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IMHO, it's all semantics. You dive how you dive and do what you have to do. If the lines of categories we invented are blurring, what difference does it make to the actual diving? Shaun P Beevor wrote: > A STATE OF MIND > > Recently I made a comment that technical diving is a state of mind, upon being asked to explain this (by a non technical diver) I found myself at a loss for words. > Like trying to explain love, to someone who's never been in love, this as you will probably understand is harder than it sounds. > It's my honest belief that there are many divers conducting technical dives who should not be considered technical divers. This as you can imagine is not an > opinion that will make me a popular member of the technical diving community. However I strongly believe, it's an issue that needs to be addressed, even if it > means rocking the proverbial boat. > So first let us examine in brief, what are generally considered to be some of the key phrases & beliefs in the technical diving community, followed by a state > of mind comment. > > Redundancy: Technically correct? Redundant systems, often considered at the heart of technical diving are now, & have always been readily available to both the > recreational & technical diver. So does this mean that John Doe, who dives with a pony bottle strapped to his rig is a technical diver? No, not at all, but it > may well indicate he has a healthy respect for his environment. Putting Mr John Doe well ahead of many self proclaimed technical divers & bringing him closer > to that state of mind. > > Oxygen management exposure: With the rapid growth of the recreational nitrox industry, O2 management has become an everyday event, dispelling the myth that > this is purely the realm of the technical diver. > The question is, do you choose to follow or ignore the already hazardous industry guide lines? There are many divers who chose to ignore them, believing > that they are only relevant, if you're not conducting deep air dives. (Charles Darwin, come on down) > > Staged decompression: let's not get confused here, all diving is decompression diving, whether it's 30 feet or 200 feet it's all the same. What makes > the difference is whether you can ascend directly to the surface or not, if you can't it's a staged decompression dive. So does this mean that if you > practice staged decompression you're a technical diver? I hope not, as I know of many non technical divers who regularly perform lengthy staged decompression, > with the nearest stage bottle being at the local dive store. Definitely the wrong state of mind. > > Gas management: A very broad term, which you could say covers everything from getting back to the boat with 100psi, to the rule of thirds. But Let's face > it most divers practice some form of gas management, so what makes a dive technical? Well technically speaking, the rule of thirds is generally considered > the industry standard, but there are many technical divers who chose to ignore this rule. Instead, they prefer the it'll be OK rule. A very questionable > state of mind. > > Overhead environment: Ask any diver what an overhead environment is & you'll probably get the same answer. "Well it's when your in a wreck see, or you > know in one of them there caves." Not a bad answer, & for the most part correct. So if you're in an overhead environment are you conducting a > technical dive? No, not necessarily. Again there are many recreational divers who frequently dive in both real & virtual overhead environments, but are > far from being technical divers. It's a question of respect for your environment, Surely a state of mind. > > Diver responsibility: I think now that were getting down to the real issue of technical diving, responsibility to one's self & to those around you. > A diver, whether they are technical or recreational is often judged by their peers, according to their behaviour. Are they responsible? The answer > may be yes, but does this make them a good technical diver? The answer may be no. > > you're probably asking yourself, so what is this state of mind he keeps referring to? How can it be defined? > Well, I'm not sure it can, all I can say is that technical diving is the use of all of the above procedures, & some. But the real meat of it is, > that no matter how well trained a diver is, if he doesn't feel it in his soul, he's probably not a technical diver. > > ARE YOU? > > Shaun P Beevor. > > 1314 william st > key west > fl, 33040 > > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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