South East Tech Training and Dives

[frogkick]

I noticed we have a thriving community of Southerners! I am West London based and looking for

(1) a good outfit and tech buddies to dive with nearby: Littlehampton, Selsey, etc (I'll stretch up to Portland) with a boat equipped with a good ladder or lift (twinset). To start with air/Nitrox bottom gas, eventually progressing to Nitrox deco etc. I noticed the "South Coast Dives" thread from May/June on the Buddy board.

(2) an A++ tech instructor (regardless of agency) to do my Nitrox advanced and deco procedures, again near London.

My own profile: 110 dives, recent move to twinset. Finishing PADI DM + CMAS***, always looking to learn from more experienced divers!

I'd be interested to team up with other YD'ers from Jan 2004 onward.

Cheers,
Frogkick

[Juz]

<font color='#32CD32'>Hi Frog,

Where in West London are you?

Juz

[frogkick]

Hia Juz,

work in TW7 (twickenham/isleworth), live in W9


Frogkick

[Juz]

<font color='#32CD32'>Dive69 (Ewell) run boats out of Littlehampton, diving for all levels.

The boats can be seen on: http://www.wannadive.co.uk/



I trained with Jack Ingle and thought he was excellent. He also runs regular tech trips from Littlehampton.

His website is: http://www.deepwreckdiver.co.uk/


I regularly use the boats for trimix/air with accel deco dives.

If you want to chat further or know anything else, PM me with your number.

Juz

[frogkick]

Many thanks for the info and links Juz. I take it you went BSAC advanced Nitrox then Deco? I've had a quick look but I need to read up in detail. I am currently in &quot;info collecting&quot; mode and I've had a good response so far. Hopefully some time this weekend I'll sit down and think through the various options available to me. For some reason (actually I'm sure it's for the right reasons: more experience for me and more $$ for the agencies) I need to go through, Advanced Nitrox, then Deco procedures, then extended range to be able to do a long deep dive on air and then use high EAN% for deco. I fully subscribe to the need to build up experience, but the courses seem to include a fair amount of overlap. So I guess I'm weighing the pros/cons of going the TDI, IANTD (adv Nitrox, Deco, extended range), or PADI DSAT Tec, or GUE/DIR-F etc etc. I am certain 90% of the value from a course depends on the quality of instructor, and the remaining from the course structure. There are some fundamental differences e.g. max O2 % advocated by the various agencies, and more or less emphasis on skills. I would appreciate more feedback from those who've been confronted with the same choices and why they chose a specific agency/instructor.

Regards,
Frogkick

[Juz]

<font color='#32CD32'>Not at all, I was PADI trained, then did the PADI Nitrox course.

I then spent 3 years gaining experience including deco diving.

I was then able (due to my skill set) to run through TDI ERD and TDI Normoxic trimix in one go. I do stress that this was because my skill set was already upto Deco diving.

Juz

[frogkick]

I didn't know that was an option, but it also makes sense. I'll add that to the list of options, i.e continue diving EAN21-40 with my twinset for a season or two and acquire further experience as I go. That can't do any harm.

Ultimately my goal remains the same: wrecks in the 55-75m range for which air is out of the question. Question is: how best to get to that point safely/efficiently and hopefully in the not too distant future (I am turning 40 next month, and although I am fit, I can't garantee that I'll still be in a position to cart around 50+Kg of kit on my back when I'm 50 - I take my hat off to all the 50+ tech divers out there, and hope to be able to do the same..)

[Davey Willo]

Hi Frogkick

It is becoming universally recognised that 'deep air diving' is a big no no and has probably been responsible for more deaths and incidents than anything else in diving, reading your post you appear to be making some good decisions on the way you want to progress into the tech arena but I would strongly urge you not to dive deep on air but aim to be taking your 'Entry Level Trimix' sometime after your 'Deco Procedures' and not 'Extended Range'

If the sh*t hits the fan and you're deep on air you may regret it in a big way..... &nbsp;

Best Regards
Dave.

[Mark Chase]

Hi M8

Paul R Marks is you man &nbsp;He did my TDI Trimix and Deco Procedures and he is likely candidate for my CCR course. First rate instructor and all round nice bloke


Paul R Marks 07860 239332

www.aquanaut.org.uk

As for diving look out for Defiant out of Little Hampton for the deep tech stuff he has the best boat in the SE. For low cost fun I would look at Dive Eclipse out of Selsea.

ATB

Mark Chase

[frogkick]

Dave I'm 110% with you on that one. I have a bit of a dilemma, as some of the deepish wrecks I dive or hope to dive are also abroad in the Med and unfortunately the local dive operations are probably a good 20 years behind the UK and only just beginning to introduce &quot;vanilla&quot; Nitrox. So the choices in those circumstances are: no dive, or dive deepish on air. I have for the past few years self disciplined myself to a max 54/55m on air which is within safe PPO2 and acceptable levels of narcosis. My motivation in progressing towards tech diving is to (1) deco on O2 - I can hopefully get the LDSs there to conjure up a 50-100 O2 fill and eventually move to normoxic trimix 18/40 using homebrewed mixes, to get to the 65-70m range. None of that is ideal, I know, but it's a question of safely expanding that envelope!

Others have mentioned that I'm wasting my time pursuing a traditional nitrox/deco/trimix route and that I should switch now to rebreather training, delivering ideal ppo2 etc. Problem with that is that I would still be the only twat so equiped and my dives would basically be solo tech dives (erm.. maybe not).

So in short, I need to train in the UK for stuff that can also be relevant to dives abroad. I haven't cracked that one yet, although there maybe a tiny chance that normoxic trimix may be adopted down there over the next 3-4 years, so currently my inclination is the Trimix route, but I'd love to debate that point some more!