Burntchef wrote:great question jake, maybe deserves its own thread.Nwbrewer wrote:I think you're original question was answered pretty well, so I have one for you. Why do you want to start tech diving? It seems to me lately (and maybe I just talk to too many board members) that there are a LOT of people rushing to go tech. What are you missing from your recreational (130' and up NDL) dives?
I'll start.
I wanted to see deep shipwrecks. I read all about U-869 and the Andrea Doria In Shadow Divers and the Last Dive (Both should be required reading for anyone interested in Tech Diving, IMO) and I also read all about Dave Shaw's death in Bushamansgat, South Africa- Great article about that, HERE.
I was immediately attracted to the idea of going deeper and staying longer than the recreational norms. Images of sunken ships started to invade my dreams. And the idea that there was still part of this planet that might be-gasp- unexplored, had never occurred to me before this. All before I ever took Open Water. When I got certified, I started asking many, many questions at the shop I learned through, and I didn't get a lot of straight answers. As it turns out, that particular shop doesn't really cater to technical diving. But they don't go out of their way to tell customers that fact- especially customers with credit cards who are overcome with gear lust, and unburdened by knowledge and experience. I bought thousands of dollars worth of inappropriate gear for what I really wanted to do as a result.
As I kept diving, I started to meet people who really were technical divers, and they guided me towards shops and instructors that helped me immeasurably with good advice and perspectives.
With just over 120 dives in my logbook, and a set of gear that I had cobbled together, I signed up for Advanced Nitrox and Decompression procedures, a Technical Diving International course, taught by Mel Clark of Silent Scuba. It was a revelation to me. I learned how to actually plan a dive, down to the last detail- How to use oxygen and nitrox to accelerate decompression, how to shoot surface marker buoys from depth, valve drills, lost mask/ spare mask replacement....To this day, that class remains one of my very favorite classes I ever took. It was challenging, but it was really fun and rewarding at the same time!
I think I'll end my little ramble right here. Partly because, after this class, Mel seduced me into the shadowy witchcraft realm of closed circuit rebreathers, which is really a different topic. Let me close by saying that- I have been lucky enough to do many of the dives that were on my "bucket list" when I started diving. And many others that would have been on there if I had only known about them. I shudder to think about how much money I have sunk into gear, training, travel and boat fees over the last 3-4 years. But it was completely worth it, to me.
Technical diving is NOT for everyone. 120 minutes of decompression with a flooded drysuit in the middle of Elliot Bay can really suck. People can get badly hurt, or die, doing it. It can be a lot of work, for a so-so, or even a crappy, dive. I have no problem with divers who have no interest in the kind of diving I like to do- much of the time, I think recreational only divers are a lot smarter than I am.
