Get Started Today with The Dive Shop On McEver Technical Diving

There are SIX SKILLS (challenges) a student must show a proficient level of ability in if he or she wishes to complete a technical diving course with a passing score. Indeed, these are things divers will meet again and again in the real world of technical diving. These six skills can be divided into two sets of three: one set physical and one set mental.

The physical challenges are about place and time: Buoyancy, Trim, Movement. The mental challenges are about control: Breathing, Awareness and Emotion.

Buoyancy, Trim, Movement. These are KEY… Work on these will be a constant challenge, growing as divers as we go.

Breathing, Awareness and Emotion. These are just as critical as the above 3….  These come in time… comfort as we grow as divers.

Before you sign up for a Technical Diving Course understand it will take time… be patient and you will succeed…

Below is a set of sample skills we will be doing… you must be able to complete the circuit of skills while hovering in mid-water…

All candidates will be required to demonstrate hovering motionless for no less than 5 minutes before any new skill will be introduced.

Course prerequisites:

• Minimum age 18
• Minimum certification: SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent, TD Nitrox or equivalent, SDI Advanced or equivalent
• Proof of 25 logged open water dives (50 is Preferred)

What you can expect to learn:

• In-depth dive planning, advanced buoyancy control, gas management, situational awareness, proper trim, gear configuration and selection
• Physics and physiology relating to diving with gas mixes containing more than 40% oxygen
• Gas planning, dive tables, dive computers, oxygen limitations, nitrogen limitations
• Equipment considerations, cylinder labeling, analyzing nitrox mixtures, gas blending procedures, oxygen service ratings for gases with more than 40% oxygen
• Emergency procedures (equipment failures, catastrophic gas loss, omitted decompression, navigational errors, etc.)

TDI Intro to Tech Skills:

• Execute proper gear selection and preparation as well as buddy gas matching
• Mastery of S.T.A.R.T, trim, finning techniques, body positioning, and diver skills
• Overall demonstration of mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution

Advanced Nitrox Skills:

• Demonstrate buoyancy control; ability to hover at fixed position in water column without moving hands or feet
• Show good awareness of buddy and other team members through communication, proximity, and team oriented dive practices
• Demonstrate the ability to manage free flow from primary regulator in controlled fashion, shut down cycle, and switch to back up regulator
• Conduct appropriate safety stop while maintaining neutral buoyancy
• Demonstrate the ability to share air with buddy as both recipient and donor in a controlled manner while maintaining position in the water column
• Demonstrate correct body position; appropriate trim, such as horizontal/streamlined when moving forward
• Demonstrate proper stress analysis with self and dive buddy
  

Decompression Procedures Skills:

• • Decompression dive planning including:
    • Decompression gas choices
    • Tables vs. personal dive computers
    • Emergency and contingency planning (equipment failure, omitted decompression, etc.)
  • Decompression diving procedures
    • Equipment selection
    • Pre-dive checks and drills
    • Stress analysis and mitigation
    • Following a decompression schedule
    • Gas switching
    • Team awareness and communication
    • SMB/lift bag deployment
  • Proper trim, buoyancy and finning techniques
  • Emergency procedures (equipment failures, catastrophic gas loss, omitted decompression, navigational errors, etc.)
  • Equipment considerations, cylinder labeling, analyzing nitrox mixtures, and gas blending procedures

Question: What is technical diving?

Answer; All non commercial diving is categorized as recreational and within recreational diving there is sport and technical.  Sport diving includes your open water certification, advanced scuba diver, and many other specialty courses.  Technical diving picks up where sport diving ends generally at nitrox (a breathing gas with oxygen levels greater than 21 percent).

Question: What is my first step into technical diving?

Answer; Nitrox is most divers first step into technical but it has also become very popular among sport divers so TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures would be a great start.  Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures for the foundation of technical diving all other course will build on the knowledge and skills learned during these courses.

Question: Do I have to go deep for technical diving?

Answer; No. Although technical diving is commonly thought of as deep, there are a lot of courses that stay within the sport diving limits (40 m / 130 feet) such as Advanced Nitrox, Semi Closed Circuit Rebreather (SCR) and Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) and Advanced Wreck to name a few.

Question: Will technical diving allow me to go deeper?

Answer; yes.  TDI has course curriculums that take you as deep as 100 m / 330 feet and do so in a manner that each course builds on the last and each course takes you a little deeper.  By receiving training in this manner not only are your skills and knowledge increasing but so is your comfort level.

Call us at 770.503.0040 to find out where The Dive Shop On McEver and RAID or TDI Technical Training can take you!