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Scott, you're on the right track but...(and please don't get offended) you are
FAR from your goal.
This is a problem that many of us have. I'm an instructor, cavern diver, Nitrox
and Nitrox advanced (doing a nitrox instructor crossover soon) and I'm not even
close to being a "technical diver". The problem here is that while Technical
diving is an equipment intensive sport, merely having the equipment DOES NOT
make one a technical diver. As one person here already stated..."get all four
I.A.N.D.T courses..." and that person was right. Get the training. Get the
experience with other already qualified people and then, and not until then,
should you "be able to do all these techincal deep dives."
In a nutshell - advanced equipment doesn't make one a techincal diver. Only
advanced training and experience coupled with the correct equipment do.
Now on another note but closely related....
Recently a diver I know of signed up for a rescue course with me. He had
advanced open water and a nitrox course under his belt. After completing the
classrooom portion of the course he disappeared. Later I found that he had gone
to I.A.N.D.T and paid $1500 and gotten an instructorship. Hmmmm. I asked him
when he wanted to finish his rescue course and he replied " I don't need it
now..I'm an Instructor." He doesn't have any first aid, no CPR, no Rescue and
No DAN O2. He also has little (if any) deep experience, no cavern, cave, wreck
or overhead environment experienc and less than 25 NITROX dives under his belt.
GUESS WHAT! Now he can teach (by his own claims) Deep air, Advanced Deep air,
Open water, Nitrox, Advanced NITROX and other courses. ARGHHHHHH! And to add
salt to the wound he now claims he's a "technical diving instructor". Huh?
Well, after diving with him and watching as he put students into inferior
equipment (a BC that even he wouldn't wear because the bladder leaked too bad) a
free flowing regulator and suits that didn't fit) I determined this guy might
have the cert but not the quals. He also took one diver on a 60 foot dive in a
suit that was so badly torn and ill fitting that the diver had to cut the dive
because he was cold. His answer to warming the diver? Jumping Jacks. Geez.
But wait! It gets better! One of his students put a good gash that required 10
stitches on his thumb (just missed the tendons at the base of the thumb) with a
dive knife. What did this wonder instructor do? Nothing. He looked to me for
the First aid kit that he hoped I would have (and luckily did) then when I
instructed him to treat the victim for shock (protocol for bleeding) while I got
ready to transport him to a medical facility, he responded with "screw
that...what the hell you want to lay him down for?". Well, guys. I'm sure you
know the end of this one. I refuse to be seen around him. I notified the
agency and hope that they do the right thing. In the mean time...there are a
lot of suckers out there with posidens and pony bottles just looking for someone
like him to bless them as "tech divers". As another wise person on this list
told me yesterday ...who you learn from is just as important as what you learn.
Thanks for listening,
Mitch
Ps. Scott...keep on the trail though.
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: New Diver
Author: "scott leimroth" <an_scott@ms*.co*> at INTERNET
Date: 9/11/96 9:01 AM
Hello all you tech divers,
i'm new to the tech diving scene but ive got all the right equipment, at least
4 tanks, a helmet, posidon regs and two of every thing. as one famous tekkie
says in his multitude of magazine articles "redundancy, redundancy,
redundancy".
I'm a certified PADI advanced open water diver and also have my Rescue diver
card and i never dive without a buddy. I'm looking forward to my nitrox course
because ill be able to do all these technical deep dives then.
Can anyone give me any advice on tech diving?Thanks for listening,
Bye.
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