Why the hating on Tech?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Just curiosity...

Somewhat new diver and already love the sport like crazy. Just got my EANx cert last night! Always looking to know and understand more about the fascinating world of diving. As I have learned more, I have become intrigued by tech diving. Staged decompression, trimix, advanced wreck and cave diving... they all seem like such awesome skillsets that could take SCUBA to a whole new level.

However... last night when I was asking an instructor about tech... he was less than flattering about the whole thing. This makes the 3rd or 4th person I've asked about tech diving that has offered less than rave reviews about it. I've heard so many different reasons. Last night's was something to the effect of: "What's so interesting about it? They dive to 330', stay a couple minutes, then spend hours ascending."

So far the other reasons I've heard from other people include:

** "Completely worthless unless you live on the coast and dive every day."
** "Certifications you will only use once."
** "Not many tech diving opportunities around to actually use your skills."
((and other inappropriate observations about the types of people that tech dive))

So my question... why the hating on technical diving? Is this a common feeling among mainstream divers, or maybe just with the groups I've dove with? Seems to me that tech would be a really awesome thing to get into once I am at a more advanced level. Is it really one of those paths that people regret taking once they do? Not trying to tick anyone off. As I said, tech sounds very fascinating to me based on what I know about it. I'm just wondering... because so far, I have literally NOT MET ONE PERSON that had anything good to say about it. :-/

Most instructors I've met who think like that fall into one of two categories ...

- 100-dive wonders who haven't done much diving outside of a class and have never been exposed to tech diving except on Internet forums

- Old school instructors who have certified hundreds of divers in the same mudhole and know nothing about tech diving except the stories that they've been swapping around the dive shop for the past three decades.

If you want to learn anything about tech diving, you need to talk to someone who does it ... or teaches it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DebbyDiver]

I tend to agree that those that turn their brow up at tech diving, simply do not have the desire to do because they get everything they need from recreational diving. As Sam said, smile and move on. You are diving for yourself which is the way it should be.

Good post.

I admire and respect my tech-, wreck- and cave-diving friends, but the desire to join them just doesn't exist for me. Everyone likes something different.

For me, diving is a relaxing way to forget about my sucky non-diving job for an hour or two. Just this past Sunday, I did exactly the type of dive that I love to do. I paddled my kayak, solo, out to the LBTS dropoff, dove for about two hours, bopping around wherever I wished without having to worry about boring a buddy to tears (I take pics) and I came and went as I pleased. Totally recreational diving, 30 fsw, just smiling and blowing bubbles.

That said, I don't talk down tech diving. To each their own.

 

[tstormdiver]

When I first started diving & was introduced to some technical divers, I will admit I was quite intimidated by both their equipment & what seemed at the time as cockiness. As I go to know these divers more & asked questions about their type of diving & their equipment, I learned their cockiness wasn't so much that, as it was confidence in their skills & equipment. I am still very early in my technical experience, but when someone asks me about technical diving & the equipment I use, I try to be honest & down to earth about it. It is not something to be feared so much, but understood. In the end we are all divers trying to enjoy the sport. Some of us just do it a little differently. I personally enjoy both Recreational & technical diving for what each has to offer.

 

[andymeng]

Quite simply, its not for everyone. I tech dive because there is something I want to see thats either deep or a cave, often both. There is a high price to see it, both in time and money. To me, its worth it.

People that dive deep just for deep's sake are not going to find that very rewarding. Same thing if you think a cave is a pile of wet rocks or a deep wreck is a pile or rusty scrap metal. Its all about what you like.

This has to be about the best response I've read. It's not for everyone. I so often hear people say I would NEVER EVER do tech diving and potentially bad-mouth it as you have described. My take is that I don't see the interest, and I could say I never will, but never is a long long time and that's a shallow thinking process. (haha get it???) So I instead say I don't see an interest but who knows what the future brings.

But for those interested, go for it. If that's your interest, don't hang out with people like that instructor. I'd tend to take a pass on him anyway as I hang with people who are open minded.

For now, reefs, wrecks, photography and videography are my thing. Deep diving may come soon as part of research work. If that happens I'll have a purpose and interest in going deep and be happy for it.

