Distant Road to Tech - Gear Advice for 2016 Goal

[scuba-flea]

Greetings all. Love all the information on this board but it can be a bit daunting trying to find just the correct search word or phrase to find what I am looking for as there is so much wonderful information here.

Basically, I setting a long-range goal to START some tech courses in 2016. As everything I've done so far has been PADI, I most likely with start someplace with Tech-40 and gradually continue on there. After reading a ton of threads on the topics of tech training, and particularly the one below, a couple of wonderful people shared the idea of getting some of your gear early. Getting used to diving doubles before you start the class and such. That is something I never would of thought of. Most likely, whoever I picked for the training class I would of had them hold my hand and help me pick gear close to the class day and then been in there struggling to get familiar with it and being frustrated.

So now my first question is, if my goal is the Tech-40 class in 2016, what gear should I be squirreling away my money for in the next year and a half and familiarizing myself with? I currently only have recreational gear, including my Mares puck console. I was trying to find an intro to tech gear thread and apparently was not putting the right string together to find what I wanted. And for anyone thinking I'm lazy, I actually am on my 2nd night of searching before I decided to post and duck my head.

My second thought is that I am kind of in the middle of the US, Kansas City, MO. Not too close to any clear water so my plan is in 2016 to maybe seek a destination I can go to for a week+ and do the training in clearer water without all the lake thermoclines. I do own a 7mm but have not completed (or own) a dry suit course yet. I'm a really anal kind of perfectionist and you might find this silly but I think I'd really like the ability to actually see my instructor and for my instructor to see me during training. My first, slightly uneducated thought is that the Florida Keys would be much better than Kansas City in this regard. I've dived down there and it was pretty reasonable, though I didn't do any training while I was there. Airfare and lodging isn't too bad from here but I'm sure there are other places. Any thoughts on a fairly inexpensive ocean spot that would be good?

Well that's my plan, and if there are already 28 threads detailing this that I missed, please feel free to point me the right direction and call me names like Nuub, idiot, et cetera.

Thanks for your time.

Lee


http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/technical-diving-specialties/488312-decompression-course.html

 

[ScoobaChef]

There are already a lot of threads out there about this discussion, but my here's my 2 cents.

the drysuit and twinset are the core of your gear setup so those are what I would get dialed in first.

For most people a drysuit has a decent learning curve, so I would work on getting that dialed in first. Also, steel twins are quite negatively buoyant and you would have a hard time getting neutral in a wetsuit.

Beyond that, find the instructor you want to learn from and pick his brain for tips. Suggestions on here may vary from what he/she expects you to have for the course. Find out what you need and how it should be configured and go from there.

 

[Ken T]

Hello Lee,

I also started out with the idea of accumulating gear with the goal/idea that I might want to take a Tec course in the future.
I did take the PADI Tec 40 course last month.

The PADI Tec 40 course does not require all the Tech configuration diving gear for the course, but does require it for continuing on into the Tec 45/50 courses.

However, like you I thought being familiar with the Tec configuration before the course would be of benefit.

With that in mind – my first BCD purchase was a blackplate/wing style – easily upgradeable to a larger lift bladder if I went to doubles.

The BP/W I purchased has a stainless steel backplate and I started with a “deluxe” harness which had buckles on the shoulder straps and I eventually switched the harness out to a one piece Hogarthian style harness.

My first computer was a Mares puck, I upgraded to a Hollis DG03 for the mixed gas capability and then I once again upgraded to a Shearwater Petrel.

My recommendation is that you purchase a Shearwater Petrel and save yourself money in the long run.

You’ll also need a backup timer – I use a Pyle snorkelling master watch, which does depth and time and use backup decompression tables.

Or you can purchase another computer, or keep your Mares Puck if you can switch gases on it during the dive.

I waited for the Black Friday sales and purchased the HOG D1 first stages and HOG second stages. I have three of each now, enough for a basic Tec rig and one stage/deco bottle.

Since I dive in cold water – I did take the drysuit course and purchased a drysuit.
I purchased the Bare SB system drysuit, which I do not recommend. No thigh pockets and it has delamination issues.

I decided that backmount maybe was not the way to go in my case and I took the PADI sidemount course.

I took this course with an instructor who had been diving sidemount for a few years and not an instructor that had the two days of PADI training to “become” qualified to instruct sidemount. My instructor is also full cave diver (but not a cave instructor).

I also picked up for reading material – Deco for Divers; The Six Skills and Other Discussions; and the PADI crew pack for the Tec/Rec course and read them before the course.

You’ll need a good compass, a good light and backup light and two cutting devices, a reel and SMB and maybe a liftbag.

Cheers!
Ken
[h=1][/h]

 

[boulderjohn]

the drysuit and twinset are the core of your gear setup so those are what I would get dialed in first.

For most people a drysuit has a decent learning curve, so I would work on getting that dialed in first. Also, steel twins are quite negatively buoyant and you would have a hard time getting neutral in a wetsuit.

Great advice! Become really comfortable diving in a dry suit with a twin set on a BP/W, and you will be miles ahead. I was trying to learn to do all of that at the same time Iw as starting the classes, and it made everything more difficult for me.

My recommendation is that you purchase a Shearwater Petrel and save yourself money in the long run.

