TDI Intro to Tech or AN/DP?

[Lorenzoid]

I have no experience with either ITT or AN/DP--I have been taking the GUE route--but my impression is as others have said. I suppose some instructors may lump the teaching of tech skills in with AN/DP, and others may prefer to use ITT for that, while still others may recommend still something else. The bottom line is that the prerequisite for doing well in a staged deco course like AN/DP is being competent with your tech-level skills in a tech gear configuration. Once you're diving in tech gear, you'll need to learn to hover in reasonably horizontal trim in mid-water and remain stable at some target depth while task-loaded. How to get to that level of competence is the question. At least for me, I am finding it a LOT more difficult in backmount doubles and drysuit than I did in an Al 80 and wetsuit. My point is that some people take longer than others to get there. As I said, I have been on a different agency's route to tech training, but I will say I have logged 74-1/2 hours over the course of two years in the tech gear configuration, with the great majority of that time spent practicing skills like propulsion techniques (frog, flutter, back, and helicopter kicks), shooting the SMB, S-drills, valve drills--things some would consider the "fundamental" skills needed as a prerequisite to doing well in staged deco training.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would never accept a student for AN/DP with no experience in doubles or sidemount. AN/DP is enough of a task load for a diver with experience in sidemount or doubles that takes 5 full, LONG, days when I teach it. Even though we get in 9 or 10 dives usually, that is not enough in doubles or SM to cement skills and turn a diver loose with the AN/DP card.
I expect my AN/DP students to have a minimum of 25 dives in the doubles or SM configuration they will be using and to own their gear or if borrowed/rented to have that amount of experience in it. We are not going to have time to adjust every little thing on top of the skills.
Your buoyancy and trim in the gear should be good. Like holding a stop for 3 minutes with less than a 2 ft change in depth when doing the required skills. AN/DP is not the time to be messing around with working on getting in decent trim in your gear. It should be there before you start the class.
Since I offer sidemount and backmount as options, for those who have not done either, I want the student to do the intro to tech in the one they see themselves doing down the road. If they decide that they want to try SM but don't have SM gear, we can do a SM workshop with a rental setup to try.
But you are still going to have to provide your gear for AN/DP.
Tech is not like recreational. The risks are higher, the skills required more stringent, the mental and emotional discipline more important.
DO the intro. Then get your own gear sorted. Get 2 to 3 dozen dives in it under your belt. Work on your buoyancy and trim. Then sign up for AN/DP.

 

[Marie13]

Just to follow up on my previous post, this is also where it is important for the student to find an instructor that they mesh well with. My buddy and I were fortunate in our training that we found just such an instructor for us.

Haha, yes! I've found such an instructor for ITT (in Ontario, he's a SB'er). I'll do AN/DP with one (or both, if they team teach) of the tech instructors through my shop. One I had for SDI SM, the other works in the shop and I know pretty well. Get along very well with each. All 3 instructors have the effed up sense of humor I consider very necessary, as well as being Great Lakes wreck divers (my one big non-negotiable).

 

[BoltSnap]

I would never accept a student for AN/DP with no experience in doubles or sidemount. AN/DP is enough of a task load for a diver with experience in sidemount or doubles that takes 5 full, LONG, days when I teach it. Even though we get in 9 or 10 dives usually, that is not enough in doubles or SM to cement skills and turn a diver loose with the AN/DP card.
I expect my AN/DP students to have a minimum of 25 dives in the doubles or SM configuration they will be using and to own their gear or if borrowed/rented to have that amount of experience in it. We are not going to have time to adjust every little thing on top of the skills.
Your buoyancy and trim in the gear should be good. Like holding a stop for 3 minutes with less than a 2 ft change in depth when doing the required skills. AN/DP is not the time to be messing around with working on getting in decent trim in your gear. It should be there before you start the class.
Since I offer sidemount and backmount as options, for those who have not done either, I want the student to do the intro to tech in the one they see themselves doing down the road. If they decide that they want to try SM but don't have SM gear, we can do a SM workshop with a rental setup to try.
But you are still going to have to provide your gear for AN/DP.
Tech is not like recreational. The risks are higher, the skills required more stringent, the mental and emotional discipline more important.
DO the intro. Then get your own gear sorted. Get 2 to 3 dozen dives in it under your belt. Work on your buoyancy and trim. Then sign up for AN/DP.

