Best tech manual/manuals?

[WestCoastDivr]

I know this is a highly debated topic, and I saw some older threads about it but I'm looking for some current opinions. I plan to get into tech diving towards the end of the year and would like to be knowledgable on what to expect before I start shoveling out money for gear and classes. If you were going to buy one or a few manuals that include advanced nitrox, trimix, deco, wreck, extended range/deep, gas blending, and other general tech info what manual or book would you buy?

Thanks

 

[Teller]

Deco for Divers by Mark Powell is a great book to start with.

 

[mathauck0814]

I like both of Steve Lewis' books.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The three noted highly recommended.
After that it really depends. Books are like people. They each have their own personality and some carry the personality of the author(s) to great extent whether you realize it or not. I can look at some agency manuals and tell who the author was for most of it.
As such there are some out there that may be very good books but if they are not written in a style you appreciate and are comfortable with you'll think they are trash. As a writer myself the only things that turn me off are books that talk down to me or assume I am of a fifth grade reading level. Although 5th grade today is where I was reading in first grade in school. I can't stand books that use pictures of bad practices. Doubles divers on their knees? Gimme a friggin break.

Enough rant. Here is a short list of what I consider to be great books dealing with technical diving:

Tao of Survival Underwater aka Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia by Tom Mount
The Technical Divers Handbook by Gary Gentile
NOAA Dive Manual
US Navy Dive Manual
SDI Solo Diver Manual
NAUI Master Diver Manual

The last two are going to help you lay a good foundation for technical diving.

 

[PfcAJ]

Fundamentals of Better Diving by J. Jablonski

 

[Michael Guerrero]

DAN Deeper Into Diving is excellent for physiology and understanding what's happening to you during deco dives.

 

[kensuf]

The three noted highly recommended.
After that it really depends. Books are like people. They each have their own personality and some carry the personality of the author(s) to great extent whether you realize it or not. I can look at some agency manuals and tell who the author was for most of it.
As such there are some out there that may be very good books but if they are not written in a style you appreciate and are comfortable with you'll think they are trash. As a writer myself the only things that turn me off are books that talk down to me or assume I am of a fifth grade reading level. Although 5th grade today is where I was reading in first grade in school. I can't stand books that use pictures of bad practices. Doubles divers on their knees? Gimme a friggin break.

Enough rant. Here is a short list of what I consider to be great books dealing with technical diving:

Tao of Survival Underwater aka Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia by Tom Mount
The Technical Divers Handbook by Gary Gentile
NOAA Dive Manual
US Navy Dive Manual
SDI Solo Diver Manual
NAUI Master Diver Manual

The last two are going to help you lay a good foundation for technical diving.

As a NAUI instructor, I'd recommend the PADI Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving over the NAUI Master Scuba Diver textbook. It's much more comprehensive.

 

[DevonDiver]

+1 Deco for Divers by Mark Powell. THE book on the market for all things decompression; algorithms, models, physiology etc etc

There's room on the market for a really good contemporary and comprehensive tech book. The stuff by Mount, Gentile etc would benefit from an update.

The GUE manuals by J. Jablonski have a lot of very good information, albeit skewed with dogma. For the perceptive reader, there's a lot of great stuff that can be extracted however.

For gas blending - see Vince Harlow's 'Oxygen Hackers Companion'.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I would recommend also watching all of these FREE videos. They are simply awesome. Even the ones I thought would be boring were actually very interesting.

https://www2.dan.org/research/conference/2008TechnicalDiving/default.aspx

This is the DAN 2008 Tech Diving Conference.

 

[Omisson]

Six Skills by Lewis is a must read. The PADI Tec/Trimix books are very good explanatory tomes. For penetration sills, the NSS-CDS and/or NACD cave diving manual is excellent For general Tec theory, MOUNT's Encyclopedia is good albeit preachy/newage, and the SDI Solo manual a good resource for self sufficiency.


Dan-O

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