TDI or IANTD

[blackstars]

Hellow all the Tek Guru(s) out there,

I am chosing between TDI and IANTD to start my tech/commercial dive training. Which is better? I've read up in other threads but there isn't a direct comparison of this two... I believe both has their strong and weakness. Can you guys share with me your experience with both bodies, in terms of their charges, modules, training style etc etc etc ??? Hard choices...

Thanks a million in adavance...

[D.I.R.Lizard]

As has been said before, the agency means very little. You need to concentrate on finding an excellent instructer who will teach you right.

I have had dealings with both, I must say as far as standards go they both leave something to be desired.

But I am lucky in the fact that both of the instructers believe in teaching things way above and beyond the minimum standards of thier respective agency's. I got way more benificial and usable training and knowledge from these two than the books say is the minimum requirements.

So basically find a really good instructer, may take some time and maybe even some trial and error. But find a good one and forget about which agency he is from.

When looking you need to ask yourself: Do you want the c-cards or do you want good training?

[Jonathan]

Where are you?

The reason I ask is that I started doing TDI in the UK and the manuals were very confusing because they had only attempted to convert to metric.

I have now transferred to IANTD in Japan - but the main reson for that was the instructor. That, as has been said on so many threads is the key. Also I think the manuals are much better with IANTD.

Quiz your potential instructor find out about the courses, look over the documentation.

On the pracitical side with TDI you have deco procedures (usually all air) then advanced nitrox bringing accelerated deco, then extended range.

IANTD - you do advanced nitrox, then technical diver so you get to the same place in one less course but it seems much more thorough to me.

I did TDI deco, then the course but not the dives for TDI advanced nitrox as I moved locations then did IANTD advanced nitrox and have started on Technical diver.

I would have rather stayed TDI with my original instructor - as he was the one that made the difference. The IANTD advanced nitrox only takes you to 50% nitrox and you don't need to use twins so I found it all a bit of a waste of time after the TDI stuff I had done - I don't know if TDI insist on it but we were using twins and 40% nitrox for deco but using air profiles in the deco course.

So in summary - find a good instructor! Let us know where you are and you may even get some recommendations....

hope that helps
Jonathan

[Jonathan]

D.I.R Lizard obviously types faster - same message though!

[AquaTec]

you will probably find that often times the same instructor will teach for both agencies....as i do....

it would be goo dto know your ultimate goal
trimix, wrecks, nitrox, etc.

i will give my responses as if the same instructor is able to teach for both, and he is the best instructor...that way ..alll yjings being equal, we can discuss the better agencie for you

[Jonathan]

interesting Aquatec - as an instructor of both what do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of each?

I am am not really interested in going much deeper than say 60m, as you know I am a wreck fan and happy to dive cold or warm water. Assume I had met you before I started - what would you recommend?

Cheers
Jonathan

[blackstars]

I am in Singapore. There is a fair share of both IANTD and TDI instructors around the region but I haven't got down to "interviewing" them all yet... any recommendation(s)???

thks...

[joens]

In the last issue af immersed magazine there was a very good article comparing the course offerings of all the tech agencies they did not get into the who is better argument but talked about the similarities and differences in the courses I would recccomend the article to anyone .
chris joens

[lanun]

blackstars once bubbled...
I am in Singapore. There is a fair share of both IANTD and TDI instructors around the region but I haven't got down to "interviewing" them all yet... any recommendation(s)???



thks...

talk to JC Chappuis out of B&J on Tioman (divetioman.com)

he taught me more than what's on the standard and procedures :D . merely observing him in the water taught me loads of stuff :) . he doesn't skimp on the medical emergency drill on the boat either. we did it twice during one SI :eek:

[blackstars]

whao.... Tioman is quite out of the way for me. That option seems more practical if I dive full time...

[lanun]

i think JC is in JB during the off-season :D

by the way, isn't tioman like 4 hours by Cat from SG ? that's not too bad, is it ? better than my 9 hour drive to mersing :out:

anyways, if you want to go for the adv nitrox, etc class figure a week off at least - my class took five days. and that's without adding extra openwater time (remedial work, etc). so a trip to tioman is not that bad.

did you talk to ss khoo ? he's the iantd sea franchise holder, right ? so he probably taught a few of the instructors in the region.

[Norm]

I have both and have been disappointed by neither. Good luck!