What Jim said above! I would do the ITT course first especially as it appears that you seem to want to "try it before you buy it." I am never in favor of abbreviated training and cramming too many skills into one course when one can do them in several steps as was the intent of the training standards.

 

[broncobowsher]

My TDI route, shop and instructor were on track with this.
Intro was skipped. I knew I wanted tech. I had done a lot of reading and knew what a lot of it was.
Never touched a set of doubles before the AN/Deco class. Instructor had a huge selection of gear and preferred to use his for the class. Got me a chance to try everything from double 72s to double 120s.
After the class I went sidemount instead of doubles. Then a rebreather. Doing classwork on Normoxic Trimix this month. Still never owned a set of doubles.

 

[Marie13]

@Kyle0692

Depending on what gear you have now, you may be able to repurpose some of it for tech. All depends on what you've got. I have been very judicious with my gear purchases, so all I need to get for AN/DP is an AL40 and have my current pony reg O2 cleaned.

 

[BoltSnap]

I think that it is crazy to take AN/DP with rented/borrowed equipment. If you are going to go this far, you need to buy your equipment first and that's why an ITT is most important. ITT will help you decide if you really want to go further and if Tech. diving is for you to invest so much money in the equipment and training. The only equipment that can be "rented" for technical diving (AN/DP) and beyond are the dive tanks, everything else should be owned prior to taking these courses and for anything beyond.

NOTE: There are several preliminary skills that need to be mastered before one can move on to the more advanced skills needed in the AN/DP courses and are considered the point of taking these courses. These skills are typically covered in the ITT course with plenty of confined and open water time to master them. Learning the basic/preliminary skills in the AN/DP courses will only mean less time and less practice with the more critical skills in these courses given that the number of dives are limited with no additional dives and time to make up for the additional time required to master the basic and specialized skills in the courses.

 

[Kyle0692]

@Kyle0692

Depending on what gear you have now, you may be able to repurpose some of it for tech. All depends on what you've got. I have been very judicious with my gear purchases, so all I need to get for AN/DP is an AL40 and have my current pony reg O2 cleaned.

Marie,

Below is my gear -

Scubapro Hydros BC, Scubapro MK17/S560 1st/2nd stages, Aqua Lung i750TC computer, and Mares Avantti Quatro fins. I recently bought an spg to have a redundant pressure reading to my tank’s transmitter. I am most likely going to buy a Shearwater Perdix for it to be my primary computer and the 750 my back-up. The Perdix looks to be a great dive computer for any kind of diving and if I end up doing tech it will allow me to grow in to it I figure.

 

[Marie13]

BC won’t work. I don’t know ScubaPro regs. Others here can comment on those.

Shearwater has the majority vote for tech computers.

 

[Kyle0692]

I think that it is crazy to take AN/DP with rented/borrowed equipment. If you are going to go this far, you need to buy your equipment first and that's why an ITT is most important. ITT will help you decide if you really want to go further and if Tech. diving is for you to invest so much money in the equipment and training. The only equipment that can be "rented" for technical diving (AN/DP) and beyond are the dive tanks, everything else should be owned prior to taking these courses and for anything beyond.

NOTE: There are several preliminary skills that need to be mastered before one can move on to the more advanced skills needed in the AN/DP courses and are considered the point of taking these courses. These skills are typically covered in the ITT course with plenty of confined and open water time to master them. Learning the basic/preliminary skills in the AN/DP courses will only mean less time and less practice with the more critical skills in these courses given that the number of dives are limited with no additional dives and time to make up for the additional time required to master the basic and specialized skills in the courses.

I believe I am sold on doing ITT instead of AN/DP considering my experience and the suggestions from everyone here. Probably in the next day or two I will give the instructor a call to discuss ITT with them. If the instructor does not agree with my decision, I suppose I will look elsewhere? The suggestion of AN/DP right off the bat was quite daunting to me to be quite honest. I do like a challenge, but my safety is my primary concern and I think I’ve got a good deal of work to do and experience to gain before going to that level as others have stated.