PSA or IANTD Advanced Deco Course...?

[Justin Owen]

A few of us down at CSAC are looking to do the advanced nitrox/deco course with dalesdivers, and we have the option of either the PSA or IANTD courses...

Looking at the PSA website (www.mrscuba.com) doesn't fill me with confidence!

PSA lets us use upto 100%, IANTD 50% o2.

Has anyone done either course, and have an opinion on content, quality of written materials between the two? Anyone done PSA and had trouble getting qualifications recognised etc?

(I am mainly thinking the pros/cons of the agencies here - whichever we choose i'm sure Andy will deliver the course excellently).

[jptaylor9]

I see you belong to a BSAC branch, why are you discounting BSAC's Advanced Nitrox/ERDcourses?

[nickb]

Any reason you haven't considered TDI Deco Procedures?

[gobfish1]

I would only go on a course thats lets me use upto 100%, for deco
then i have a full range of gas to plan my dive's / deco on
50% nitrox for deco at 6m is not for me,

qualifications recognised etc (should be ok its a small world

[Ferg3333]

I just did the IANTD advanced eanx course and due to the quality of the instructor it is the best course I have done so far. I plan to do IANTD tech nitrox which is basically the equivalent of TDI advanced nitrox decompression proceedures and extended range, i think. I would say go IANTD as the materials are good ( not padi standards but then they need to explain it to americans) and from tech nitrox you can go to normoxic trimix in no time at all

[wreckweasel]

Originally Posted by gobfish1

I would only go on a course thats lets me use upto 100%, for deco
then i have a full range of gas to plan my dive's / deco on
50% nitrox for deco at 6m is not for me,

qualifications recognised etc (should be ok its a small world

[Ferg3333]

Originally Posted by gobfish1

I would only go on a course thats lets me use upto 100%, for deco
then i have a full range of gas to plan my dive's / deco on
50% nitrox for deco at 6m is not for me,

qualifications recognised etc (should be ok its a small world

Surely experience doing decompression diving is what you need and to build up experience slowly, giving someone acess to 100% to soon is surely a reciepe for disaster since tdi advanced requires only about 25 dives to do teh course and doesnt even include deco. could you hold a perfect 6m stop after 25 dives? i know i couldnt

[Justin Owen]

Originally Posted by jptaylor9

I see you belong to a BSAC branch, why are you discounting BSAC's Advanced Nitrox/EDR courses?

Already done the Advanced Nitrox. The four day PSA/IANTD course seems more detailed, spaced over four days.

Originally Posted by nickb

Any reason you haven't considered TDI Deco Procedures?

nope! will look into that one too...

[gobfish1]

Originally Posted by Ferg3333

Surely experience doing decompression diving is what you need and to build up experience slowly, giving someone acess to 100% to soon is surely a reciepe for disaster since tdi advanced requires only about 25 dives to do teh course and doesnt even include deco. could you hold a perfect 6m stop after 25 dives? i know i couldnt

Only 25 dives Well thats down to agencies ,
they need to sell two some one

as for access to 100% being a reciepe for disaster , your right ,
if you only have 25 dives under your belt you should have access to 36%
only
should call it Basic Nitrox 1 and Basic nitrox 2

so when do's Advanced become advanced

Can you get to trimix with only 75 dives and lots of cash

[Ferg3333]

I personally have choosen the IANTD route so far and am working on building up my experienece till i am fully prepared to do IANTD tech nitrox and IANTD normoxic hopefully in september, there is also the cost issue, the instructor i went with was really good he makes sure you can do the skills and if you cant you dont get certified simple as, IANTD will get you on trimix after 100 dives if iantd adv nitrox certified and have done 30 ish dives sub 27m but then its only normoxic trimix so your limited to 60m really you need 200 dives to do full trimix, As reguards to advanced courses IANTD gets you were you want to go and the courses are good. But basic nitrox one and two, is like saying A levels should be called gsce part 2 if you get my drift looking back on my degree now you see that every course prior is basically a building block to the next so that is why IANTD is my choosen route:
advanced nitrox limits you to 15 mins deco on 50% so you can build familarity with decompression diving
tech nitrox all the skills to dive to 54m but again build up experience
normoxic you can dive to 60m with a clearer head
basically iantd adv + tech nitrox is the equivalent of tdis 3 courses but that doesnt mean the courses are rushed they just prepare you in different ways