Back from Hawaii and just got certified as a tech diver

[Crystaltear]

Can't wait to blurb about it. I took the Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedure course with Don Kinney and am now a certified TDI tech diver

[Joshua Smith]

Can't wait to blurb about it. I took the Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedure course with Don Kinney and am now a certified TDI tech diver

Congrats! Adv. eanx/ deco was one of my favorite classes, ever. I didn't take it from Don, but friends of mine have- he's a good guy, and a great teacher!

[Tangfish]

Congratulations! Now to start spending a little more time down at depth. :occasion5:

[Ken G]

Congrats to you on your tech cert

[Crystaltear]

Thanks Nailer and Ken, I really had fun taking the course.

a little more time down at depth. :occasion5:

Have to rethink about that now, just a simple status update on my facebook had already brought me lectures from some tech deep divers :p Not as fun as I thought it would be :(

[John Rawlings]

Congratulations!

My technical training pathway was through both IANTD and TDI. Don is an excellent instructor and I have referred several good friends to him for training.

We are fortunate here in the Pacific Northwest to have so many viable options available for quality tech training!

- John

[Joshua Smith]

Thanks Nailer and Ken, I really had fun taking the course.

a little more time down at depth. :occasion5:

Have to rethink about that now, just a simple status update on my facebook had already brought me lectures from some tech deep divers :p Not as fun as I thought it would be :(

*sigh*. Yeah, diving is serious business. Tech diving is even more serious. Safety, safety, diveyourplanplanyourdive, safety. Yessir, safety is sure important, allright. Just look at more than half the threads on this site, and you might get the idea that we don't have any fun at all! Don't believe it for a minute- we have a blast!

5 friends and I just had a fun dive at the Mukilteo boat launch last night- just over an hour, ~170 fsw, and I'm not going to talk about how "safe" we were- even though we were perfectly safe- we had a blast! 3 open circuit guys, and 3 Meg CCRs in a mixed team, with all different gear configs, diving just for the pure pleasure of it.

Work on your new skills, find some buddies that are trained to your level or higher, plan some dives, tweak your gear until it's "just right" for you, and you'll be relaxing and enjoying yourself before you know it!

[Tangfish]

I think there's a Facebook app that will let you bitchslap those ppl.

Seriously though, I think it's good to go to the Nth degree, learning about safety, especially when you're getting a new cert and learning about a new type of diving. Then, practice those dives, starting out with every single precaution you were taught *and* those that you picked up, learning from others. Slowly, you'll learn which practices are essential (be it pre-dive or during the dive, etc.) and which ones you need to understand but maybe not do on every single dive. Eventually, as Nailer said, you'll get comfortable. Having good dive buddies to do this with and to talk about gear config and practices is an important part of this. The objective is to *have fun* though! Yes, have fun without being stupid.

So, for instance, ever since I started diving CCR I've brought my camera with me, oh, maybe on 2 dives. Why? Because I feel that having even one distraction with me on top of learning all the new tasks needed to dive the rebreather has been unnecessary up until now. Very recently I've finally felt like I've been "in the groove". Checking the PPO2 is pretty much automatic now, buoyancy is still not as easy as it was on OC, but there is less thinking between adjustments. Building and breaking down the rebreather has become more and more comfortable for me now (the first few times I was like, "jeez, I'm going to forget a step and kill myself!"). So, what I'm trying to say is, I think I'm finally at the point where I'm just plain having fun on these dives and I can add back one more element of complexity - bringing along my camera (still camera, I think the video would still be too distracting).

I imagine that any true safety Nazi would tell you that an underwater camera rig is a completely unnecessary risk added to any dive - and to some extent I agree. It *is* a risk. It does complicate the dive and the dive plan. I might be shooting a photo, trying to keep still with my eye on the viewfinder, right when my buddy needs me. Do I *need* a camera while I'm diving? No. But, to me, capturing images underwater and bringing them back to the surface is one of the primary reasons WHY I dive! It's a calculated risk, yes, and one I don't take unless I and my buddies are ready for it. But, it's what makes diving fun and enjoyable to me so I wouldn't think of diving without the photography. For others, it's scooters, wreck penetration, diving deep, discovering wrecks, identifying fish - these are all fun things that no one *has* to do. If the only objective was to go underwater and be safe, we should all be diving in rock quarries and going straight up/down, doing our stops properly and seeing piles of rocks on the way.

