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I took a TDI nitrox course in 1995 that only covered the theory. I got my card without doing any dives, or even analysing a tank. ss >From: Joel Markwell <joeldm@mi*.co*> >To: Techdiver <techdiver@aquanaut.com> >Subject: Why/Why Not TDI? >Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 11:38:17 -0400 > >Bruce asked me why I had a negative opinion of TDI. Here are my thoughts. >I'd be interested to hear the experiences of others: > >My own experience with TDI was the basis of my opinion and buttressed by >input from others. Back in 1995 I did a course with their training >director. Deep Air (Extended Range), Advanced Nitrox and Trimix over a long >weekend. Our first dives were to 213' on air in Forty Fathom Grotto. I sat >on the hood of a VW and did some math. As we worked through the weekend we >completed all the work for the other courses and I passed the tests and the >water work, but expressed some misgivings about my ability with math >generally, so the instructor decided to delay the Trimix cert card until I >felt more "solid." After some prompting he subsequently emailed me a test >which I easily could have completed, but of course, I could have had >someone else do it for me or simply could have copied the answers out of a >book. > >That experience, along with other input about TDI and their approach >solidified my attitude. Early in their history (I can't confirm this >myself, so I present it here as a rumor) I heard from what I considered to >be reliable sources that they had a pretty easy vetting process for >instructor "crossovers." Pay the fee and BAM! you're a TDI instructor. Is >this true? Dunno, but I'm sure someone here can prove or disprove it. > >But even more notorious are the Deep Air "outings" sponsored by TDI like >the infamous "wah-wah" incident which you can find a description of here: > >http://www.subaqua.co.uk/reference/wah-wah.shtml > >Or the death on Deep Air of Rob Palmer at another TDI conclave: > >http://www.divernet.com/profs/palmer399.htm > >Following that incident, some people, ostensibly TDI people, were putting >out online that Rob must have died "spontaneously" from some physical >ailment. In other words, he suited up for a deep dive in doubles, then had >some kind of an attack, passed out and fell in the water and dropped deep >before anyone could get to him. That didn't wash and it wasn't too long >before the real nature of the dive weekend came out. > >People change. Even agencies change. I understand that TDI has changed the >deep air component of its Tech coursework . . . up to 180 fsw on air. But >the "usual suspects" are still at work there, so I can't imagine that much >of a change. Bret Gilliam, infamous deep air diver and proud proponent of a >beer between dives, is still president, so how much change could there be? > >You can find Bret's "beer" article here: > >http://www.scubadiving.com/training/instruction/rules.shtml > >And in the same magazine elsewhere, a warning against drinking beer (and >why) even in the evening before a dive day: > >http://www.scubadiving.com/training/medicine/dangersdehydration.shtml > >That same magazine that Bret writes for has also promoted solo diving. >SDI, the OW component of TDI has a course for solo training, so you do the >math. > >You can see why I never answered that email. After some reflection I >decided that I'd be better off taking a real Trimix course. > >JoeL _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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