Looking to go deeper / prolong my dive time

I may be in the wrong forum, and would appreciate a nudge in the right direction is so... I have some questions, I'm just going to list them below:

I'm fairly new to diving, and want to get into more technical diving (deco and wreck diving mostly, but would like to check out some cave diving as well), but I can't really figure out how to go about that.. I have my OW certification, and will start my AOW soon, but several people have told me not even to worry about that if I'm going to get into technical diving.. Anybody agree or disagree?

Also, through the research I've done, TDI is the most prominent Tech Diving school, but unfortunately, there's not a school near me.

Anyone know of any Tech Schools in the Memphis vicinity or within 2 hour drive?
Any clue on how much the classes cost?
Is it just one class, or a series of classes like PADI's heirarchy of learn this, learn that?
Does anyone know how long the tech diving certification takes?
Is there a pre-requisiste to taking the class(es)?

Look forward to the responses.

I don't have enough time right now for all your questions. But let me suggest that you do three things:

1. Do lots of dives
2. Find a mentor who tech dives
3. Take an intro to tech class form NAUI, UTD or GUE fundies

The intro to tech class will start you on the right path with gear and basic skills so you won't have to break old habits. IMO, you are at least 100 dives away from technical diving, but starting with the right gear and skills and a good mentors will make the process much easier. I guarantee there are lots of tech instructors in your area, but your local PADI shop might not be prone to help point you away from their own teaching.

The PADI Rescue class, IMO, if it includes O2 admin, is definitely worth taking.

JPENDERGRAST:

I may be in the wrong forum, and would appreciate a nudge in the right direction is so... I have some questions, I'm just going to list them below:

I'm fairly new to diving, and want to get into more technical diving (deco and wreck diving mostly, but would like to check out some cave diving as well), but I can't really figure out how to go about that.. I have my OW certification, and will start my AOW soon, but several people have told me not even to worry about that if I'm going to get into technical diving.. Anybody agree or disagree?

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Nitrox is going to likely be pre-requisite for just about any type of tech diving you intend to do. I'd also recommend anyone wanting to go this route take AOW and Rescue first.

Also, through the research I've done, TDI is the most prominent Tech Diving school, but unfortunately, there's not a school near me.

Anyone know of any Tech Schools in the Memphis vicinity or within 2 hour drive?
Any clue on how much the classes cost?
Is it just one class, or a series of classes like PADI's heirarchy of learn this, learn that?

Click to expand...

Expect a series of classes in order to prepare you for where you need to be. NAUI and IANTD are also popular agencies for tech oriented training.

Does anyone know how long the tech diving certification takes?

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This is going to depend greatly on the individual diver. It's best to take it slower and build experience at one level before rushing ahead to the next.

Is there a pre-requisiste to taking the class(es)?

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Pre-requisites will vary depending on the specific classes. Most agency websites should list pre-requisites for the ones youre interested in.

Look forward to the responses.

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There are several good articles on the board about how to choose an instructor. Finding a good instructor is probably one of the most important steps in this process.

Firstly... if you are new to diving, you need to ask yourself what is your motivation for going deeper?

Longer can be achieved through nitrox, dive computer, multi-level profiles and improved air consumption. When that happens, you can seek to upsize your gas supply through larger capacity cylinder and/or twinset. Those are all solutions within the recreational diving sphere.

There is little point wanting to go deep, just for the sake of going deep. The risks and costs of your diving will increase exponentially....and there is little special to see at technical depths unless you are engaged in spotting deep sea marine life or are a wreck enthusiast who is bored with every available wreck within your current depth range.

Prerequisites for Tech training are typically Nitrox, Deep, Rescue and a minimum number of logged dives (for most agencies...around at least 100).

TDI is the most prevalent technical agency....read into that what you want.

Technical training is also offered by DSAT (PADI), NAUI, ANDI, IANTD, SSI, GUE etc etc

The quality/pedigree of the instructor matters more than the agency, because most tech courses are fundamentally identical. They consist of the following aspects (whether broken into sub-courses or merged into a single programme)....

Advanced Nitrox - Training to use nitrox mixes in excess of 40% for the purposes of accelerated decompression.

Decompression Procedures - Training to conduct safe decompression swaps, gas switching etc.

Extended Range - Training to plan and conduct technical dives using mixed gases (sometimes including normoxic trimix), staged decompression using rich nitrox mixtures.

In addition, most experienced and prudent Tech Instructors will want to check you out in the water before you start your course. Either with fun dives...or a Intro To Tech session (which in some cases can be credited towards your tech course). This allows both of you to assess your suitability for the course.

Do not underestimate the complexity, precision and task-loading that accompany tech dive training. Your basic dive skills need to be spot-on before considering it. I've seen experienced dive instructors struggle on thiese courses....

JPENDERGRAST:

I may be in the wrong forum, and would appreciate a nudge in the right direction is so... I have some questions, I'm just going to list them below:

I'm fairly new to diving, and want to get into more technical diving (deco and wreck diving mostly, but would like to check out some cave diving as well), but I can't really figure out how to go about that.. I have my OW certification, and will start my AOW soon, but several people have told me not even to worry about that if I'm going to get into technical diving.. Anybody agree or disagree?

Also, through the research I've done, TDI is the most prominent Tech Diving school, but unfortunately, there's not a school near me.

Anyone know of any Tech Schools in the Memphis vicinity or within 2 hour drive?
Any clue on how much the classes cost?
Is it just one class, or a series of classes like PADI's heirarchy of learn this, learn that?
Does anyone know how long the tech diving certification takes?
Is there a pre-requisiste to taking the class(es)?

Look forward to the responses.

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Devon offered alot of great advice.

With that being said I will tell you how my progression began and where I find myself now.

