DIR- Generic Going down the GUE path vs TDI

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ccrprospect

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I am a TDI certified normoxic trimix diver. I also completed my fundies with a tec pass. I am conflicted on whether to take tec 1 (and subsequently tec 2), or alternatively do the advanced (hypoxic) trimix TDI course. The second option gets me to the magical 100 meters right away and opens up a whole new world of diving. I am interested in continuing down the GUE CCR path at some point so tec 1 is likely in my future anyways. Question is - should I do the tec 1/ tec 2 stream or since I plan on switching to ccr anyways, get my advanced tmx certification now, and then continue down the tec 1/ ccr 1 path?

On a side, what’s with the 75 m limit for tec 2? I understand you can subsequently get an endorsement to 90 meters, but seems to be slightly overkill in terms of conservatism..

p.s. I hope this doesn’t turn to agency bashing. I am fortunate to have access to some of the best instructors in both tdi and gue.

cheers
 
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As the student that has gone through two different agencies and their training methodologies, which one aligns better with your style of training/diving/mindset?

There are things I like about each. TDI for flexibility and procedural simplicity; GUE for their more exploration oriented training, the team mentality, and community.
 
access to some of the best instructors in both tdi and gue.
I think you answered your own question.
Congratulations on all your accomplishments so far.
 
I am a TDI certified normoxic trimix diver. I also completed my fundies with a tec pass. I am conflicted on whether to take tec 1 (and subsequently tec 2), or alternatively do the advanced (hypoxic) trimix TDI course. The second option gets me to the magical 100 meters right away and opens up a whole new world of diving. I am interested in continuing down the GUE CCR path at some point so tec 1 is likely in my future anyways. Question is - should I do the tec 1/ tec 2 stream or since I plan on switching to ccr anyways, get my advanced tmx certification now, and then continue down the tec 1/ ccr 1 path?

On a side, what’s with the 75 m limit for tec 2? I understand you can subsequently get an endorsement to 90 meters, but seems to be slightly overkill in terms of conservatism..

p.s. I hope this doesn’t turn to agency bashing. I am fortunate to have access to some of the best instructors in both tdi and gue.

cheers
Take tech 1 and 2.

the 75m initial limit keeps you off 12% bottom gas for a bit as you build experience with 15%. To get the t2+ thing all you have to do is submit a letter to GUE and they send you the new card.

I definitely believe in taking t2 and doing a bunch of dives before getting onto the rebreather. Gotta be good at oc first. Post-ccr failure isn’t the time to learn that your skills aren’t up to par.
 
I'll offer a different option. I did the T1/CCR1/CCR Cave path, with CCR2 hopefully happening next year. The benefit to this is that it's effectively a training wheels approach that gradually opens up new options on the unit as you learn and get accustomed to it rather than dumping you straight into a situation where you can do a 250ft cave dive on CCR. At the CCR1 level, you already know how to do an OC ascent with T1 gasses and limits (which is what you're restricted to at CCR1). There's no overhead, no hypoxic protocol, no bottle rotations. Just grab your 70 bottle and, if in doubt, bailout and do your OC ascent. You should have some good T1 experience with that anyways. CCR Cave introduces much more complex failure resolution and planning and functions as a solid bridge to CCR2 by introducing more advanced concepts but limiting you to your T1 depths and cave limits (obviously, C2). CCR2 effectively encompasses T2. To pass the class, you have to do a full on bailout from depth complete with bottle rotations and OC deco. There's also no restriction on doing an OC T2 dive after CCR2 as you effectively have to plan one each dive and do at least one in the form of a bailout. Depending on access to helium where you live, helium prices, etc, T2 may be extremely expensive and no added benefit compared to CCR2. It may also be hard to find an instructor or put together a class since there's not as much demand for it these days.
 
Don't confuse certification depth with knowlege and skills. IMO, Advanced trimix doesn't compare well to T1/T2. It's along the lines of people who just look at numbers and compare Intro to Tech with Fundies and think they are basically the same course. I'm not against normoxic/hypoxic trimix, it really depends on what the instructor adds over the course minimum requirements. T1/T2 will generally cover quite a bit more knowlege, skills, and application.
 
If I am on a boat as a ccr 2 diver but without a tec 2 certification, and my rebreather fails pre-dive, would I be able/allowed to do the dive (assume deeper than 75m) on open circuit?
 
If I am on a boat as a ccr 2 diver but without a tec 2 certification, and my rebreather fails pre-dive, would I be able/allowed to do the dive (assume deeper than 75m) on open circuit?

In theory, yes. In practice, I would say it's a bad idea. You're effectively fully qualified to do an OC dive to that depth, but you'd be doing it in a partially functional configuration from the start, which is not smart.
 
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