You have seen photos of these scuba divers. You may even have seen them go to your local dive site. They have a lot of shells, most of them look hard. They have hoses working in different directions. Additional bottles hang next to them. You think of yourself; they must be nuts to ever enjoy scuba diving in this way. You also confirm to yourself that you do not have what it takes to be a technical diver. However, you begin to wonder how much more you could see if you can stay longer. What else is there for you to explore if you had this extra air ...
Now, for now, I’ll point out that Technical Scuba Diving is a choice that you must make. The reason of that; especially MINDSET! If you are serious about becoming a Technical Diver (Tec Diver), you must accept mental requirements that are consistent with being a Tec Diver. This is not the “next logical step” in scuba diving. As a recreational scuba diver, you have many opportunities to explore your boundaries and what King Neptune and Mother Nature can offer you. However, this article is devoted to dispelling several myths about how to become a Tec Diver.
Technical underwater diving is a sports sports equipment. Because of what you are planning and what your desires are, you need to have additional equipment. You do not need to go out and spend ten thousand on new equipment and equipment. We’ll talk about training programs a little later. As a PADI instructor, using the PADI system, I do not have my students who buy everything at once. First you have to try a couple of things and see what you like before you just open the wallet and spend money (by the way, if you feel you have to do this, contact me. Let me talk about how to get into technical diving, not opening a new mortgage.
Many training organizations have an Intro to Technical Diving class or a stepping program in Technical Diving. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) interrupted its technical diving program in several stages. The first 3 stages, you become a technical diver and certify in the areas before you get into Trimix or other technical diving gas mixtures. Their system is split into Tec40; Tec45; and Tec50 (broken into meters, certified technical diver). At the heart of this conversation, we are going to remain in the Tec40 certification. The reason is that the Tec40 has a maximum depth of 130 feet. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The Tec40 keeps you within the limits of scuba diving. Our focus with Tec40 is to start exploring how to plan, build skills and extend our bottom time at the same depth to which we should already be certified.
What makes the Tec40 an ideal place for those who start to engage in technical diving. If you use equipment, you can use the same equipment as now. Tec40 requires two independent sources of respiration. This can be done by placing the “H” Valve on your current diving cylinder (this allows you to disconnect one air source while breathing from another regulator). Or you could get an extra bottle of Deco or Pony. No, spare air will not work for this. I would recommend at least a 40-cc cylinder as an extra bottle. There is a second source of respiration. There is no need for double rooms. You may have to purchase an additional cylinder and install another regulator. Another advantage here is if you decide to continue working with Tec Diving, you now have the equipment purchased for future certificates. You have only slightly increased the cost of equipment.
I want to warn you here: make sure your BCD is capable of holding weight and additional equipment. If your BCD has plastic hooks and clamps, it will not last for live tec diving. If your BCD is not able to lift at least 40 pounds, then this is also not enough for scuba diving. I saw divers trying to do an ongoing job on BCD, but because of the amount of gear they have, their BCD bubble is filled to capacity, and when they go to add more air, it just clears. Not a safe way to technical diving. If you need to collect another BCD, you have several different options to view. Let's take a look at them:
The first option, you know that you are not going to continue other diving courses. You're just going to get a BCD that can meet the needs of the Tec40 diving. I would recommend that you purchase BCD to meet one need. I know that there are other BCDs that make these statements that you can use them with single and double tanks. A simple application and you can extend BCD to Tec. I have one BCD for my tank diving. Yes, he has the ability to carry extra bottles with ease and has the lift requirements I need. I also use if for my recreational diving. For my doubles, I have another wing and harness for this installation. In no case will I try to use one BCD to meet all the requirements of diving Tec and recreational diving.
The second option, do not be afraid to try side scuba diving. You can be really, pleasantly surprised and keep doing it all the time. In the Sidemount swamp there are cylinders suspended under your arms, on the sides. Your valves are where you see an easy procedure to turn off the cylinder, if you too. Most scuba divers do a great job with a side bias. Better body position in the water than if they had their own recreational equipment. It is also easier on your body. If you have less pain in the lower back or you cannot transfer your only tank to the current BCD configuration, try a diving attempt. I think you can fall in love with him right there.