Although I own a Petrel and think it is the best computer on the market for tech, I disagree with this advice. Spend you money elsewhere at first. Make sure you have a computer that can go into gauge mode. Most of your early tech training will most likely not use a computer at all. I am currently starting a tech class with two students, both of who purchased Petrels ahead of time. That is nice, but for most of the training we will not use them, but will instead work with dive planning software. You will probably experience something similar. If when you reach that point in your training you are ready to purchase a computer that you and your instructor think is a good choice for you, that will be the time to purchase it. If the Petrel is still the best computer on the market then, go for it. If something else has come along, then go for whatever that may be.

 

[TSandM]

The biggest transition between OW diving and technical diving isn't the gear. It's the mindset.

Recreational diving, as usually taught, is reactive. You go into the water and swim around until you hit some limit, and then you end the dive. You hope there won't be any problems.

Technical diving, on the other hand, is proactive. You plan the dive. You plan the depth, the time, the gas, the decompression strategy . . . and you have a good look at the reasonably foreseeable problems, and have strategies in place for handling them before you ever get in the water.

It's a big change. Combining the change in mindset with the change in gear and the significantly increased demands on skill, and you have a big hurdle to jump. But you don't have to do it all at once. You can seek out an Intro to Tech, Techreational, or Fundamentals class that you can take while you are still in a single tank setup. It will introduce you to the technical approach to diving, and where the bar is set for technical students. You can then enjoy some great recreational diving for a while, while solidifying and polishing those skills. This would be my STRONG recommendation. What, specifically, you can find in Missouri, I am unsure; but there are several well-recommended Fundies instructors in Florida, and you seem willing to travel.

 

[kafkaland]

I seem to be a bit on the same trajectory as the OP, hoping to get some tech training in the perhaps not too distant future. The mindset of it is clearly appealing to me - I like the planning, meticulous execution, etc., more than specific depth goals. I've read Doppler's books (and some other stuff), that steered me in that direction among other things.

Gear-wise, I have a nice BP&W set-up, suitable for diving with a heavy steel single, plus pony, in cold water. I also have the dry suit cert, and am about to buy one (still deciding between Viking Protech and DUI FLX Extreme).

Before embarking on the actual tech courses (Adv. Nitrox and Deco Procedures), and buying more gear, I would like to find out whether doubles or sidemount is the best way to go for me, and the only way to do this is trying both, I think. As far as I know, there isn't really a single course for this. Would the best way to go be to take separate courses (PSAI has a doubles course, and a couple of agencies have sidemount courses), or are there instructors out there who could whip one up on an ad-hoc basis (no c-card needed), and how would I find one within driving distance of Michigan? Most of the local instructors that I know teach only the PADI Rec courses, and I'm not too impressed with the once guy that I know who teaches sidemount. Or, does anyone have other suggestions (besides simply diving more and continuing to work on buoyancy and trim, which I will do anyway)?

 

[ScoobaChef]

The biggest transition between OW diving and technical diving isn't the gear. It's the mindset.

Recreational diving, as usually taught, is reactive. You go into the water and swim around until you hit some limit, and then you end the dive. You hope there won't be any problems.

Technical diving, on the other hand, is proactive. You plan the dive. You plan the depth, the time, the gas, the decompression strategy . . . and you have a good look at the reasonably foreseeable problems, and have strategies in place for handling them before you ever get in the water.

It's a big change. Combining the change in mindset with the change in gear and the significantly increased demands on skill, and you have a big hurdle to jump. But you don't have to do it all at once. You can seek out an Intro to Tech, Techreational, or Fundamentals class that you can take while you are still in a single tank setup. It will introduce you to the technical approach to diving, and where the bar is set for technical students. You can then enjoy some great recreational diving for a while, while solidifying and polishing those skills. This would be my STRONG recommendation. What, specifically, you can find in Missouri, I am unsure; but there are several well-recommended Fundies instructors in Florida, and you seem willing to travel.

This is extremely wise advice. I tend to overlook the mindset because it was hammered into me from OW, so it's just second nature to think this way about diving. I would think that in lieu of a convenient into to tech or fundies course, a good solo diver course would certainly steer you in the right direction as far as getting into the right mindset and planning.

 

[KenGordon]

Do not buy any kit. Do the TDI Intro to Tech (or equivalent). The instructor will lend you the kit you need and you will learn about which kit matters. The course will not qualify you to do anything extra but you will learn a great deal.

The alternative approach is to try to buy the kit you think you need ahead of the course, discover the stuff you didn't know on the course and regret your choices.

 

[waterpirate]

+1 on:
mindset
drysuit
doubles
intro class

Mindset and motivating factor are first on the list for a reason. Any chance of you finding a mentor in your area? Another option would be to go straight for the intro class/ evaluation now. Getting a real world evaluation of your mind and in water skills will let you know what you need to work on now to be a good solid punter later.
YMMV
p.s. even though the Petrel is awsome, as a new punter you will be cutting tables and using a bottom timer. If you make your goal of 2016 it will be 2018 before you are comfortable enough to decide what computer to fly. By 2018 I promise you there will be a newest best puter to choose from.
Eric

 

[Doc Harry]

I like what TSandM says.

Twin AL80s are light, cheap and easy to throw around. Steel doubles are $$$$ will be a little frustrating for a novice.

Forget about a computer for tech diving, you don't need one. If you really need one for rec diving, then get a simple, cheap Nitrox computer. If, later, you really feel the need for a tech computer, there will be some new ones on the market that you can chose from at that time. Right now, spent that money on a good drysuit instead of a computer.