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Technical Diving SpecialtiesAdvanced and focused aspects of scuba diving with a technical training edge, ranging from caverns and caves, public safety diving, wreck penetrations to decompression diving and everything in between.
With all the threads relating to GUE courses, it seems as though there is nothing else going. Of course, this is not the case and I'd like to hear more about peoples experiences (good and bad) with other agencies offering technical certifications.
I'm standing at the threshold and want to make as informed a decision as possible.
What path did you choose and why did you choose it? Any regrets?
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Less BS, more BT
Last edited by dherbman; December 6th, 2005 at 03:21 PM..
I have TDI certs for adv nitrox/deco, entry trimix, and intro cave...
The manuals absolutely sucked, but both instructors were first-rate. That's all that really matters. I selected the individuals based on their reputation, the certifying agency was not much of a consideration.
I have TDI certs for adv nitrox/deco, entry trimix, and intro cave...
The manuals absolutely sucked, but both instructors were first-rate. That's all that really matters. I selected the individuals based on their reputation, the certifying agency was not much of a consideration.
Ditto for me except I have not gone beyond Deco Procedures and Adv. Nitrox. I hope to continue with Intro to Trimix next summer.
I took the NAUI path (I'm a NAUI Instructor) Our class was combined. Technical Nitrox, Deco Procedures, and Helitrox. Excellent course, excellent Instructor. We did our practice dives in the deep side of Gilboa Quarry. Our C-dives were in the St Lawrence Seaway, Awesome wrecks!!!
Next year Trimix and Technical wreck penetration.
I almost went with TDI, but then the shop I work with found a NAUI Tec instructor that would travel to us. He has dived with the big boys, and has done a lot of the diving that I would like to do.
With all the threads relating to GUE courses, it seems as though there is nothing else going.
Because other than GUE, all the other's are dependent on having a good instructor. And there's the rub...whats a good instructor vs a not so good. and are you even qualified or be in a position to judge it? I have only met 1 TDI instructor that I would/will/have taken a class from, but I have seen some that I wouldn't want to take OW classes from.
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MacT on being on TSN NHL panel.
"I'm happy to finally be among the experts where the issues are many and solutions obvious," said MacTavish, a native of London, ON. "I appreciate TSN providing a safe haven for unemployed coaches, as we rehabilitate ourselves towards future employability."
And there's the rub...whats a good instructor vs a not so good. and are you even qualified or be in a position to judge it?
I have seen people defend some instructors and say they were great, and yet the instructor couldn't pass DIR-f.
So, What is the value of thats students opinion?
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MacT on being on TSN NHL panel.
"I'm happy to finally be among the experts where the issues are many and solutions obvious," said MacTavish, a native of London, ON. "I appreciate TSN providing a safe haven for unemployed coaches, as we rehabilitate ourselves towards future employability."
I recently completed an IANTD Recreational Trimix class ... and to be honest, the only similarities between that class and GUE Rec Triox are in the title.
The IANTD class is all about the gas ... mostly about calculating "best mix" and learning how to use a deco planning software (we used Z planner) to plan your dives.
I found the skills requirements fairly easy ... things like gas consumption calculations, lost mask drills, OOA drills, shooting a bag and ascending the line, holding a mid-water stop for a specified time period, planning a dive with stops and keeping the profile within the constraints of the plan ... all reasonably basic stuff for someone thinking to get into using helium mixes.
The book is fairly well-written ... it's called "Tech Lite" or some such, by Bill Main. It's got some good information in it, but if I were writing it I'd make it a bit less "clinical" in places and remember that my audience is divers and not medical students.
The test is mostly about dive planning ... figuring out things like END levels, best mixes, and no-deco times.
Overall I found the class to be worthwhile ... I wanted some exposure to both IANTD and this particular instructor and wasn't disappointed on either account.
But when I get the opportunity I'll still take the GUE Rec Triox class because it's far more rigorous when it comes to diving skills and stress management ... although from what my friends who have been through the class have told me about the class, the "triox" part is almost an afterthought.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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Life is short. Break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love deeply, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that makes you smile.
With all the threads relating to GUE courses, it seems as though there is nothing else going. Of course, this is not the case and I'd like to hear more about peoples experiences (good and bad) with other agencies offering technical certifications.
I'm standing at the threshold and want to make as informed a decision as possible.
What path did you choose and why did you choose it? Any regrets?
What kind of diving do you want to do and where do you plan on doing most of it? I went to Florida to begin my cave training and after having completed the first course chose to do my tech training with him. I could have gone locally (actually about 2 hours away for the classroom and CA for the OW) or the northeast. Tech wreck diving is something I eventually want to do, but for now caves are my focus. So I took my tech training in cave country. It just made sense that way.
It is tough to know what a good instructor is, so even though agencies shouldn't matter, that argument doesn't work out that well either. Prior to cave training, I contacted several instructors and asked them several questions. I was able to eliminate about half of them based on their responses alone. I've also come across some instructors that I thought were pretty good (when it comes to recreational diving), but I wouldn't think about taking a tech class with them. The main reason is the only diving they really do is the weekly quarry training dives. Who cares if someone logs 300 dives a year! If 275 of those are quarry training dives, then what can they teach me about real tech diving?
I don't know much about GUE other than what I've read about it. It's not available where I live. And I haven't come across any GUE instructors in any of my travels. So I chose based on the instructor.
Basically, decide where you'll be diving most of the time, then start looking in that area for instructors. Make sure the instructor you choose actually dives, not just training dives, and make sure the instructor you choose will fail you if you aren't ready for tech diving (one of the questions I asked was the fail rate, which can be taken a couple of different ways - too high and they aren't doing their job, too low and they pass students too easily).
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Rob Neto
My website - Chipola Divers - Recreational, Technical, & Cave Diving Instruction & Mentorship
If you want to cavern/cave dive, get trained! OW divers die in caverns and caves every year. Don't become a statistic! Don't leave your family wondering why.
I have seen people defend some instructors and say they were great, and yet the instructor couldn't pass DIR-f.
So, What is the value of thats students opinion?
who you're directing this particular comment at, but as I stated previously, my selection (and any subsequent recommendation) was/is based on the instructors' reputations within the dive community and their resumes.
Participation with a world-class cave exploration team and continual involvement in cave diving since the 1970s were the compelling reasons I chose these individuals.
If either of these instructors couldn't pass a dirf class, I'll eat my jetfins.
"That" students opinion has no value. The question is how to tell which student is "That" student. When it all comes down to it, I make decisions based on the sum of information available, rather than a single source. I look for external validation and a common denominator.
As an example, the common denominator in your posts is that you are a smart arse with knowledge and the ability to think on your own. I like that, but weigh what you write (or don't) against what I know (or think I know) and validate points made or issues raised using any number of external sources.
Rob,
What other questions did you ask prior to selecting an instructor?
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