What’s your technical diving equipment?

[XTAR]

Technical diving involves diving beyond the limits of recreational diving, such as advanced cave diving, wreck diving, frigid ice diving...To enjoy these on-the-edge diving adventures, you need extra experience, training, also special equipment. Many technical divers said their tech diving equipment is based on redundancy principle, which means if anything fails in extreme diving conditions, there is a backup that they can switch to complete the dive safely.

And here is a list of the equipment typically used in technical diving below. In addition to these gears, what equipment do you usually prepare for tech diving?

*Mask and back-up mask
*Hood and Thermal suit
*Primary and secondary regulators (for back gas or sidemount set-up)
*High capacity cylinder
*Two stage or decompression regulators
*BCD (wing) and harness or sidemount wing
*Depth gauge/trimix computer
*Timing device and backup timing device
*Reel and spool
*Knife/cutting device and backup
*Primary dive light and back-up lights
...

 

[Blackcrusader]

Since all diving is technical first I bring my brain matter fully charged, in case my mask has an issue I put an air bubble in my eye so I can see again at least as long as I look down. I never wear a hood gloves or wet suit. Tank regs BCD dive computer spg dsmb knife and lights are normal for any diver really.

 

[Raphus]

Since all diving is technical first I bring my brain matter fully charged, in case my mask has an issue I put an air bubble in my eye so I can see again at least as long as I look down. I never wear a hood gloves or wet suit. Tank regs BCD dive computer spg dsmb knife and lights are normal for any diver really.

Thats not really technical diving.
Like the name suggests, technik is needed. Redundancy is very important.

(The bubble trick is very cool, i showed it to some owd students and they were very impressed, because its not that hard once figured out.)

Because of high deco obligations a thick suit or dry suit is needed even in warmer waters.
Staying warm during decompression is mandatory . And its not about of how much cold you can feel/tolerate. Its about the decompression.

Backupmask should always be in a pocket. Mask straps can and will fail. I used my backup mask twice already(for other divers).

As i am not trained in tech diving yet(but highly interested and working on my fundamentals) i can not add much to the list.

- wetnotes
- dsmb
- liftbag

 

[Blackcrusader]

Thats not really technical diving.

DECO diving is also recreational diving.

 

[Wibble]

Technical diving, in my humble opinion, is all about: Skills. Planning. Preparation. Attitude. Using the right kit and gas for the task in hand.

For the kit, it is about having a) the right kit for the job, b) redundancy. Therefore you have to have the skills to use that kit.

I do many 30m/100ft dives which are "technical". By that I mean diving with more than adequate reserves and backups. Virtually every dive I do has some decompression time -- what's the point of going diving to 30m/100ft for 20 mins on the bottom? I'd much rather do 75 mins on the bottom with 45 mins of deco (subject to tides, etc.). Whether it's a 30m/100ft dive or 60m/200ft makes little difference; it will entail the same planning, kit selection, preparation and execution.

This starts years ahead of the dive where skills are honed and practised. Core skills (buoyancy, trim, finning) must be high quality, intuitive and sorted. Backup and redundancy must be second nature -- which is normal if using sidemount, backmount or rebreather. Within a week of the dive you'd ensure the correct gas types and volumes are available. Assembly or the kit the night before. Analysis of all gas and labelling. No surprises.

Redundancy and self-sufficiency is paramount. Requiring another diver to dive with you is a poor strategy (IMHO). Therefore virtually everything is duplicated or triplicated. Spare lighting, cutting devices, mask, SMBs, spools, reels, computers, backup buoyancy are all carried. Gas backout plans are in place. Always planning for a single gas failure, so even that 2 hour 30m/100ft dive requires two deco gasses, even if they're the same.

Certain rules should be adhered to, principally the "one change only" rule. Allow a single change to your equipment configuration keeping the rest constant so that you can validate that it works, learn and practice the new configuration, and enjoy the dive. Examples would be taking a new camera (don't do other changes); sidemounting your bailouts (no other changes); two or more stage cylinders (no other changes); self-inflating SMB + reel change (no other changes); a significant change in depth (no other changes); unfamiliar dive type e.g. overhead in a mine (no other changes); new drysuit, drygloves, suit heater.... etc.

When diving CCR, the bottom bailout gas is tested and breathed from at the start of the dive. The bailout deco cyilinder's validated (turned on, purged, gas checked, turned off). Time is allowed to simply calm down and acclimatise to the dive. Then enjoy it. If there's a significant change then this is practised early on, or continually if relevant in order to bang home the new skills (e.g. sidemounting bailouts).


So yes, kit is important. But far more important is being able to use that kit and being very self-critical.

The more you practice, the easier it gets.

 

[Wibble]

*High capacity cylinder

Huh? You mean cylinderS - plural. Where's your backup?

Where's your plan? Whilst it may not be written, it's a tangible vital item of a dive that you take with you.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah I take two cylinders

 

[Wibble]

Me too

 

[XTAR]

Me too
View attachment 640421

Wow, what kind of dive light you use?

 

[napDiver]

Double enders