Technical diving

Technical diving

Tech diving is a natural progression for those who want more out of their SCUBA journey.  The true definition for “Technical Diving” varies depending on who you ask, but it includes dives that require planned decompression stops, multiple gas cylinders, entry into overhead environments, use of TriMix breathing gas or oxygen rich decompression gasses.  A soon as a diver exceeds their No Decompression Limits or NDL’S, they MUST be prepared to handle any emergencies while remaining underwater.  Ascending directly to the surface is no longer an option, either due to the mandatory decompression stops required or from a physical ceiling overhead such as a wreck or cavern environment.

If you’re ready to start your technical diving journey, get in touch and we can paint a clear picture of your path and get you where you want to be.

 

The technical diving courses I offer are a culmination of what I have learned from some of the best instructors in the world as well as my own experiences diving deep shipwrecks and underwater caves.  Having trained with every major Technical and Cave diving agency, I take the best of what each has to offer in order to curate a course that meets individual students needs.  There are multiple ways to safely accomplish a Technical Dive. My goal is to help students navigate Gear choices, breathing gas selection, team protocols and standard operating procedures so that they may make educated decisions on which to implement for a given dive plan.   I offer technical diving courses through TDI as well as IANTD, so that students have options and can choose an agency that aligns with their diving goals.

In most cases, I believe that Helium should be incorporated on dives deeper than recreational SCUBA limits.  For this reason, I teach a combination of 3 courses together so that students have the option to use the breathing  gas that works best for the dive.  Commonly referred to as “AN/DP”,  the TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures are usually taught together in one course and allow students to dive to a max depth of 150′.   Adding the TDI Helitrox course on top of  AN/DP allows students the OPTION to  use up to 35% Helium in their breathing gas.  The three courses and some details about each are listed below.

 

Advanced Nitrox

  • 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, and oxygen service ratings for using gases with more than 40% oxygen

Decompression Procedures

  • 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

 

Helitrox

  • Decompression dive planning including:
    • Gas requirements
      • Oxygen limitations
      • Nitrogen limitations
      • Helium limitations
    • Decompression gas choices
  • Helium as a breathing gas
    • Effects on narcosis
    • Effects on respiration
    • Effects as an insulator
    • Counter
    • diffusion
    • HPNS

 

 

IANTD ADVANCED RECREATIONAL TRIMIX