Finally, if you look at the traditional twins on the back. First try a few configurations. There are several seat belts, rear plates, fenders and manifolds. Each of these things will affect the way you trim under water. So experiment a bit, and I hope your instructor has a couple of things to try and see if you like it.
These options are designed to purchase BCD to make your tec diving safe. You can also use some of these keys to think about what to buy in the future if you also need. Other equipment you need?
Regulators! You will need to have some reliable regulators that can handle long durations under water, you may have to withstand cooler temperatures and possibly garbage. If you have regulators that are only suitable for diving in the South Pacific or the Caribbean, you may want to take a look at the upgrades. If you are not only immersed in these areas. However, I would put it on my Christmas list to update them. You will need one regulator for each cylinder. Therefore, plan accordingly.
Another thing I would highly recommend is a dry suit. You will be under water for longer periods of time. Even in the waters of the Caribbean, which are 80 degrees, you will reach cold by the end of the dive, because water removes the heat from your body. Dry suits limit this heat loss. It is not fun to have hypothermia. In addition, it can also lead to a rescue class that we do not need to do at that moment.
These are the main points that I would recommend for you to take a look and make a serious decision about whether they can meet the requirements. If you are unsure, ask your course instructor. They are there to help you and also teach you how to become a tec diver.
Can women be divers? Yes, they can! Sometimes they are better technicians than men. For some reason, men think that they need to do something no matter what. Sooner or later, this attitude usually causes problems for someone. Women, on the other hand, are a bit cautious and ready to make the right decision about what is happening. In addition, some of the best divers I know are women. So do not let gender be a problem.
We talked about equipment, about whether women can be divers, now we have to talk about you! AS I slipped away too early, your MINDSET plays a crucial factor as a safe and successful tec diver. Despite their inherent risks in any type of diving (yes, even on the recreational side), you have come to accept these risks. In tec dives, these risks begin to take shape more because you go beyond recreational scuba diving. If something goes wrong, you now have no such direct access to the surface. You need to come up with a solution under water. It is for this reason that you, as a tec-diver, must be prepared to take responsibility for maintaining the mind of a tiver-diver and adhere to the protocols that you will be taught. You will also need to practice these protocols so that they are second nature to you. Along with this, you are not just practicing when you are in your classes. You should practice them almost every time you are in the water on a dive. You do not know when something can go wrong. Therefore, being ready to answer correctly, if this problem should occupy its ugly head under water, is crucial.
Having the tiver-diver skill means that you are not just relocating your gear and jumping into the water, and figuring out your research. You must have a plan that you talked about before getting into the water. Who will be there, who does what? How long you are under water, what will stop your deco and what other procedures you will perform during scuba diving. Plan your favorite tec dives, like real tec dives, to ensure that you are thinking right on the dive.
This is another reason why I say that people are not tec-divers, because this is the next logical step. There will be moments when immersion in tec will be reconciled. I know, I have been diving for many years, and from time to time I have a dive, and nothing happens, and I just want to pull the plug. It is frustrating and can be demeaning if you allow it. Again, this is why we practice and go through all the steps to bring our installation together to enter the water. The behavior of the dive should be the same all the time. Those tec dives where he feels nothing goes right, most of the time they are diving where I haven't been in water with tec gear for several months. Therefore, I need to get rust confused and focus on being a diver tec, and not on many other things. You see, to be an experienced tec diver, you need to practice and dive!
Of particular importance is all about scuba diving. From the maintenance of submarines under water to how your equipment goes together. Every thing plays a crucial role in your dive. Therefore, develop good habits early, and you can continue to build them through your career in the field of tec.
Most scuba divers look at the equipment needed to be a technical diver and think that people are nuts only from now on. As you can see, you don’t need a bunch of fancy gear to be a technical dive, it’s actually more important that you have the right mindset. It doesn't matter if you are a woman or a man, you need the right mindset to be a successful technical diver. Equipment is what you need. Mindset is what provides you with a safe and enjoyable immersion into tec. So perhaps you are thinking now that tec diver should not be insane. Instead, they must be disciplined ...
