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More thoughts from me, these ones prompted by articles by John, MSMAIL%"HeimannJ@WL* SCSD"%GTEC3.dnet@gt*.co* (that's not a REAL email address, is it!?) and Maria, mdm@im*.cm*.lt*.de*.co*, and also several people's introductory articles. There seems to be an assumption within the diving community at large, that "technical diving" == "very deep diving". In advanced diving circles, I do not believe that this is necessarily the case. To me, Technical Diving implies simply, the use of technology to enhance the diving experience. Just that! It is certainly true that through the use of technology, one is able to safely extend the range of one's dives, both in terms of time, and depth, but this should not be viewed as the sole goal of Technical Diving. The use of an underwater communicator can, for example, enhance the safety of a dive. At a recent club meeting here, Captain Howard Klein (who runs the dive boat The Eagle's Nest, in Long Island, NY) gave a presentation. Howard refers to his ship, not as a `dive boat', but as a `surface support vessel'. His dive masters, as well as any divers that want to, get to use a communicator, such as the OTS buddy phones. Not only does this give diver-diver contact, it also allows diver-surface communication. Now, imagine if you're diving and get stuck in a crevice between two rocks on an ordinary dive at, say 25 meters down. The implication of having the radio is that you can announce "Help, I'm stuck in a crevice, after about 3 minutes swim north from the boat, and I'm 25 meters down," and other divers, and the surface support staff, will know when and where to start searching. Without the technology, you may be out of air and drowned, before anyone even thinks to start looking for you. Yes, we did kick this list off with a lot of discussion about NITROX and TRIMIX, and these technologies are focused on extending dive times or depths. However, I too, want to stress that NITROX and TRIMIX are there primarily to enhance the SAFETY of such dives and that both technologies are still relatively new. You don't just take a NITROX course, then fill your tanks and go do a 1-hour dive to 30 meters. And, don't expect to take a TRIMIX course, get a fill, then dive straight down to 80 meters for a bit. As John said, it is important if you plan to dive deep, to do it in phases. Even if you have a TRIMIX certificate, and just did a qualification dive to 70 meters, it is wise to then take a few steps back and get comfortable with what you learned, but in less demanding conditions. During your TRIMIX class, you probably used stage bottles for the first time. So that's at least three new things: stage bottles, extended depth, and a new gas. So, after the class, go back to diving to 20 meters, use air, and just practice with handling stage bottles. Only when you are TOTALLY COMFORTABLE with that, should you move back a bit deeper. To follow up on Maria's comment, technical divers should always remember why the recreational dive limits are there: SAFETY. When you apply technical concepts to any dive, you should do so in a manner that enhances the safety of that dive. And, this can only be done through a thorough understanding of that technology, together with gradual and increasing experience in its use. -jr
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