Got certified for OW, dove twice a week for three months and decided I wanted to add Nitrox to the mix. Continued to dive twice a week (if not more) and decided to add AOW to the mix.... Got the brain thinking about going deeper and staying longer.... Started reading everything I could get my hands on (books) and looking on boards in the Tech Relm. Still diving at least twice a week. Started looking at gear configurations for Tech and decided to change my whole gear setup.... Spent (what I thought at the time) was a lot of Money.... Still diving twice a week... Started to look for someone who was a Tech diver to buddy up with and beg for free and advice.... Still diving twice a week, still tweaking the now 2nd set of gear... Found a great mentor in the Tech diving community and started paying attention to not only their gear, but the general philosophy they approached diving with. Huge change from the recreational crowd. Still diving twice a week.....Sold almost all the "Tech" gear I prematurly bought, and out fitted myself once again.... Didnt blink an eye at the price tag this time (understood the justification of each piece of gear I purchased, and the reason why that was the exact piece I wanted. Mentor helped a bunch here, letting me try this, and that, try "his" buddies this or that, and then disscussing with me the differences in each). Still diving twice a week.... Totaly consumed with tech at this point.... Decided to take Rescue for the knowledge it offered and hey, at this point I am still a new diver...Still diving twice a week. Comfortable in my "third" setup of gear and genearlly feel good handling myself underwater...Have had to deal with real life situations and issues. Had equip problems, personal circumstances, and buddy issues to deal with. Still diving twice a week. Decided to go Tech with the recomendation of my instructor that the skills he has seen underwater were sufficient and was ready to begin.

Took the TDI Adv Nitrox and Decompression classes.. Diving three times a week.... This class and the underwater skills associated with it added a whole new level of skills that needed to be practiced and feel like second nature. Finshed the class and looking back now, realize that the skills and knowledge I possessed before the class were not near the level I "thought" they were.

The pay off.

Doing a wreck dive off the coast of NC on dive boat with 16 other dives. 12 divers were doing recreational profiles and had bottom times of 10-20 mins and were doing two dives. My self and three other divers all had bottom times of an hour+ with a total dive time (run time) of 80+ mins. Comming up the line and nailing everyone of my stops, planning my dive and diving my plan down to the min. and seeing my spg read exactly what I thought it would.

Going tech was the best decision I personally ever made. The world it opens up is unbelivable, what I hope you can take away form it is:

There is no subsitute for spending time diving
Talking to Tech divers who come highly respected, are activly doing tech dives, and are willing to help you along your path to training.
The selction of an instructor is crucial
Having the right gear is not only nice, but required. You are entering a world where the surface is not the salvation it once was

One of the best tech instructors is in Tennessee, but it is all the way over in Knoxville. Alan Williams is a former WKPP cave diver, and a pretty good instructor as well. He taught my Trimix instructor how to dive trimix. He owns Rhea's Diving Services. He teaches under TDI

Another instructor is Ed Gabe out of Kentucky. He taught me Fundies. He is a tech/cave diver, so he can get you started along the right path, but he isn't a tech instructor. He teaches for GUE.

Another guy that I've heard some good things about is Slim. He's the guy I always hear people mention when they're talking about Missouri Cave diving, and I've talked with him, but never dove with him. He teaches with IANTD.

Let me know, and I can get you in contact with any of them.

Tom

Looking to go deeper / prolong my dive time

When I read that...hmmm...I thought we were talking about something all-together different. I started to respond with my usual "some of us are more genetically endowed than others speech" leading into Viagra and other pharmacological options - when I realized....that wasn't what you meant. ) hehehe ) With regard to scuba, the topic seems to have been fully covered.

I would strongly echo the recommendation to do a Fundamentals course, or an Intro to Tech if you can do it in a single tank. The standard of skills for technical diving is almost inconceivably higher than the standard for most open water classes, and you need to know what it is, if you haven't seen it. Taking a class like Fundies will allow you not only to enjoy your recreational diving, as you build experience, but also to spend that time honing skills you will need for technical or cave diving. BECAUSE I took Fundies, and dove a lot afterwards, by the time I got to my cave training, so many things were solid that I could really focus on the things that pertained to diving in caves, instead of spending my time working on buoyancy or propulsion techniques.

With respect to cost . . . tech diving is expensive, and there really isn't any way around it. When my husband was recently doing his NAUI Tech 1 class, we laughed at the fact that EACH diver on the boat was getting into the water with more money in gear than we paid for the BOAT. And then there's the helium . . . a 25/25 fill in my 85s, for me to do a recreational helium dive, runs me about $40, and I get an amazing discount on my helium. With bigger tanks and higher helium percentages, it can be substantially more.

Mexican cave diving isn't quite as bad, but you have the travel costs to Mexico!

Classes aren't cheap, either. I paid $800 for cavern/Intro, and $1800 for Cave 1, and I'm paying $2000 for Cave 2. (Plus, of course, travel expenses, tank rental, housing, entry fees, etc.) The Tech 1 class I'm currently in is $600, but it's half of a standard Tech 1 class, so that would make the total for 150 fsw training to be about $1200.

Gear can be carefully bought second-hand, which brings the costs down, but you'll still be looking at several thousand by the time you've got a set of doubles, a good light, a couple of deco bottles, five or six regulators, a dry suit, a reel, a bunch of spools . . . it adds up.

So, anyway -- go take a single tank class to build skills, and then do a bunch of diving and enjoy it. When you have a couple hundred dives under varying conditions and in different places, then start looking around for a tech instructor. And the advice to find a group of divers to hang with and dive with and learn from is spot on, too.

I'm paying $2000 for Cave 2. (Plus, of course, travel expenses, tank rental, housing, entry fees, etc.)

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You are spending HOW MUCH????? You'll have to work more ER shifts or we won't be able to eat!

...Busted!