A separate forum post about a Cave class experience prompts this parallel advice about Tec training. This may not provide Airfish with specific preliminary course recommendations, but hopefully it does apply to preparing for tec training. Two of us recently completed the PADI Tec course (Level 1 and Deep) and came away with a reaction similar to CoyKoi’s observations after Cave. We were reasonably experienced divers (one DM, one AI) and naively expected that we would do well. However, the only ‘well’ was, ‘Well, we somehow managed to finish and successfully complete the course.’ After the course, I shared four pages of notes with our instructor (who did a fantastic, and patient, job with us) for use with future students. I share two thoughts here with Airfish and any others thinking about tec, with the caveats that these are my personal reflections based on my individual experience in one training program.
First, tec diving is very much about EQUIPMENT and PROCEDURES. So, set up your EQUIPMENT – doubles, drysuit, deco bottles - and dive it A LOT before starting the course, to get comfortable with controlling it in the water, lest it control you. This may seem odd, since part of the (PADI) tec course is training to use doubles safely (valve shutdowns, etc.) But, I agree with the 25 dive minimum (that CoyKoi suggested before Cave), and possibly even more, before starting Tec. I had reasonable drysuit experience (40+ dives), and a bit of doubles experience (10 dives) including two NC coastal trips where I used my doubles, and thought I was in good shape. In fact, because I doubled up the steel 120s I had been diving as single tanks for several years, I deluded myself into thinking I was prepared. But, I only had four dives with the drysuit AND doubles, and no dives with a drysuit, AND doubles, AND two stage bottles (an 80 and a 40). I ended up trying two different wings during the course, simply to get better buoyancy / trim control than I achieved with my newly acquired Super Wing (I finally settled on a Halcyon Explorer 55#). I was so frustrated I almost quit at several points! The problem wasn't the Super Wing, of course, it was my lack of experience with it and the rest of the rig.
Second, I went into the tec course with VERY naïve expectations. I looked at the requirements for each of the 12 dives and thought, 'How tough can this be?' The only difference is that I will be diving doubles, and for three of the dives at slightly greater depth than I have been to before (165’ vs 140’
. Perhaps, in hindsight my biggest mistake was that I went into the tec course thinking of it too much as certification – meeting the requirements, checking the boxes, and getting the card - instead of training – mastering the skills and PROCEDURES required to safely dive deeper and longer. Stupid me. It was an appropriately humbling, and therefore valuable, experience. Pride goeth before the fall, and all that!
Tec training is task loaded. Holding depth within a foot or two of a target, in a drysuit, doubles and two deco bottles, isn’t all that easy, especially at shallower (20’
stops. On two occasions (simulated deco dives) we switched to our first deco bottle 10 feet too deep probably because we were distracted by the other tasks we were trying to perform (lift bag deployments, etc.), and didn't read our slates correctly. We even repeated one entire dive simply because our first attempt was, as our instructors so candidly put it, SO UGLY.
In the end it was a tremendous course, and I came out of it a far better diver. But, it was a psychological and emotional roller coaster at times. There were points when I wondered how anyone could consider me qualified to be a DM, given my thrashing around in the water trying to stay stable, and perform valve shutdowns, while holding depth. The course content was excellent, the training was well worth it and I hope others will consider taking advantage of this kind of training. Just do as much equipment prep as you can before even starting! While my experience was with the PADI course, I imagine similar observations apply to TDI, and the other equally valuable course. Prepare, prepare, prepare. And, therefore enjoy.
