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>Can you send me any and all information you have about Technical Diving
>inc Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Techdiving, luding Air diving
below 140 fsw and Trimix dives.
>Thank you,
>Adrian Soler
>Miami, Florida
Adrian,
Please do not take this as any sort of making fun of you. I respectfully
encourage you to talk to various people, shops, divers, techdivers on this
list, and anyone you can about training in various aspects of Technical type
diving. If you ever have any questions you need answered, this is the place
to ask them, and you are perfectly right in doing so. The only thing that
makes us chuckle a bit is that it is an EXTREMELY broad based question. I
myself would be happy to talk with you about any of your questions...simply
send a quick e-mail. Please remember, I am only a diver who does technical
type dives...not some " expert", or anybody who claims to know it all.
Tra ining is a BIG key for most techdivers, and should you get the training,
and use some common sense, you will stand a very good chance of having many
fun and exciting dives in your future. Please remember that I am not making
any fun of you personally with this post...I just got a chuckle out of the idea
that somebody could possibly have and post all the information a person would
need to know about technical diving...Most of the people get a few good books
and a good instructor. [[ Can anybody post a list os some of them for her?]]
Thanks hopefully for your understanding,
Tim Olson
*****************************
Now, hopefully I won't be offending anyone, but maybe you'll find this a bit
humorous...The funniest thing about it to some people is that there are
actually people who seem to have this attitude. Like accumulating patches makes
a difference...
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Techdiving,
But Were Afraid to ask
Techdiving is a BRAND NEW form of diving. It is a form of diving
that ABSOLUTELY EVERY diver should easily be able to do. Behind
all the shrouded mystery surrounding Techdiving, you find it is
really little more than a type of diving that relies on "Technical"
equipment, i.e. Pocket Calculators, really "gee-whiz" neato dive
computers, and some nifty sets of multiple tanks. What it takes
to become a Techdiver is basically to get some of they cool
accessories and do between 1 and 4 dives. If you can make it
through this simple test, you will be considered not only a
TECHDIVER, but a well seasoned and EXPERIENCED Techdiver.
The first thing you find different about being a techdiver is that
after taking the techdiver oath, you are then not allowed to dive
AIR. AIR is BAD, unless you are very deep and are planning on doing
DEEP AIR dives, in which case AIR is good, but MIX is BAD. Other
than on DEEP AIR dives, however, you have to remember your oath
and promise NEVER to use AIR...Any form of Nitrox or Mixed gas
will be your breathing medium.
Now that we've gone through a quick intro on MIXed gas, let me
explain more about it. Mixed gas is the absoluetly COOLEST type
of Techdiving. Should you complete 5 mixed gas dives, you will then
be considered a DIVE EXPERT, and other divers must respect you.
If you've ever watched the Flintstones, it's a lot like being the
GRAND POO-BAH of diving. As far as mixing goes, it's really very
simple. You don't really need all those fancy analyzers, gauges,
or any of that. All you really have to do is get a friend in a
local balloon delivery service, and he'll be able to get some
helium for you. What you have to do is first empty your tanks,
then you take out the valves and spray in a little helium. This
gets rid of the extra air in the tank. Then you take the tank
with the valve on and fill it with helium until when you hit the
tank with a 9/16" open end wrench, you get a nice middle "C" tone.
At this point you can fill it with air. Remember though, to be
a real techdiver, you have to fill your tank with AT LEAST 500
to 1000 extra psi. Techdivers don't read tank stamps. To complete
the mixing, take your tanks to a local paint or hardware store,
and have them strap them in to the paint mixing machine. Without
properly agitating the mix, you risk the possibility of breathing
stratified helium, unless you are upside down, which will give you
pure AIR, and remember, that's BAD! Nitrox is mixed the same way
except you need to clean your valve with LEMON PLEDGE before you
fill it. Wipe it off real good and make it shine.
To Analyze your mixtures, it is important to remember that
TECHDIVERS AREN'T SCIENTISTS...we don't need the accuracy that all
those gauges and analyzers give. There are much simpler ways.
First, light a match. Then open the valve and blow a gentle stream
over the flame. If the flame burns bright, it is a Nitrox mixture,
and if it burns brilliant, you have oxygen. If it grows dim, you
have mixed gas. Other than that, just run the air through a white
handkerchief and if it comes back clean you have a good mix.
The only real other aspect of Technical diving is the diving.
This, as you would know from recreational diving, is the easy part.
All you really have to remember is:
#1: ALWAYS USE AT LEAST 2 TANKS!
#2: DEEPER IS BETTER
#3: Have your regulators checked out every couple years
#4: Techdivers dive solo, or only get with their buddies
in an emergency
#5: Have and use a scooter at all times
#6: The more computers you wear, the higher your status and rank
#7: Do your deepest deco-stops first
#8: Buy the book, "How to interpolate deco stops from the
PADI dive planner the Wheel" by I.B. Narked
#9: Wear LOTS of D-rings
#10: Before you attempt any record breaking dives, test
every piece of equipment by hooking it up, turning it on,
and breath testing it in the wash-sink.
That should get you started with Technical diving. Remember, if
you get through a couple dives, you are then a MASTER TECHDIVER,
and you must buy yourself LOTS of PATCHES to SEW ON YOUR DRYSUIT.
The rest of the information out there is simply mis-information that
some people make up as they go along.
P.S. If YOU EVEN CONSIDER THAT THIS IS A REALISTIC POST, PLEASE
QUIT DIVING IMMEDIATELY, BEFORE DEATH HELPS YOU STOP.
Hmm, that guy wasn't asking a little much, was he?
Tim Olson
Underwater Ventures
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