Tech 40 with a Pony Bottle?

[barth]

Seriously dude

Tec 40 is an "intro" course. It where you learn theroy and procedures and get your technique squared away.

It's irrelevant that you're only doing up to 10mins deco with upto 50%. What you're learning and practicing is procedures and deco theory. Most candidates won't have even slung a deco cylinder before...

For the record. BSACteach backgas deco on their second tier course (AOW) in PADI terms. Because you're still restricted by their OW CERT depths, they never actually go into deco, which doesn't matter. Their simulation still makes sure they can plan the dive, hit all their run times and hold stops to the prescribed limits.

Baby steps....

(A single tank,) a bottom stage and deco stage are no baby steps. A lot of accidents are happening because divers are breathing the wrong gas. Using doubles and a deco stage make this almost impossible, using a deco and backgas stage make this easier to happen.

I do understand that you have to identify the tank, regulator and your buddy have to verify the switch.

I also don’t understand how you want to use a bottomstage for redundancy when you are diving a single tank. I do remember when my own buddy wasn’t able to dive at the Northsea. I was diving with a single tank diver who was diving a single tank and bottom stage. He had in both tanks ean32. He breath down his single tank to 50 bar. He did want to switch to bottom stage. There was a first stage failure. He was in panic and breathing fast from his single tank and try to solve the problem. I thought he wouldn’t made it to the service. My doubles 2x12l at 130 bar. I gave him my long hose that was a better option than waiting for him to go out of gas.

Doubles makes live easier, no extra switching between regulators during the dive. Only one switch to deco gas.

 

[GeoffreyD]

Doubles makes live easier

A former prime minister of Australia was famous for saying "life wasn't meant to be easy".

Seriously though. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[KenGordon]

I also don’t understand how you want to use a bottomstage for redundancy when you are diving a single tank

He does not. He is going to use a pony. A pony is not a bottom stage. A pony is only for use in the case of failure. Your buddy above was planning on using his bottom stage and cocked up his choice of when to switch.

OP. Ignore all these people (except DevinDiver). They are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Borrow a deco cylinder for the course then do single cylinder back gas deco with a large enough pony. Concentrate on proper gas planning and sticking to your plan.

With a typical single cylinder profile you will not be doing such a lot of deco that accelerating it is worth the extra hassle and risk of a deco cylinder with rich gas. Indeed does Tec40 allow you to take advantage of the shorter stops? Maybe you are just trading one risk (getting bent inside the tables) for another (breathing the wrong gas and toxing)

You could consider doing the BSAC Sports Diver course instead. Or even ADP (if you are a rescue diver already) which explicitly covers the confg you would use

 

[DevonDiver]

How would you respond to the issue of the possibility of breathing the wrong gas for a single backmount diver with two slung cylinders?

The Tec40 course covers, and stresses, the need for proper gas switch protocols.

This is the norm for any technical course, at any level, from any agency.

Proper gas analysis, tank marking and gas switch protocols mitigate the risk of an incorrect gas switch.

In short, proper training mitigates risk.

As mentioned earlier, the students I've trained on Tec40 who will use that all set only for recreational dives don't often opt for an ascent/deco gas. They'll do their deep (or overhead) dives with a single and an adequately sized pony cylinder.

In one instance, I know a student who does use the option of a separate ascent (not deco) gas... as he has suffered 'non-blameworthy' DCI before and now takes every precaution to mitigate against the risk of a reoccurrence. His Tec40 training empowers and enables that.

His measures include using 50% for ascent and stops, along with more refined ascent protocols, longer and staged safety stops, fine buoyancy control and precision dive planning.... and, of course, a far more detailed understanding of decompression theory and how that relates to diving behaviours.

None of that skillset, toolset or theory was available to him on recreational level courses... and certainly not on the Deep Diver course.

 

[GeoffreyD]

@KenGordon

I think Tech40 allows use of EA50 but not to accelerate deco. Just to increase safety margin.

 

[barth]

My tech ambitions are negligible but I am interested in the theory, planning and other skills in tech which carry over to sport diving.

Borrow a deco cylinder for the course then do single cylinder back gas deco with a large enough pony. Concentrate on proper gas planning and sticking to your plan.

. My tech ambitions are negligible but I am interested in the theory, planning and other skills in tech which carry over to sport diving.

Borrow a deco cylinder for the course then do single cylinder back gas deco with a large enough pony. Concentrate on proper gas planning and sticking to your plan.

With a typical single cylinder profile you will not be doing such a

@KenGordon

I think Tech40 allows use of EA50 but not to accelerate deco. Just to increase safety margin.

Maybe i’m wrong. But you want to do a course because the skills and theorie in techdiving.

You don’t want to use tech gear (doubles/sidemount). You are doing a course where you are allowed to use ean50 as decogas. But you don’t learn accelerated deco. You can borrow gear and don’t use the borrow gear after the course.

Maybe there are better options for you. Buy tech 1 theorie or something similar of an other agency. Just ask an tech instructor to teach you skills you can use for your own dives. Don’t pay for a card but pay for skills or knowledge.

 

[DevonDiver]

. Just ask an tech instructor to teach you skills you can use for your own dives. Don’t pay for a card but pay for skills or knowledge.

The issue is instructor liability.

Roughly 1/3rd of my work is private clinics and mentoring. But this work has to remain at/within the qualification level of the student.

That's fine for stuff like fundamental skills, and refining/improving an existing skillset but I can't do training that should otherwise qualify for an increased range of diving or unfamiliar equipment.

Tec40 introduces specific protocols, equipment and skills that aren't covered in any recreational course. So it'd be an absurd and indefensible liability risk for me to teach these things outside of a sanctioned course format.

Yes, it's a "baby level" tech course.. or a really great 'tecreational' course... but have no doubts that it's also a massive challenge for a recreational diver to undertake... regardless of the course focus.

If a Tec40 course didn't push people to their limits, have a respectable failure rate and/or frequently require remedial training... it's just a rip-off course by a lazy or faux-tech instructor.

 

[kensuf]

Sidemount tanks are--guess where?--at your side. I have seen some absolutely horrific videos of "sidemount" divers with their tanks attached at their sides but carried really in front of them. That is to be avoided. When you add a deco bottle to a sidemount system, there are a number of different theories on how best to do it. One is to sling it like any other deco bottle. It will work if you are not actually slinging your sidemount tanks as well.

The guy with the gordian knot of a longhose is a sidemount instructor. If anyone thinks his sidemount config looks good, you need your head examined.


He regularly teaches sidemount at a local popular dive site.. Cavern too!

 

[decompression]

The guy with the gordian knot of a longhose is a sidemount instructor. If anyone thinks his sidemount config looks good, you need your head examined.


He regularly teaches sidemount at a local popular dive site.. Cavern too!

That guy is a mess......

 

[kensuf]

That guy is a sidemount instructor.