What's the deal with the "Advanced Nitrox" certification?

[texdiveguy]

While surfing the web the other night through some scuba related sites I was dropped onto this newish web site you folks have mentioned above - Unified Team Diving International (UTD)....looks like nothing more than a spin off of GUE, glad to see it's based in Calf..

 

[ComputerJoe]

I am re-considering heading down the trimix road, but then if a rebreather is in my future that would be $1500 of wasted instruction as it would not be credited in any way when getting rebreather certified.

As a result I did the Advanced Nitrox/Deep Air training through IANTD. If the dive can be handled with the narcosis, air is much more forgiving than trimix and the difference in deco times is minimal. So it comes down to narcosis and more latitue with your deco stops or no narcosis and having to nail your deco stops.

True I might be being a bad boy diving my 140' IANTD training to 165-185' but the procedures and planning are the same. If I can manage the narcosis and keep the dive plan simple I feel comfortable going where I want to go with the training I've received. It's just I think I'm wanting to go and see things in around the 200' level now so it back to the problem layed out in my first paragraph.

Next year I will be mixing up a pony of normoxic trimix and try puffing on it a few minutes at depth. If I have a moment like Dorthy-Gail did when first stepping out into Munch-kin Land then the $1500 will be spent.

 

[Teamcasa]

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[Reg Braithwaite]

If the dive can be handled with the narcosis, air is much more forgiving than trimix and the difference in deco times is minimal. So it comes down to narcosis and more latitue with your deco stops or no narcosis and having to nail your deco stops.

I guess my problem is that I don't know if the dive can be handled with the narcosis until I am faced with an emergency and some task loading. It comes down to judgment as to which is the greater risk: Narcosis preventing me from handling an emergency properly when and if that happens, or screwing up my buoyancy with a fast gas.

I honestly don't have th experience to make that call properly, although from my arm chair I imagine that the "difficulty" of the dive might be an important consideration. If doing a wreck penetration in cold water with current, maybe you need your wits about you. Whereas if doing a nice warm wall dive, you might consider narcosis less of a threat. Not sure, just tossing ideas around.

Next year I will be mixing up a pony of normoxic trimix and try puffing on it a few minutes at depth. If I have a moment like Dorthy-Gail did when first stepping out into Munch-kin Land then the $1500 will be spent.

Why wouldn't you do a complete trimix dive, preferably a dive you already know well? That way, if you finished the dive thinking you saw a ton of stuff you had missed before, you would get a better read on the benefits...

 

[Rhone Man]

Nope, it's completely new and independent.

Recreational through full trimix and wreck penetration.

Good luck to them, although it is a pretty crowded market place, and this is not really the economy to be launching a new, more expensive, model of anything.

Still IANTD survived several years of operating out of Tom Mount's kitchen, so they have to be better placed than that!

 

[John_B]

Good luck to them, although it is a pretty crowded market place, and this is not really the economy to be launching a new, more expensive, model of anything

Exactly right, no sense in being "just another provider" in a crowded marketplace; but I'm sure there are a fair number of divers that see AG's direction as a pretty big "value add" vs. just another RSTC-style commodity training agency.

 

[Blackwood]

Exactly right, no sense in being "just another provider" in a crowded marketplace; but I'm sure there are a fair number of divers that see AG's direction as a pretty big "value add" vs. just another RSTC-style commodity training agency.

Yes. As I understand it, the whole thing started because many instructors, particularly NAUItech, were advertising themselves as teaching "the AG way." Initially, UTD was going to be an accredidation agency for instructors, teaching them how to encorporate AG's teaching into their curriculum. It has since blossomed into a full blown certification agency... At least that's the idea.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Interesting developments. So there are now two agency choices for those wishing to receive training from a stricly DIR perspective? Obviously there are DIR-leaning instructors in IANTD, TDI and NAUI Tech. However, there had previously just been GUE if you were looking for an agency that took an exclusively DIR perspective. Can I assume that UTD is now another?

Is that an accurate characterization? I'm just trying to make sure I clearly understand the positioning of UTD.

 

[texdiveguy]

Interesting developments. So there are now two agency choices for those wishing to receive training from a stricly DIR perspective? Obviously there are DIR-leaning instructors in IANTD, TDI and NAUI Tech. However, there had previously just been GUE if you were looking for an agency that took an exclusively DIR perspective. Can I assume that UTD is now another?

Is that an accurate characterization? I'm just trying to make sure I clearly understand the positioning of UTD.

From the UTD home page:

"Unified Team Diving International (UTD) is an educational organization that certifies both instructors and divers who want to dive and/or teach utilizing UTD's comprehensive and holistic approach. While remaining consistent with its roots in the Hogarthian/DIR configuration and philosophy, UTD International extends beyond these methodologies to create a new generation of divers. UTD believes a prepared diver is a ÅÕhinking diver? one whoÃÔ keen sense of self, team members, environment, and equipment enables him or her to reach full diving potential while understanding and preventing situational hazards. This advanced skill level is realized through UTD InternationalÃÔ innovative course structure, state of the art teaching methods, comprehensive student education materials, online learning center and classroom (Online classroom), and rigorous teaching standards. This certification process is an inclusive approach that is accessible to all in the diving community while maintaining UTD/DIR/Hogarthian compliance."

 

[BlueDreamDivers]

"My CCR instructor requires only Nitrox certification and not advanced nitrox certification (while it's recommended, not required). The basic training that we'll be doing (Air Diluent no-deco) is no-deco diving within recreational dive limits on CCR."

Hello Howard,
What agency does your CCR Inst teaches for?
The Advanced Nitrox cert is a pre requisite for the TDI Air Diluent CCR Diver Course.
Safe Diving