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We might try defining tech, as "the point at which a poorly trained diver, prone to panic, is no longer likely ( statistically) to make it to the surface without severe injury, if they run OOA and attempt an emergency buoyant ascent"...
While 100 feet is an easy free ascent for any of us who ever practiced it, even swimming without the assistance of a bc ( provided weighting is reasonable), 100 is pretty close to beyond possible for a non-skilled panicked diver to free ascend from. For this panicked, non-skilled diver, 40 to 60 feet should be survivable, or they should not have received their OW certification ( my opinion). Because an air failure is assumed survivable for them--that they "could" make it to the surface, fear is controllable......This dove tails pretty well into PADi's OW diver designation, and then their "Advanced Diver" designation, which we would hope might allow them to survive an emergency down to almost 100 feet..
The reality, is that in each case here, the diver "should" be aware enough to find their buddy, and manage the problem solving required to reach the surface, even if that only means enough presence of mind to ask or demand an alternate reg/octo , and to buddy breathe on an immediate path to the surface. Without the training, which also includes a lack of screening for people who will always panic, the free emergency ascent is the instinctive first response...and typically the WRONG ONE. The fear that is common to those without the training and practice in the emergency situation, is what will drive the flight to the surface, and prevent the diver from problem solving and looking for alternate air. I think that with the right training, most students can manage the amount of fear, and the level of risk they are exposed to ( which is fear producing) down to 100 feet, given enough training....
When you start getting deeper than 100, the difficulty of the free ascent goes up a great deal, causing an exponential increase in FEAR response, to the point that even training will not help a large percentage of the diver population. This increase in fear -- due to much greater threat, can easily prevent them from functional buddy breathing, or other problem solving..... I believe this is why the major training agencies have "wisely" labeled anything deeper than 130 to be a technical dive.
While 100 feet is an easy free ascent for any of us who ever practiced it, even swimming without the assistance of a bc ( provided weighting is reasonable), 100 is pretty close to beyond possible for a non-skilled panicked diver to free ascend from. For this panicked, non-skilled diver, 40 to 60 feet should be survivable, or they should not have received their OW certification ( my opinion). Because an air failure is assumed survivable for them--that they "could" make it to the surface, fear is controllable......This dove tails pretty well into PADi's OW diver designation, and then their "Advanced Diver" designation, which we would hope might allow them to survive an emergency down to almost 100 feet..
The reality, is that in each case here, the diver "should" be aware enough to find their buddy, and manage the problem solving required to reach the surface, even if that only means enough presence of mind to ask or demand an alternate reg/octo , and to buddy breathe on an immediate path to the surface. Without the training, which also includes a lack of screening for people who will always panic, the free emergency ascent is the instinctive first response...and typically the WRONG ONE. The fear that is common to those without the training and practice in the emergency situation, is what will drive the flight to the surface, and prevent the diver from problem solving and looking for alternate air. I think that with the right training, most students can manage the amount of fear, and the level of risk they are exposed to ( which is fear producing) down to 100 feet, given enough training....
When you start getting deeper than 100, the difficulty of the free ascent goes up a great deal, causing an exponential increase in FEAR response, to the point that even training will not help a large percentage of the diver population. This increase in fear -- due to much greater threat, can easily prevent them from functional buddy breathing, or other problem solving..... I believe this is why the major training agencies have "wisely" labeled anything deeper than 130 to be a technical dive.