Until the 90's Nitrox was tech diving.

 

[OldNSalty]

Why the hating on tech? Maybe for the same reason some people have a bias against some forms of religion.

For me, the first couple of tech people I ran into were basically asses-there way or the highway, your doing it wrong, if you didn't enter diving to go this route then you are wasting your time. They reminded me of the folks I see on the corners yelling at me at the stop light telling me that I am going some place bad because I deserve it.

I've met some better tech people and my opinion has changed.

 

[boulderjohn]

A lot of it may be because of where you live. I don't know a lot about Oklahoma, but I suspect it has this similarity to where I live in Colorado--a lack of suitable local opportunities to learn and use technical diving skills.

When I first became involved with the local shop with which I work, it had no tech capacity whatsoever, and no incentive to add it. The people were not so much anti-tech as they saw no point in it for them. The equipment is very expensive, and the travel requirements from our area are huge. The shop could not realistically sell tech gear, because the few manufacturers available back then required huge minimum purchases and annual sales, financial suicide in such a small market as ours. I think that if the personnel had given discouraging advice to people in those conditions, there would have been a lot of justification.

Today our shop has a relatively strong tech presence. We do sell tech gear, but still not a lot. We have tech classes (we are officially a UTD shop), but the students have to come from all over. To give you an idea, our current set of tech classes in our shop in Boulder, Colorado include students from Texas, New Mexico, and the far reaches of our own state. Only a couple are within an hour of the shop. If you in Oklahoma City wanted to take classes from us and come to our pool for training, you would not be the one coming from the farthest away. Yes, they drive here for their instruction. When we want to do our open water training, we take a 6-7 hour drive to jump into a sink hole in New Mexico.

Those of us who are cave trained have done that training in Florida. This spring several of us drove to Florida and back to get into the caves, doing the return trip in a straight shot, stopping only for gas.

So, if people in our area want to get into tech seriously, they really should receive a serious warning about it. It is not an easy path to follow.

But once you are really on it, it's an obsession!

 

[jpbutler]

For me, tech diving is a means to an end. Some people confuse that and think that tech diving is the goal.
Long deco hangs lose their glamour really fast, especially after eating burgers and sausages between dives. ;0}

 

[tomboyy]

Dead and crippled customers are bad for business.

flots.

Really ????

 

[lowviz]

Good post.

I admire and respect my tech-, wreck- and cave-diving friends, but the desire to join them just doesn't exist for me. Everyone likes something different.

For me, diving is a relaxing way to forget about my sucky non-diving job for an hour or two. Just this past Sunday, I did exactly the type of dive that I love to do. I paddled my kayak, solo, out to the LBTS dropoff, dove for about two hours, bopping around wherever I wished without having to worry about boring a buddy to tears (I take pics) and I came and went as I pleased. Totally recreational diving, 30 fsw, just smiling and blowing bubbles.

That said, I don't talk down tech diving. To each their own.

NAUI Solo???? PADI Solo???? Look in the mirror, you just described a perfect tech dive. Deco is only one facet of tech diving, not a requirement. It is all about mentality, skills, and self-reliance. (who were you gonna call?)

-DD, agree completely, why I went tech also.

 

[gypsyjim]

People often deride and belittle that which makes them uncomfortable, or anything with which they are not familiar. Culture, religion, differing political opinion, etc; all bring out the worst in some people, just as discussions about differing dive styles, and agencies does.

There is plenty of water for every style of diver, yet I have heard both tech and rec put each other down. To me it is all diving, and there is room for us all to dive as we please.

Myself I am rec, but recently did the GUE Fundies class, because I have come to admire the control that divers who have trained to their standards have in the water. Any form of diving, that I can borrow, steal or learn skills from, to better let me enjoy my time underwater, and increase my own skills and the safety margins of my diving, is ok by me! I do have to admit I have picked up a bit of an attitude when I see half trained divers dragging their fins threw fragile coral, etc, but I was already pretty disgusted by such poor uw skill levels, long before I sipped any of the techy cool aid

Just remember, that those who are most vocal about their derision of others, probably are the most ignorant about the subjects they are putting down. The more open you are to the ideas of others, the more you leave yourself room to grow.