how to start 'tech' training

How do people start it?
Do you dive twins for a while and then do the training necessary to do the deeper deco dives? OR buy a twinset and do the courses right away?

JOIN THE LADS ON THE GUE DAY ,GUE Experience Day - 15th January

What do you mean by "tech" training?

You don't necessarily have to do technical dives to use a twinset - nor do you have to do deco. At the end of the day it's effectively just more gas than usual with options for protecting some of that gas if a failure occurs.

GUE Experience Day - 15th January
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Hi all

After the cancellation of the day on Saturday I've had a bunch of people contact me to see if I'd be willing to run another in January rather than wait, so I'm going to go to Dosthill on Saturday the 15th and invite anyone interested in GUE or DIR Diving to join me. The plan will be

Surface Session 1
GUE Introduction Talk
Buoyancy, Trim and positioning Talk
Dive 1 Brief

Dive 1 - Basic Skills demonstrations
Buoyancy and Trim Demonstration - GUE Instructor & GUE Fundamentals Diver
Frog and Back Kick Demonstration - GUE Instructor & GUE Fundamentals Diver
Practice and video
Basic 5 skills demonstration - GUE instructor Intern
Ascent with stops.

Surface Session 2
Debrief
Kit configuration Talk
Team Diving Talk

Dive 2
SMB Deployment Demonstration by GUE Fundamentals Diver
Valve Drill Demonstration by GUE Tech 1 Diver
S Drill Demonstration by GUE Tech2 Diver
Ascent with stops Practice and Video

Surface Session 3
Video Debrief
Q&A

The dives will be videod. As this is not a GUE course, I will be making the video available. However, I will edit the video over Xmas and you will receive the bits where you are the only diver in the frame. The demonstrations are being done by GUE divers at all levels to show that we teach the same standards and skillset from the start.

There will also be equipment around for people to try out if they are interested. If you plan on coming, please let me know by adding your name to the thread, so I can plan appropriately

cheers!

Dosthill Address

Dosthill Quarry
Church Road
Dosthill, Tamworth
B77 1LL
(Use B77 1LU for Satnav)

It depends where you are in you diving, what you are comfortable with doing and where you want to end up.

If you are already reasonably accomplished in the water, then you could go staight from single tank diving to Advanced Recreational Trimix. The transition isn't that painful, and the instructor shouldn't be prepared to do a bit of teaching (that's what you pay us for )

However if you are a relative newbie, then perhaps worth doing a twin set orientation first, and clocking up some more diving hours in the new rig. You could do that either officially through a course (I use the IANTD Deep Course, TDI have a Twin Set familiarisation course), or through an experienced diver that doesn't mind spending a bit of time with you, or, of course, you could do GUE Fundies.

Whatever the route you choose, you're not going to go far wrong by heading down to Garf's session this weekend if you can make it. It'll give you a good insight into what to expect, the equipment and methods will be much the same wether you choose a TDI, IANTD or GUE based instructor.

Just buy a twinset and jump in, then do the courses you need


Seriously though, it depends on what you want to do and as neil said what you mean by tech

Plenty of people on here willing to give advice on whatever route or diving you want to do, and probably a hell of a lot closer than the 3.5 hour drive to Dosthill if you want to meet up

Ok so by tech- i mean getting into twinset diving.
I dont really have the funds quite at the moment to just buy the full caboodlle.
I was just wondering.
I like learning and having an occasional course. My LDS can rent me a twin set + stage if necessary.
Ive hit the end of doing 'recreational' courses. Well im going to do my 'wreck course' in the summer.
So im looking at tech40 which i can do with xmas money. Im looking at this but having only had about 30mins on a twinset in a pool. With no valve drills.
Im sure if i asked I could do a few sessions learning how to use a twinset.

Have you thought about sidemount opposed to using twinset this is the route im gona go having seen the instructor i work with use it and now teaches it !

Have you thought about training with someone other than PADI?

