course locations

[HP]

I'd choose a great Instructor

If they're all busy - try Chiz

[Roobydoo]

What unit you looking at?

Drop me a PM, and I will tell you what we can offer here in GC.....

Just because it is warm water and clear viz don't mean to say you won't have to work for it......

[Juz]

I always used to say the same - but having just tried to make Tech 2 work with British weather - I'd choose a great Instructor and go somewhere warm where you can maximise the in water time.

Just handling the logistics of courses in the UK gets in the way of learning.

We could have done Tech 2 out somewhere like Malta and done some really wonderful diving - but instead we were trapsing up and down the M5 / A38 and sorting out changes in B&B's

We had fun - but we could have had more learning and more diving in better conditions IMO

HTH

We h

There is no rush to get the Qual tho is there?

UK at least involves hoods, gloves, dry suits etc. Diving in a shortie in 25C water is very different to the diving we do in the UK.

Maybe something like Norway is the answer?

Juz

[HP]

Brian's lining you up a course in South Ossetia

[Gary K]

do it in the UK you pussy

[NotDeadYet]

Another vote for UK. Doing skills in warm, clear water is a lot different to doing them in feck all vis when you're hands are cold and you're tired. Train in the environment you will dive in.

I've done all my training in the UK, generally in the Clyde and usually in winter (why waste the summer training?). We had ice on the deck on my mix course. It's hard work but worth it and a very good confidence builder.

Cheers,

Stuart

[SoggyFox]

I did my MOD1 in cyprus on the zenobia, it made a weeks course into a bit of a holiday and when you finish your dive and get to the surface its pleasantly hot and sunny and you can watch the russian chicks in bikinis, rather than pissing down with rain and friggin cold and the best view is of the burger van and some fat biffa stuffin his face.

hot and sunny allows you to actually enjoy the course and learn the skills with out wondering why the fcuk your there.

Then once you've done the course spend a lot of time building the experience slowly and gradually in the waters you'll be diving the unit in.

[Gareth J]

I did my MOD 1 in Lanzarote in February.

The first dive, despite wearing a drysuit, I was freezing. In fact I was so cold that the instructor could actually see me shaking!
That said, once I added an extra layer I had a great week. The big benefit with doing the course in Lanzarote was that I put a huge amount of underwater time in.
That said the conditions weren't that different from a 'good' UK summer.

With my MOD 3, I did it in the Redsea, again we where able to put a lot of inwater time in.

My view is that I have a lot of experience of UK diving. Where as, on the MOD1, I had no expereince of rebreathers. By going overseas, I maximised the amount of diving time I could have on the Unit.

The big issue is take it slowly when you return. After I finally got my Unit I spent a season doing reletively easy club diving. Changing the way I think & react from OC mode to CC mode. Partly because I don't have a regular rebreather buddy, but mainly OC buddies. So after & between courses I was on my own.

Gareth

[Ferg3333]

I would do it in the UK. Although abroad you might be able to get 15+ hours in over a week which would be a big advantage to coming back to the uk fully familar with what unit you choose, so weigh it up. Abroad will cost ££££ by the time you have got it there and pay for lime.

I did MOD 1 here, MOD 2 Egypt, MOD 3 here.

[grazie42]

Warm and Sunny!

Did mod 1 in 6C water, contrary to some of the other posters I didn´t feel that being cold and miserable added to the "learning experience"...I have a few hundred dives being cold and miserable, I have it down to an art, in-water time and being able to focus on the diving is far more important, IMO...

And there´s plenty of time and oppurtunity to practice being cold and miserable once you get home...

Will do my next course somewhere warm and sunny for sure!