Don't sweat the buzzkill comments.

[Sounder]

Congrats!! I look forward to hearing your impression on how tech diving in Hawaii is different than doing it in BC (besides the obvious additional gear for cold, dark water - more like your impressions and observations as a new technical diver).

There is one part of Nailer's post I'm not quite sure I agree with however...

5 friends and I just had a fun dive at the Mukilteo boat launch last night- just over an hour, ~170 fsw, and I'm not going to talk about how "safe" we were- even though we were perfectly safe- we had a blast! 3 open circuit guys, and 3 Meg CCRs in a mixed team, with all different gear configs, diving just for the pure pleasure of it.

3 + 3 = 5??? This must be that special Lemon Wedge Instructor math.

[John Rawlings]

Congrats!! I look forward to hearing your impression on how tech diving in Hawaii is different than doing it in BC (besides the obvious additional gear for cold, dark water - more like your impressions and observations as a new technical diver).

There is one part of Nailer's post I'm not quite sure I agree with however...

5 friends and I just had a fun dive at the Mukilteo boat launch last night- just over an hour, ~170 fsw, and I'm not going to talk about how "safe" we were- even though we were perfectly safe- we had a blast! 3 open circuit guys, and 3 Meg CCRs in a mixed team, with all different gear configs, diving just for the pure pleasure of it.

3 + 3 = 5??? This must be that special Lemon Wedge Instructor math.

What is that...Unified Team math????

The last I heard "5 friends and I" = 6

"3 open circuit guys and 3 meg CCRs" = 6

Seems to me that Josh's math is pretty accurate....unlike diving math should be done the same way. Hee Hee Hee!

- John

[Ken G]

There is one part of Nailer's post I'm not quite sure I agree with however...

5 friends and I


3 open circuit guys, and 3 Meg CCRs in a mixed team, with all different gear configs, diving just for the pure pleasure of it.

3 + 3 = 5??? This must be that special Lemon Wedge Instructor math.

5 plus 1 is 6 ...no?

Awsome dive last night guys! Good fun as always

[Sounder]

There is one part of Nailer's post I'm not quite sure I agree with however...

5 friends and I


3 open circuit guys, and 3 Meg CCRs in a mixed team, with all different gear configs, diving just for the pure pleasure of it.

3 + 3 = 5??? This must be that special Lemon Wedge Instructor math.

5 plus 1 is 6 ...no?

Awsome dive last night guys! Good fun as always

I don't think it has anything to do with UTD.

Apparently I read faster than my brain can compute - missed my coffee this morning. I didn't catch the "and I" part ](*,) - seems I failed my lemon wedge instructor certification. Measure twice, cut once right? Damnit.

[Crystaltear]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I will not give it up just because someone said something negative

[Maverick]

I WENT THROUGH DON AND AM TAKING HELIUM NEXT.

[Crystaltear]

I WENT THROUGH DON AND AM TAKING HELIUM NEXT.

The trimix? When are you going to take it? I'm thinking about the next couple of months

[Grateful Diver]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I will not give it up just because someone said something negative

Definitely not ... everyone started somewhere, and sometimes the more experienced divers forget that they did too.

What you need now is good buddies who've been there ... I'd be happy to do a tech dive with ya sometime ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Crystaltear]

Definitely not ... everyone started somewhere, and sometimes the more experienced divers forget that they did too.

What you need now is good buddies who've been there ... I'd be happy to do a tech dive with ya sometime ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That's very sweet of you Bob, thanks I'll call you next time I go down to Seattle or give me a call when you're in town. Hopefully before your Port Hardy trip

I'm getting all the gears together now. Can't decide what lift capacity I need for my new wings and which brand to go with. Need new reg sets and stage bottle too :p

[Grateful Diver]

Definitely not ... everyone started somewhere, and sometimes the more experienced divers forget that they did too.

