Where in Dahab to do TDI

[Rob Meddes]

<font color='#8D38C9'>Hiya peeps.
&nbsp; Despite my recent misshap i'm planning a trip to the Redsea this summer. My wife &amp; i want to go to Dahab for a week to do a TDI ERD course. Then move south to Sharm for a couple of days before doing a Southern liveaboard. Do you have any recommendations for the course in Dahab &amp; indeed is there the facilities to do this course.
Good diving
Rob

[Spike Jackson]

Hi Rob

My girlfriend and I did Extended Range Diver with Tarek Omar of Tek Tribe who is affiliated with Fantasea which is at the far Northern side of the village on the sea front. He does all the trimix courses as well. We found him to be very good, very friendly and quite a demanding instructor. There was at least one other TDI instructor in Dahab when we were there 2 years ago and I believe more have set up since.

Just a word of advice - go directly to the instructor him/herself as if you go to the various dive centres they will charge you directly and then refer you to the instructor ie at more cost to yourself!

Also try to take as much of your own gear as possible to save on hire costs.

Regards

Simon

[Mark Chase]

Hi

For Dahab we stayed in the Nesima Hotel which was OK and reasnobly priced and we dived with Posiden Dive centre which was a walk down the sea front outside the hotell. They have two in house TDI instructors there. We found them strict but very helpfull and well equiped. They do He on site and have an analizer so you know your getting the correct fill. They also have steel or Ali twin sets and steel or ali 10ltr stages riged with Dive rite stage mounting systems.

If your tight on weight they have CD wings and back plates for hire. Stage regs are Apex 200's

We didnt do a course there so cant comment but they had a proper classroom on site with a lap top to plan dives etc.

I was impressed with them and noted the little things like the 10ltr of 100% o2 taken by the dive guide on every trip reguardless of depth of planned dive. Also the kit washing facilities were good and the water changed every day. Trollies for the twin sets etc etc.

Question why extended range??

Asuming you have a Nitrox cert Deco procedures and entry level Trimix is IMHO a much more usefull course. I beleive ER is being fazed out of the TDI sylibus.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Andy Phillips]

Hi,

I am with Mark on this one, ideed, perhaps more to the point I was with Mark on the trip.

Poseidon were a well set up company, one of the TDI instructors was a Japanese girl called Sumiko, fantastc diver, very calm and relaxed manner. I would recommend them, as with Mark, why not do the Entry Level Trimix, the courses are very similar and this would allow you to dive &quot;mix&quot; to 60M.

Andrew

[Rob Meddes]

<font color='#8D38C9'>The reason we're doing the ERD course is that we don't have a deco procedures ticket. We learned our deco through the BSAC system, learning from books, talking to people &amp; taking litle steps so haven't actually done a course. (maybe that's why i got bent ;¬) &nbsp however after over 100 deco dives i'm not forking out for it now. It'd be like doing a drysuit course. With the entry level Trimix you need a deco ticket but i want to do excellerated deco which i belive the ERD course will give me as well as the deco ticket for when i move up to Trimix.
Will check out the dive centre though. Do you have a contact for their tech instructor?
Good diving
Rob

[Mark Chase]

Rob I have the TDI extended range course material and the Decompresion Procedures and Normoxic Trimix they are all about the same when it comes to decompresion planning using accelorated high 02 mix.

Extended range was writen back in 1999 and even thow that wasent long ago it is well out of date and IMHO aimed squarley at deep air diving. There is even a dive plan in there for a 60m air dive for 30min bottom time. Most people today call this madness.

Like you I had done over a years accelorated deco diving using two stages in some cases. As a result my Deco procedures course lasted one day and two dives. I walked away having lernt that Atrixo hand cream is very good at helping you get your gloves on and keeping your hands warm during the dive.

The entry level Trimix course &nbsp;was writen in 2002 and is a bit more up to date. It was all about dive planning kit preporation and skills and I throughly enjoyed it but more importantly it opened up 50 -70m clear headed diving so it felt a realy usefull course too.

It is a bit irritating to have to do another course to go full trimix but you can understand that they dont want divers droping down to 90+ on their first go at trimix.

My instructor did a deel on incorperating the Deco Procedures and on the upgrade to full trimix so have a chat with them and see how you get on.

Just a thaught

Mark Chase