Basics from someone who is basic


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Posted by JRM on October 10, 2001 at 09:33:43:

In Reply to: Thanks for all your inputs but don't quite understand what 'mix' is? posted by Tim O'Rielly on October 10, 2001 at 08:47:44:

Aha. Something I can answer. I found myself in your very same shoes rather recently. Let me see if I can shed some light on things, based on my limited experience...

There's two kinds of people in this world... Those that catogrize things by twos and those who don't (g). That being said, we often catogrize dives into "recreational" and "technical" The line between the two is *very* fuzzy, and everyone has there own opinion of where to draw it. Some people (myself included) object to the term "technical" diving for various reasons. Alas, it is here to stay.

Recreational diving is generally considered to be dives less than (insert arbitrary depth here, say 100') where it is possible to make a direct ascent to the surface. A la no caves, wrecks, or decompression obligation. As horrible and fraught with holes as that definition is, let's use it for a starting point. "Technical diving" could pretty much then be considered everything else. Now keep in mind that there are divers who go down 200' and consider it recreational, and there are those who go down 50', play with a reel or liftbag, and call it technical.

What I imagine you are after is something like the PADI Advanced Open Water Certificate. Which is something like 5 elective dives, with navigation, deep, and night being required. NAUI also has something similar. Despite what you may read in the archives about various agencies, it is *essential* that you continue education throughout your diving career. If you were like me, then you got reasonably short changed on your Basic Open Water Certification. While we may have gotten the full course, the full course isn't what it used to be, nor is it enough to allow the average person to feel comfortable in the water without an instructor. It seems like (insert arbitrary agency here) have shortened the course so much that it practically requires taking the Advanced Open Water Cert. This is a topic that has been debated here ad naseum. In fact, I'm going to go down to the rendering plant, pick up a dead horse, drag it down to 22nd Street landing (where several of the dive boats moor) and dump it in the parking lot with a sign that says "PADI/NAUI sucks" on one side and "TDI/DIR/GUE/IANTD/etc. sucks" on the other. Then everyone can kick away till their hearts content, and save us all the bandwidth...

But I digress. TDI, IANTD, GUE, ANDI, etc. are all "technical" training agencies of various flavors. PADI TecRec is a joke. Period. It's even a joke to those folks who's agencies are a joke to everyone else. Please don't even consider it. It's kind of like buying a Rolex off the street in Tijuana. It looks nice, has the "Rolex" crown on it, but do you honestly think you're going to get a *real* rolex for $15 from cart in the middle of the street? No. And when it breaks two weeks later, you're left with nothing (of course, when it breaks it doesn't kill you or worse, but hey, no analogy is perfect).

A real problem with "technical" diving is the macho cowboy image some guys exude. It's pretty much the same in any sport, though. There are the quiet guys who dive big, and the loud mouths who don't. Or if they do, cower for 5 minutes on the anchor line and then ascend. Be immediately wary of anyone who starts bragging about how deep the dive. Consider them in the same league with those guys who brag about how low they get before opening their parachute.

But someone in your shoes shouldn't even be thinking about "Tech" training. A couple of years of solid diving is probably the *minimum* to even begin to think of safely doing that stuff. The best advice I ever got about technical diving came from a good friend, and one of the best "tech" divers around. He told me, "The hardest thing about tech is patience." Going too fast is a good way to get dead, or worse, paralyzed.

Here's my advice to you, and it's worth about what you paid for it. But since I was recently in your shoes, it's relevant. First, call or email John Walker (sometimes JSW on this board). Or email me and I'll send you his address privately. Take his "Fundamentals of DIR" class. It's probably less than the PADI AOW course, but you will be amazed what it does for your skills and comfort level in the water. Take it with your girlfriend. Email me privately and I'll tell you more about DIR diving, and put you in touch with those that are much more knowledgable than I. DIR is kind of a hotbutton topic around here. But whether or not you decide to adopt DIR, the Fundamentals class will give you a huge head-start on diving.

Then, when you've taken the Fundamentals class, go ahead and take the Advanced Open Water. It'll be a breeze, because the skills and control you learn in the Fundamentals of DIR class will apply to each of the AOW dives. And being comfortable and confident in the water will make a *HUGE* difference when you start doing things like night dives, low vis, and deeper recreational dives. I know I would have gotten a lot more out of my AOW class if I had taken it prior to the Fundamentals of DIR class. Even so, John's Fundamentals class has made the greatest impact on my diving. Ask other's who have taken the class and they'll probably say the same. Just make sure that they've actually taken the class. There's a contingent of folks around here who crap on DIR and the Fundamentals class without ever having actually *tried* it.

But welcome aboard. This board is a fun place, most of the time. Occasionally a moron shows up, but they leave when they get bored. Most important thing is to get out and dive. You can't learn everything over the Internet, at some point you just have to get wet. Often you can find diver.net board members on the Great Escape Open Boat trips. Check out www.diveboat.com for the schedule.

Good luck, and good diving,

JRM

-- Hope this helps. Sometimes the old heads forget what it's like to be a newbie. Just keep asking questions.


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