Kyle0692
Contributor
Hi all,
I’ve been diving for a little over a year now and am interested in seeing if technical diving is right for me due to my interest in wreck diving. I have done about half a dozen deep wreck dives, 100+ ft, and have really enjoyed these dives,but wish I could stay down longer to explore more. I’ve been reading these forums and other info online and tech diving has me interested. I am looking for some advice on which tech course to take.
My local dive shop referred me to an independent instructor that they know that teaches technical courses. I reached out to him the other week and gave him my diving experience/background. I have about 60 dives now with a dozen dives at or below 100 ft and am PADI AOW/Nitrox certified. I explained that I am interested in technical diving, specifically the Intro to Tech course, to see if it is right for me and to try some of the technical gear and improve my existing diving skills. I made it clear that I have never dove doubles before and do not have any tech gear myself.
The instructor replied to my email and recommended the AN/DP TDI course combo in lieu of Intro to Tech as he believes there is not much to be gained from the Intro course. I haven’t emailed him back yet as to why he feels that way. He does have an extra set of doubles, regulators, deco bottle, etc. that I would get used to in the pool prior to advancing with skills. The instructor made it clear that they were OK with me not being used to the gear and would spend some extra time with me to get used to it.
Looking at the differences between the Intro to Tech course and AN/DP, the ladder is clearly more advanced and I will learn many more skills and gain more experience. The Intro class requirements are clear that there is no deco diving done for the certification. I would like to at least simulate, if not perform actual deco dives in the course so that I can experience one of the big parts that is involved in tech diving.
Initially, I was thinking to take the Intro to Tech course prior to discussing with the instructor, and then buying my own set of technical gear based on their recommendations after the course if I liked/thought I would enjoy furthering my tech diving skills/experience. With his recommendation though, I would gain quite a bit more experience and learn more skills performing actual deco dives. In terms of equipment, I would get used to one set and then have to re-learn another if I don’t buy the same gear used in the course. There are potentials to buy some used equipment from local guys I know, but buying all the gear is a significant investment of probably $2,500-$4,000 depending on new/used purchases.
Any thoughts and advice you guys have, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Kyle
I’ve been diving for a little over a year now and am interested in seeing if technical diving is right for me due to my interest in wreck diving. I have done about half a dozen deep wreck dives, 100+ ft, and have really enjoyed these dives,but wish I could stay down longer to explore more. I’ve been reading these forums and other info online and tech diving has me interested. I am looking for some advice on which tech course to take.
My local dive shop referred me to an independent instructor that they know that teaches technical courses. I reached out to him the other week and gave him my diving experience/background. I have about 60 dives now with a dozen dives at or below 100 ft and am PADI AOW/Nitrox certified. I explained that I am interested in technical diving, specifically the Intro to Tech course, to see if it is right for me and to try some of the technical gear and improve my existing diving skills. I made it clear that I have never dove doubles before and do not have any tech gear myself.
The instructor replied to my email and recommended the AN/DP TDI course combo in lieu of Intro to Tech as he believes there is not much to be gained from the Intro course. I haven’t emailed him back yet as to why he feels that way. He does have an extra set of doubles, regulators, deco bottle, etc. that I would get used to in the pool prior to advancing with skills. The instructor made it clear that they were OK with me not being used to the gear and would spend some extra time with me to get used to it.
Looking at the differences between the Intro to Tech course and AN/DP, the ladder is clearly more advanced and I will learn many more skills and gain more experience. The Intro class requirements are clear that there is no deco diving done for the certification. I would like to at least simulate, if not perform actual deco dives in the course so that I can experience one of the big parts that is involved in tech diving.
Initially, I was thinking to take the Intro to Tech course prior to discussing with the instructor, and then buying my own set of technical gear based on their recommendations after the course if I liked/thought I would enjoy furthering my tech diving skills/experience. With his recommendation though, I would gain quite a bit more experience and learn more skills performing actual deco dives. In terms of equipment, I would get used to one set and then have to re-learn another if I don’t buy the same gear used in the course. There are potentials to buy some used equipment from local guys I know, but buying all the gear is a significant investment of probably $2,500-$4,000 depending on new/used purchases.
Any thoughts and advice you guys have, I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Kyle