News
To Tech Or Not To Tech – A Journey To The Darkside
In 1969 Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. In 2006 I went into space as well. Well… inner space anyway. I only draw this reference as there have probably been more people blasted into space than there have been divers below 100 metres, and the few of us that have been probably feel more honoured.
Now I know it sounds like I am suffering from small penis syndrome, and indeed I am, but it really is not as hard as it sounds to become a tech diver. Nowhere near as hard as the training with NASA, that’s for sure.
I feel blessed in the fact that I am allowed to go to places that very few have even dreamt of going. I dive in caves, in wrecks, on rebreathers, you name it. And with some of the coolest people ever.
So, if it’s so cool to do, how come everyone’s not doing it?
Well, it’s quite simple. I believe that divers are their own worst enemies. For years, technical divers have referred to recreational diving as “an unbearable boring pastime”, and recreational divers have referred to technical diving as “pointless as you see nothing down there!” Man, I used to feel the same.
I’ll tell you what; as long as I’m underwater I’m happy. I love my single tank, but a few years ago I needed a challenge and technical diving fulfilled that need.
Like me, most people expect technical diving to be ridiculously hard work. The questions I get asked the most are not to do with the expense but with how heavy the kit is, how hard the academics are, how difficult are the skills, too much kit, etc.
So let’s address some of these issues. Just so you believe me, I am a very average man, six foot tall, 80 kilograms, a bit of a spare tire on my skinny frame and definitely NOT a genius at school. No Navy Seal or Special Boat Services around here.
How heavy is the kit?
Well, I have to be honest, it’s all pretty heavy. Twinsets, stages, rebreathers, all of it. BUT, and it’s a big but, we don’t climb mountains and goose step around dive sites in these rigs, we put them on and get in the water. Our rigs are designed to work perfectly in the water so that’s where we like to wear them. I teach a lot of girls for example (and this is not sexist, Celehte our Diving Dentist is a Trimix diver) and the rigs hurt, so we make a plan and get as easy an access to the water with minimal standing around as possible. In the water, a twinset is a dream, balanced, trim and most of all – cool! Once you have dived a wing, harness and twinset, I defy you to ever feel as comfortable in a BCD ever again.
How hard are the academics?
I don’t know about you but physiology, mathematics and biology were not my favourite subjects at school. I was a dismal failure so when I read my first tech manual I nearly had a heart attack. I thought lifting a boat engine for my PADI Divemaster exam was taxing enough. But something special happens when you meet a technical Instructor; we have been there, seen it and done it. We understand what you are going through and we show you logical ways to get to those elusive answers. WE can turn a whole chapter on gobbledigook into one line of pure mathematical magic. The training agencies, whether it’s RAID, IANTD, TDI, DSAT or GUE, spend a lot of time and energy making sure that their Instructors have the right tools to get the job done.
How hard is a technical skill circuit?
The answer here is really simple: It’s easy. The courses build upon each other and so do the skill sets. This means that you have time to master the skills before moving on to a more difficult set. The skills are real world too. Just like on your Open Water course where the skills had their place and were value driven, so are the technical skills. All technical programmes spend a lot of time perfecting (and I mean perfecting) your buoyancy, propulsion, trim and drag skills in water. Then we teach equipment management skills and the “what if” skills. What if I have a free flow, what if I can’t find my ascent line, what if my computer packs up, and so on.
Too much kit?
Well it’s true, we do wear a fair amount of kit, but we only wear what we need to do the job. Our aim is not to become a solo diver but to be self-sufficient. So that means two of everything that keeps us alive. Two tanks, two regulators, two computers, two reels, two surface marker buoys etc. Sounds like a lot but the way the rig is set up means it’s all tucked away neatly making the equipment very streamlined and a pleasure to wear. In fact in most cases a lot more streamlined than a single cylinder and BCD.
How do I start?
Now you have a rough idea of what it’s all about so the question (I hope) that’s on your mind is… how do I start?
Tech, much like recreational, is about the training agency for sure, but in technical I believe the most important decision is the Instructor you choose to work with. A good Instructor will nurture you and make the training challenging but rewarding and you will be chomping at the bit to get diving with that Instructor again.
Paul is the Director of Training at RAID. To find out more about the courses that RAID offers, visit www.diveraid.com.
News
Dive Worldwide Announces Bite-Back as its Charity of the Year
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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