out with 40 kt. winds and 10+ foot seas combined with 10+ foot swells from a different direction.
The water temp at Folsom Reservoir was 48 degrees with about 4 feet of visibility. Our run time was 53 minutes--I was very cold in my wetsuit! Also, the new gear made using old techniques, including visual stimulus, useless. I customized my rig so that I could distinguish different pockets and gear by feel and location. Of course, I used a Hogarthian set-up for major components (required--and now I like the set-up--I aint changing back to standard rec set-up)).
I bought a Magni-view lens for my mask so that I could see up close--something I did not need before.
The next weekend we were able to dive Monterey, but the conditions were at minimums. The storm door was open and El Nino was pumping low pressure systems in one after another.
My point is this, without dry-running the different skills required to pass the course, I would have struggled!
Good Luck!
Hey Flyboy08,
You wrote: "Just cause I have in excess of 300 dives doesn't make me an expert....I find it makes me humble and somewhat lucky
"
Yeah, I agree. I am approaching 200 dives, and am not an expert. However, I am not a newb and should not be treated as one (
that last sentence was not directed towards you or anything you wrote)!
For a really comprehensive course, try Tec 40. It is really good. I am not going to become a full-blown techy, but it was a very worthwhile class. Be prepared to read, study, and write--this is not your ordinary recreational dive course.
thanks,
markm