It's increasing in popularity, but I don't see it as having an application in open water. You soon run out of space when you start adding in extra stages, you have a huge space available on your back for a couple of tanks so why not use it.

Why? The PADI/DSAT course is very comprehensive, and the training materials are second to none.

Although better to base your choice on the instructor and their ability, allow the agency to be directed from that.

[hr]

What cert are you now, what's your experience and where do you want to get to?

my instructor, will be one of two people. Both of them are very accomplished techie divers and I have no issues learning from them.
Also alot easier learning PADI for me as my club runs a boat charter every friday and occasional wednesday in summer so ill be doing open water diving then!

I sort of want to do the tech40 course, having spoken to several divers its the way to go!
Its the moving across onto a twin set and doing shut down drills etc that makes me wary.

Why? If funds are an issue then forget "tech" (for now) and spend the xmas fund on a great holiday!

"Tech" kit is expensive, training isn't cheap (although quite excellent), and cost per dive is high. You'l be looking at things like...

Twinset £500++
Stage+regs £500 (new)
dive computer??? which one? £350-1200
plus backups of everything?
and if you get into trimix..... gas fills!!! :scared:

Don't be tempted if you are not sure you have the funds. It will cost more than you think!

Don't forget your LDS is looking sales and loans of things they own cheap!

Intro to tech is a starter course (TDI/SDI) and most tech instructors do something similar to welcome you to the twinset world (as a new customer) as do GUE.

If you want to extend your range then Advanced Recreational Trimix (IANTD) or Helitrox (TDI) are both excellent courses giving 48m intro to trimix ticket with decompression on 100% (if you want).

Equipment costs will follows....

Cool that you have your instructors sorted, but don't let anyone kid you that PADI/DSAT tech route is any better (or any worse) then any other agency. It's all about the instructor.

Twin set familiarisation, shut downs, don't stress, thats what your instructors are there for

its the use of the twinset really, the drills ive heard people running through etc.
Ive used one on 'discover tech' but we just swam about and it did feel 100% better compared to a normal stab jacket bcd.

You won't go far wrong taking Gareth up on his offer of assistance - even if you choose not to go down the GUE route in the future.

Ok, what do you have in terms of regs and cylinders now? What about BCD? Any preference for what you might want to use in the future?

What about diving?
Although on a serious note something like GUE Fundamentals is an excellent course that can bring benefit to your diving even if you don't go down that route later.

What is it that makes you wary about shut downs? Presumably you can already manipulate the valve on your single (e.g. to turn it on if you enter the water with it off!).

Not sure I'd agree completely with this breakdown. If you already have a cylinder for instance then you could pick up a second, a manifold and bands and your there. Backplate and wing may be another expense though (unless your current BCD will take twins). Dive computer? You may find you want a timer instead when you get into tech - much cheaper.

Sadly the trimix costs are indeed scary!

If you can make it over to Capernwray sometime then you're more than welcome to drop in with us next time we're there. It may allay some of your fears, or just put you off diving with us ever again

I have A clamp reg set up of mares prestige, and a prestige octo with a mission 3 console. I dive a normal 12litre cyclinder connected to a Mares Vector 1000mrs plus bcd.
I dive regularly, knocked up 60ish dives in one year, plus im only 22!
I guess its just not knowing! I feel like im doing my OW again.
I have several twinset diving friends,and if I can ill nab one of their set ups and pay for the air and get across to capers.

Ok, you'd probably want to either convert that to DIN or sell it on and get some DIN regs.

I'm guessing the vector won't support a twinset so you'd be looking for either a replacement BCD that did or the more "typical" tech rig of a backplate and wing.

You don't need a twinset to join us - the April Idjits video I've just finished scared features a couple of single cylinder, BCD folk that joined us for the day! If you want to that's fine, if not that's fine. If you want to try a backplate and single cylinder wing that's fine too cos I've got one I can bring along

Maybe you don't agree.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
Sorry did I forget the scooter?

Seriously, if you want to go twin then GUE experience day is one place to start (there are others or just save up for a rebreather and skip the annoying stage )