What you need now is good buddies who've been there ... I'd be happy to do a tech dive with ya sometime ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That's very sweet of you Bob, thanks I'll call you next time I go down to Seattle or give me a call when you're in town. Hopefully before your Port Hardy trip

I'm getting all the gears together now. Can't decide what lift capacity I need for my new wings and which brand to go with. Need new reg sets and stage bottle too :p

What size doubles are you using?

I've found the DSS Torus wings to be a pretty awesome deal ... and they perform wonderfully. Tobin is very helpful at determining the right size wing for your setup.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Crystaltear]

I've found the DSS Torus wings to be a pretty awesome deal ... and they perform wonderfully. Tobin is very helpful at determining the right size wing for your setup.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I'm planning to use steel 80s plus a 40 or 30 AL stage bottle. Would 50lb be enough? DSS, is that what you use? Who's Tobin?

[Joshua Smith]

Deep Sea Supply- Tobin's the owner.

https://www.deepseasupply.com/

They make good gear. I also like Golem Gear:

http://www.golemgear.com/

50 pounds might be overkill for 80's- I don't know, but lots of people here do, I'm sure.

[Crystaltear]

Sorry, I meant 40, would 40lb be enough? Cuz I'm using the Halcyon 30lb single MC system, wings they have for double are either 40lb or 60lb. 60lb would be too much,and I'm not sure if 40lb is enough or should I go with some other brand.

What regs do everyone recommend? I'm thinking either APEX XTX 200 or a scubapro, not sure about the model yet.

[ljjames]

What gear do your buddies dive? It would be wise to discuss this with your 'team' and get tanks that make sense for the dive y'all are planning to do. You've already mentioned a Halcyon BCD, have you taken DIRF or the NAUI intro to tech yet? With the questions you've posted, it sounds as though gear configuration for our waters was not covered in the class you've already taken, therefor I'd highly recommend getting some more foundation training before moving 'on'.

To be completely honest, this (gear selection) is a very important decision you are looking at making (beyond just as your 'life maintaining equipment'). Despite everything, the tech-reational diving world is very polarized, and in a sense you are also pre-selecting the most important piece of your diving, your buddy. You need to figure out what 'route' you want to go, and dive accordingly.

The Halcyon kit would make me think that at some point you've considered the DIR route (there is a DIRF coming up in vancouver in a few weeks with Marc Hall) but then everything else you've posted leads me to believe otherwise.

It's very hard to recommend tank size without an idea of your diving goals.

Regards,

Laura

[Ken G]

50 pounds might be overkill for 80's- I don't know, but lots of people here do, I'm sure.

I use an Oxycheq Vertex 55lb with a set of Steel lp80's. Great wing... I use it with the 80's as well as my lp95's. If I had gone with the 40lb wing I think it would have been a little small for a larger set of tanks plus stages where the 55 I can use it with both

[Joshua Smith]

Sorry, I meant 40, would 40lb be enough? Cuz I'm using the Halcyon 30lb single MC system, wings they have for double are either 40lb or 60lb. 60lb would be too much,and I'm not sure if 40lb is enough or should I go with some other brand.

What regs do everyone recommend? I'm thinking either APEX XTX 200 or a scubapro, not sure about the model yet.

I'm pretty sure that 40lbs of lift is plenty for steel 80s, and I'm a big fan of the Apex regs- they're fantastic. I like my Scubapro mk25/s600 just fine, but I think the Apex is a better reg.

[Joshua Smith]

50 pounds might be overkill for 80's- I don't know, but lots of people here do, I'm sure.

I use an Oxycheq Vertex 55lb with a set of Steel lp80's. Great wing... I use it with the 80's as well as my lp95's. If I had gone with the 40lb wing I think it would have been a little small for a larger set of tanks where the 55 I can use it with both

Ah- there you go, then.