Trimix courses - where to start?

Alright, I know I might be setting myself up for some serious flaming here but I have a question:

I'm a PADI Master Instructor with some 20 years of diving experience and well over 2500 dives behind me, and I'm just now 'officially' venturing into the world of mixed gas diving (I live in the Netherlands, we're a bit behind ). My question is, what course can I start at? Normoxic? Full trimix?

The thing is, I'm an EANx instructor but have had no official advanced nitrox training (so no certification) but I do dive with nitrox stages and high oxygen for deco. I think my experience counts, but I'm wondering what you guys have to say on the subject.

So what do the IANTD/TDI course standards say, for a guy like me? I have the experience needed to engage in trimix diving, but no prerequisite certification.

I'd say find an instructor and ask him/her.

GUE Tech 1 is another possibility. You don't need any prerequisites for that one... except maybe DIR Fundamentals but depending on the instructor you may be able to take that one without doing the DIR Fundamentals class first. Although it is recommended even for someone with your experience level.

DSAO!

You can go straight to full trimix/advanced trimix. TDI and IANTD allow their instructors some discretion in this. Don't bother with normoxic trimix certification unless you can't find someone to jump you past it.

Tom

The options available to a TDI instructor are not as broad as others are saying The key word in the standards is "certified" this applies to equivalency also..

The instructors discression is really with the logged dives.. also you can't go directly to advanced trimix..

Advanced trimix requires prior entry level trimix OR extended range certification, with a total of 4 dives performed 2 deeper than 180, no dive credit from other classes given.

the shortest path allowed to entry level trimix is
6 dives for a combo adv nitrox/deco procedures and 4 dives for entry level trimix.. if you want th ext range certification it only adds 2 dives in reality since entry level trimix can credit 2 of the ext range dives and ext range can credit 2 of the deco dives.

Personally I like the ext range class, it has lots of info and drills.. Its not about deep diving its about eqpt and dive planning.. all dives must be deeper than 100 fsw with 4 deeper than 130.. SO the narcosis is still manageable nothing says you have to go to 180, in my books 131 is deeper than 130 and if you can't manage the narcosis there you don't belong deep diving..

An alternate path to advanced trimix is 6 dives adv nitrox/deco, 4 dives extra for ext range, 4 dives advanced trimix.

Personaly I would take the second path if classrom instruction is needed since there is info learned that MIGHT be skipped without this class.. Most instructors that I know whould have the student on He anyway since they are going onto trimix..

What I would propose to a potential instructor is show them your logs and ask them if it would be possible to prove your knowledge equivalency by taking the exams for each class(even if you are planning to skip ext range I would require you to pass that exam since its one of the more difficult exams), if you pass the instructor has proof you have at least the knowledge portion down and only require the dives..

I'm e-mailing with an IANTD instructor here that has suggested the following:

- a 'check dive', if I may call it that, so that he can evaluate my current skill level. Sounds very reasonable.
- taking the Advanced EANx exam to assess my knowledge of the subject
- enrolling in the Normoxic Trimix course followed by the Full Trimix course

He's an instructor trainer so I figure this is well within the standards for these courses. I think his suggestion is a good one.

Agreed or not?

I already had the IANTD Technical Diver (Tech Nitrox) cert. I then did the Normoxic trimix because I new an instructor. Not many Adv. ytimix instructors aroud here. If I ever need another card I might do an adv trimix.