Advanced nitrox course...

[msssltd]

Unless it has changed drastically;

IANTD - 50% may be used only as a safety gas during decompression (no acceleration).  If you think that Basic Nx is intended to make your no stop diving safer then Advanced  makes your deco diving safer.  I am not aware of any restrictions in stop times - if the dives on the table you can do it.

The equipment you need for the IANTD Advanced course is a single cylinder and a 'pony' for use as a stage.  Redundancy is talked about extensively but your not required  to be redundant.  In fact when I did my course I had to strip my twins apart and go back to a single.

If you don't go any further, Advanced would allow you to make deco dives, using 50% to mitigate the increased DCI risks.  If you intend to go further, it provides a grounding in technical dive planning, stage handling and gas switching.  When your comfortable with the new skills, you go back for Technical Nitrox or Normoxic Trimix; both of which require fully redundant setups (twinsets) and include lots of practical lessons using them.

As far as the differences in TDI and IANTD go.  I put it down to the agency directors.  Tom Mount (IANTD) is a bit of a hippy and idealest - hence IANTD courses are very detailed but with little attention pad to presentation.  Bret Gilliam (TDI) is more of a business man - hence you get better presented materials and a set of limits which encourage TDI gaining market share.

Whichever course, your instructor is more important than the course itself.  I have always gone for instructors that are actively using the techniques they are teaching.  The more demanding the better.

YMMV
Matt

[Helen F H]

<font color='#000080'>I did IANTD at scapa scuba. &nbsp;Found the course good, but only goes up to 50% for deco. &nbsp;It did, however, make sure you were a competent diver as well with navigation etc, serious dive planning and sending up blobs every dive.

[Mark Powell]

The only major difference between the IANTD and TDI course is that TDI lets you use up to 100% wheras the IANTD course is up to 50%.

After that the choice of agency is less important than the choice of instructor.

Some IANTD instructors will only let you do the Advanced course if you are using a twinset and a stage but there are others who will let you do it in singles and a stage. There may be TDI instructors who mandate twins but it is not essential. I taught the course last weekend to two students who were both in singles and borrowed a stage each from me for the course.

As I said the main choice is finding a good instructor. If you are near the lakes then Mr Hayhurst at Dales Divers is an excellent choice.

I would also consider combining advanced nitrox with deco procedures. Advanced nitrox lets you use up to 100% as a safety margin on your deco, deco procedures lets you use accelerated deco and prepares you for longer or more adventourous deco.

[Fiona]

<font color='#0000FF'>I did the IANTD one back in '97 we had to supply at least a single and a redundant source, in my case a pony and we were also provided with another pony / stage.

I think there are easier test papers though &nbsp;

FB

[Paul Beal]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Unless it has changed drastically;

IANTD - 50% may be used only as a safety gas during decompression (no acceleration).

I did IANTD adv nitrox at Stoney in sept 2000 (during the petrol crisis, never seen the car park so empty on a sunday!) and we were taught accelerated deco on 50% using the IANTD EAD table. Agree was a fantastic course, far more in it than the BSAC combined.

IANTD/TDI all come at a price though, the last BSAC combined I ran was £45

Paul

[Dr Stevil]

I did the BSAC combined nitrox (50% max limit) then about 10 months later the TDI one. The TDI one gives you far more freedom to use it how you see it fitting in with your diving, whereas the BSAC one is too limiting with it's 50% max. If the TDI one was limited to 50% too, I wouldn't have bothered doing it.

[wreckweasel]

Just a thought......

If you look into the Inert gas gradients, deco schedules etc 50% starts looking very appealing. That aside, theres two simple reasons I teach people to use it;

1. Easier to get fills at full pressure (no one dies of too much gas!)
2. If you blow your bottom gas for any reason, its a lot easier to get to 21m, than 6m.

Still... everyone has their own reasons.....

PS. Phil, you shouldnt have said that, you're added to my PM contacts list

[Noel Johnson]

Thanks Guys