PADI TecRec standards

[decompression]

Tec40 is an INTRO level course. No course can ever teach you expert skills; the course only gives you the knowledge of how to do the skills and for you to then go off and spend some considerable time practising and perfecting your skills.

It doesn't matter if it's Tec40 or Fundies, they're the same outcome: adequate skills to go off and practice.

If only the marketing material would make that clear. If only the local dive shops would exploit this need for continuous skills training for excellence.

What should be the case is that as you progress to the next level, the entry qualifications are higher. In the case of PADI that's Tec40 --> Tec45, TDI it's Intro to Tec --> Advanced Nitrox & Deco Procedures, GUE it's Fundies --> Tec1.

When you arrive at the next level you must be able to demonstrate competent skills at the previous course level. Therefore you simply cannot -- unless you're an utter diving prodigy -- go immediately from one course to another without spending (lets say) a few weeks practising and refining your skills. This, IMHO, is where PADI does go wrong. Tec skills aren't like moving through OW to AOW to Divemaster. You need consolidation time so that sub-standard divers are either improved or weeded out of the system before they kill themselves and hurt others.

Holding buoyancy and trim is a basic open water skill.......adding tec skills shouldn’t affect that within reason.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I have not read the standards but I think that TDI Intro to tech is intended to familiarize the single tank diver to doubles. PADI tec rec appears to take you for your first deco dive in your recreational configuration unless someone wants to do it in tec gear. Now this means that some tec 40 courses will/should be similar to GUE Fundies or TDI intro to tech but others will be a deco dive in rec gear with a Bottle slung!

 

[divezonescuba]

Here is the equivalency chart fromTDI

 

[Matan]

Here is the equivalency chart fromTDI

View attachment 638131

you can't possibly take this chart seriously - according to it I should take Tech3 (a class that doesn't exist) to be "equivalent" to advanced trimix in all other agencies?

Last time I checked - all those advanced trimix classes are less than Tech2 (just not on the plastic card- which no once cares except those who collect them instead of diving).


Matan.

 

[Jeremy Williams]

you can't possibly take this chart seriously - according to it I should take Tech3 (a class that doesn't exist) to be "equivalent" to advanced trimix in all other agencies?

Last time I checked - all those advanced trimix classes are less than Tech2 (just not on the plastic card- which no once cares except those who collect them instead of diving).


Matan.

The chart is fine for what it does. It documents which certifications from OTHER AGENCIES can be used to meet a pre-requisites from TDI. It doesn’t mean that the classes are the same or that it works in the other direction in all cases. So, for example, GUE Tech 1 or IANTD ART can be used instead of TDI Helitrox to qualify for for a TDI class that requires TDI Helitrox as a pre-requisite.

I’m no GUE guys... But it sounds like it exists... Technical Diver Level 3

 

[ginti]

you can't possibly take this chart seriously - according to it I should take Tech3 (a class that doesn't exist) to be "equivalent" to advanced trimix in all other agencies?

Last time I checked - all those advanced trimix classes are less than Tech2 (just not on the plastic card- which no once cares except those who collect them instead of diving).


Matan.

the reason for the tech3 is that tech 2, in theory, allows you only to 75m instead of 100m of the other hypoxic trimix courses.

But I agree with you, it is not exhaustive... For instance there is no space for the intro to tec classes

I guess it makes sense only to understand TDI prerequisites for TDI classes, not to compare different diving curricula

I’m no GUE guys... But it sounds like it exists... Technical Diver Level 3

It does exist, but basically nobody takes it; also, that is a class to organize and manage expedition dives - it has nothing to do with a classical hypoxic trimix class.

With tech2 (or CCR2) you already have all the knowledge to do very deep dives, and the depth limit is only because of experience. To be clear, after 25 dives in the tech2 range (75m), one immediately become "tech2+", which means he can dive to 90m.

 

[Matan]

you're still looking at the plastic card and/or training standards.

1. a GUE Tech2 diver has all (and so much more) the knowledge and skills required to dive 100m.
2. a GUE Tech2 diver that has completed 25 T2 dives can receive another plastic card which says he's trained to 90m (reminding that all GUE cards show the depth you were trained to dive i.e. you didn't exceed during training).

*the card also mentions a maximum of 3 stage cylinders - do you think that prevents me from using 4 when appropriate? NO​

3. I have never heard of any Tech3 class ever - you can contact GUE if you're interested - that class doesn't exist and I doubt anyone can "take" it.


Matan.

 

[Ouvea]

@Matan :

I don't know if it still exists but GUE did offer the course previously. This is from my Tech 1 manual. I believe I finished Tech 1 in 2016. GUE revised the course literature in 2017-18, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the current training material.


Ginti might just be referencing older material. GUE has made considerable changes to the courses it offers. Give the current trend toward CCR, the modern day Tech 3 would probably be labeled CCR3 (if such a course were presently available).

O.

 

[ginti]

@Matan :

I don't know if it still exists but GUE did offer the course previously. This is from my Tech 1 manual. I believe I finished Tech 1 in 2016. GUE revised the course literature in 2017-18, if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the current training material.

View attachment 638249
Ginti might just be referencing older material. GUE has made considerable changes to the courses it offers. Give the current trend toward CCR, the modern day Tech 3 would probably be labeled CCR3 (if such a course were presently available).

O.

When I said that T3 exists, but not many people take it (basically no one?) - I was referring to what Mario Arena told me in September 2020. But it was not a long discussion, so there are a few chance that I misunderstood.

About the fact that it is an "expedition diving" course, that is a mix of my personal guess, speculation on scubaboard and the GUE website page (that refers to the old version of the course, as far as I understand)

Anyway, that's pure speculation, and I am more interesting in PADI TecRec than in GUE T3 right now

 

[ginti]

you're still looking at the plastic card and/or training standards.

1. a GUE Tech2 diver has all (and so much more) the knowledge and skills required to dive 100m.
2. a GUE Tech2 diver that has completed 25 T2 dives can receive another plastic card which says he's trained to 90m (reminding that all GUE cards show the depth you were trained to dive i.e. you didn't exceed during training).

*the card also mentions a maximum of 3 stage cylinders - do you think that prevents me from using 4 when appropriate? NO​

3. I have never heard of any Tech3 class ever - you can contact GUE if you're interested - that class doesn't exist and I doubt anyone can "take" it.


Matan.

Actually - I agree with you. I just meant that the reason to put T3 in that table was the depth.