Why the hating on Tech?

[ScubaSteve]

Was once, but it got cured

Penicillin?

 

[gypsyjim]

Penicillin?

Wish the meds were that cheap :shocked2: :depressed:

 

[FritzCat66]

Oh, that's an easy one: Because tech divers are a bunch of haughty, condescending, holier-than-thou a$$hats who presume all us rec divers want to be them.

You mean you don't....?

Dammit, Tim... you know I can't afford a CCR right now!

 

[flots am]

You can go to any of the DAN annual reports on North American Dive fatalities, go through the descriptions of the individual deaths, and count the number you would consider to be tech, using whatever definition you wish. That will easily give you a ratio, at least for North America.

DAN only counts injuries and fatalities, not embarrassment, so they don't have useful information for comparing the risks between tech and rec. They also don't have any information on the number of rec or tech dives done each year, so there's no way to compute the relative risk of each activity.

"Doing something dumb" on a technical dive stands a really good chance of causing injury or death. DAN might know about this. The same mistake on a rec dive would generally only be embarrassing and they would not have any data on it.

OOA and pop to the surface on a rec dive? Embarrassing. OOA and pop to the surface with a big deco obligation? Fatal.

That's a significant difference in my book.

flots.

 

[fire_diver]

Just curiosity...

I was asking an instructor about tech... he was less than flattering about the whole thing. This makes the 3rd or 4th person I've asked about tech diving that has offered less than rave reviews about it.

Please post the instructors you have talked to! I guarantee you that they put it down because they personally don't do those dives!

When I started loooking at cave / adv nitrox / deco I wanted an instructor who made those dives regularly. I first went to BlueWater, then I looked at ALL the dives they went on. Even the places that had excellent tech oportunities (like Truk!!!!) They never did anything except rec profile dives. I don't want that person teching me anything about technical level diving. You will also find that most LDS are the same way.

 

[netmage]

Please post the instructors you have talked to! I guarantee you that they put it down because they personally don't do those dives!

When I started loooking at cave / adv nitrox / deco I wanted an instructor who made those dives regularly. I first went to BlueWater, then I looked at ALL the dives they went on. Even the places that had excellent tech oportunities (like Truk!!!!) They never did anything except rec profile dives. I don't want that person teching me anything about technical level diving. You will also find that most LDS are the same way.

When you go to someone selling nails - everything can be solved with a hammer...

 

[Blackwood]

I think it is a bit of an institutional thing.

Most dive instructors teach for and most divers learn from big agencies who quite frequently denounce deep or overhead diving as wholly dangerous and stupid. That rhetoric is bound to rub off on people.

Dead and crippled customers are bad for business.

flots.

Case in point.

 

[kjvander]

You might like this account of a pretty amazing dive.Would love to do stuff like that. (If the water was warmer!)

The Cambrian Foundation - Projects

Just talking to my buddy up in MI and you can't do this dive any more....the State of Michigan has actually classified this as a National Tomb. It is illegal to dive the site even if you can get the plan down to do it. So as cool as it would be it is actually illegal to do it...Just an FYI

 

[Mike Boswell]

I think it is a bit of an institutional thing. Most dive instructors teach for and most divers learn from big agencies who quite frequently denounce deep or overhead diving as wholly dangerous and stupid. That rhetoric is bound to rub off on people. Case in point.

I mostly agree but would add that our PADI courses certainly explained and stressed the point that rec divers are not equipped, trained, or qualified to do certain dives, and that it would be dangerous and stupid for a rec diver to attempt them without the requisite training.

No instructor or fellow diver I have met has been in the least critical of tech diving or tech divers. I think most divers are intriqued by tech diving, but our rec gear and training really meets the needs of most of us, most of the time.

 

[ianr33]

Just talking to my buddy up in MI and you can't do this dive any more....the State of Michigan has actually classified this as a National Tomb. It is illegal to dive the site even if you can get the plan down to do it. So as cool as it would be it is actually illegal to do it...Just an FYI

Thats a shame.

I'd be all over a 530 foot dive in 36 degree water if it was legal!