Equipment Repair Technician Courses

[divermike1011]

Hi everyone!

I'm curious if anyone has any advice suggestions as far as taking courses that would certify me to perform maintenance / repair on SCUBA gear. I'm stuck here on Oahu through August, so I know I might not be able to act on your info right away, but I am looking at expending my marketability to when I go looking for a job in a dive shop when I retire from the Navy.

Thanks in advance.

Michael

 

[scoobydrew]

Hey there

I'm guesing that the lack of reponses you have on this are due to very similar posts recently.

In a nutshell there are courses out there. Manufactureres have courses to be accredited to work ontheir equipment, in order to get on most of these you will need to be in some way affiliated with a store, ideally working for them. There are a couple of places that offer general courses but I have no suggestions or recommendations other than google.

You could do the PADI equipment specialty but that is very general and really does not get in depth enough to qualify you to work on kit.

In my opinion the best way to learn this stuff is in an apprentice type scenario. When you get back to the states will there be a dive store near you that you can go to and offer your assistance in servicing and maintaining equipment for free in exchange for experience? if you have the time and money that is a good way to do it.

In terms of imporving your employability, if you are in the navy now and currenyl on a base is there somewhere you can get some experience on working with diesel engins? that'd probably help you.

 

[herman]

There are a few courses around but none that certify you to fix any reg, plus you must work for a shop that carries the particular reg brand you want to get into a training class. Getting reg training is somewhat of a chicken and egg problem, to get the job you need the cert and to get the cert you need the job. My best suggestion on how to start is to get copies of "Regulator Savvy" Scuba Tools and "SCUBA REGULATOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR" Airspeed Press Homepage - Books For Serious Divers , read and understand both of them. If you have a firm grasp on what these 2 books teach you, then you already know more than a great many working techs and you will have a solid understanding of how regs work before learning the details of a particular brand or model.
In the end, you will have to find a dive shop that is willing to take you on as an apprentice before you can get into the factory classes.

 

[divermike1011]

Really appreciate the advice guys. I do try and hang around the dive shop as much as possible, hopefully I'll get to watch a couple of rebuilds before I leave. I really appreciate the book suggestions as well.

Michael

 

[Scottri]

As was mentioned earlier, you will have to take the class through a shop. Some manufacturers do seminars for all techs in an area once a year. I know some do here in Portland anyway. Another way to get a lot of training is to attend DEMA on behalf of a shop. You can take several courses from different manufacturers in one place over a few days.

 

[muddiver]

There are courses that get you to the level of "apprentice equipment tech".

ANDI offers an equipment technician course that will get you started. Finding an ANDI instructor/shop on the islands might be tough though.

I think there is at least one other agency that offers a similar course.

Then like every one else said, you have to get sent, by a shop, to a siminar given by each manufacturer for their gear.

By the way, what's your Navy rating? (i.e. MOS)

 

[scubadiver888]

Like Scottri, the manufacturers in my area will hold a seminar for the dive shops but in our case it is whenever there is enough demand.

Just watch for the difference between training that will qualify you as a real service technician and training which just gives you the general overview of equipment repair. Getting the real training is typically a few hundred dollars and qualifies you to do warranty servicing. Things like PADI's Equipment Specialty is informational and doesn't qualify you to actual service equipment.

 

[divermike1011]

I was quite disappointed after I realized that the PADI course wouldn't qualify me to do maintenance, and I have done some digging and the shop I'm going to try and take my hydro cert. from may offer some at least apprentice opportunities.

@ MudDiver Electrician's Mate on Submarines.

Michael

 

[muddiver]

I was quite disappointed after I realized that the PADI course wouldn't qualify me to do maintenance, and I have done some digging and the shop I'm going to try and take my hydro cert. from may offer some at least apprentice opportunities.

@ MudDiver Electrician's Mate on Submarines.

Michael

Than you shouldn't have too much trouble figuring out how to turn a wrench. You should go dind the boat's diver(s) and see if they service their own gear or if there is some tech some where doing it. If I remember right every ship (down to a certain size) and evey sub has at least one diver. Get some tip, some hands on maybe and ask about how they got their training.

Kirby Morgan via Dive Lab in Florida does technician training on their equipment, and Kirby Morgan regulators are about a simple as they get next to Sherwoods.

 

[divermike1011]

Muddiver, thanks for the heads up. We did have four to six people at all times on the boat who had been to P-City for Navy Scuba. All of our repairs were officially contracted out to a local civilian dive shop. I have to run over to the 'yards Dive Locker next week, and I'm going to see what I can learn by hanging around. How do you like commercial diving? I've given some thought to attending DIT when we make the move to Seattle, but my days of wanting to be away from the wife are over, and I'm not sure if there'll be enough close to home work in one area (we're moving for my wife's work, my turn to follow her around for a bit ). The training definitely appeals but not sure if I can make the lifestyle work.

Michael