Tech diving

Awesome!

Thanks for getting back to me on the tech regs question. I had heard several good things about them from my husband, and some research.. but also wanted to hear if people had field tested them and their opinions. Good to hear about them. I guess that that is the next major purchase.

Interesting opinion on the bottom timer... and a lot cheaper too! Good to hear about that, that would mean I can buy those regs much quicker.

No one here where I am knows anything about tech diving. I am pretty much alone here, and dont have many people to chat with, outside of the internet.... my twins are sitting still with all their gear... ready for action. However, Bahrain does not really have deep enough water to be considered technical.. how does 30feet sound? It takes over 2 hours by boat to get to anything deeper... I need to get out of here! :duh

Thanks again... I will check up on those sites that you listed Mia... good to see another female out there not fitting in with the traditional stereotype! There is nothing in my gear kit that is pink! HAHA!

thanks again...
Neeka

Apeks Regulators

Hi Neeka,
I can't say enough good things about the Apeks. The Tech 50 D are the best
on both the 1st and 2nd stage regulators. You can however use their Tech 40 2nd
stages on your stage cylinders, they still have one manual adjustment lever on the side
instead of the two but work well at depth on any gas.
Write me anytime, I love to field technical questions, If I don't have the answer right with me I can get it.
I just finished working on some Q & A for Dive Training magazine, they will come out in the next few issues.
I'm working on a diving article about technical diving some of Floridas' deeper wrecks
that I have taught on and dived over the years.
Had a really nice 3 weeks up in Washington DC area doing research of some of the
crew that is still alive from the USS Wilkes-Barre (255' FSW) now laying off of the Florida Keys.
Have a great day,
Chris.
ChrisToedt@VanceSystems.Com e-mail

Thanks

Thanks for the info... I will get around to asking you some more questions on email in the hopes that you can answer them... probably closer to my actual date of purchase....! I think that I am sold on the idea of the Apeks... everything that I have read, and all the comments I have heard are pretty good. I havent really heard anything negative about them at all.

I do have one question to anyone who has the Suunto Mosquito computer. I was out working outside one day here in the middle east and had a curiousity as to the temp. I changed it over to dive mode to check out the temp.... it read an amazing 40C.. then later by the pool I read 42C. My friends here wont believe me that this is the temp... I even did another test with it in the freezer.. and it went down to -4C. My friends here wont believe me that this is the actual temp.... as it is not listed in the newspaper or on the news as such. Im a completely barking up the wrong tree to use this as a temp guide? I know... stupid question that I could verify with a thermometer... but has anyone had experience with the temp guage not in water? OK.. sorry about that question....

Just a curiousity though.. to all of you who may read this... including the forum advisors and all.... Any chance of getting this "techical diving" as it's own heading in the forum line up? It was pretty hard to find, and it seems pretty busy... could it warrant it's own place under Scuba, Scuba Gear...etc? Just curious... it may make it more obvious to the public out there that havent gone searching.

Here is another curiousity of mine... how much difference is there between the technical agencies? In regards to taking advanced classes I may not have the ability to take courses with the same agency and may have to change over..due to location and where I live. Any information on the type of classes offered by the different agencies? I have at present some classes through IANTD, but would have to change over to TDI in the future as that is what is available where I will be going. I know that they all have the basic specs, and requirements, and that I can easily switch over... but I guess my main curiousity is, should I stick with one agency? Does one agency have superior courses to others in regards to their approach.

TO make myself more clear.... is IANTD the best place for deep air diving, where as TDI is the best for Trimix, and Cave diving is best taken through another agency....where as I should take Deep Wreck diving through another as of yet unspecified agency?
Have I made myself clear? If not... I can re-ask the question.
Thanks again for all the help!
Hope to see this Tech diving as a main title in the line up soon!
Neeka

Technical Diving Questions - Suunto computer/Agencies

Hi Neeka,
On the Suunto Computer question I will forward you to Brian Patrick in Florida, he keeps
up with specs on computers very well. E-mail patrib@yahoo.com and tell him I reccomended him to you.

As far as Technical Agencies, write me back and let me know what certs you have right now,
I'll be happy to point you in the right direction without doing any agency bashings.
I do teach for IANTD and have been very pleased with their technical instruction for a long time. We also teach recreational courses. A nice detail with their recreational instruction is that a diver can start out with their first course as a Nitrox Open Water Diver and never have
to dive air.
Neeka, I try and discourage anyone from doing Deep Air Diving anymore, yes I used to do it and teach it but with Nitrox, Trimix, Heliox and other mixed gases so readily available its not
wise to dive air these days.
If you absolutely can not get Nitrox or Helium based breathing gases and have to go deep
I will point you towards someone that can/will teach you deep air. I just can't with a clear concience teach it now.
IANTD is recognized worldwide and we have instructors everywhere.
As far as Cave you have many options, NACD, NSS-CDS and IANTD all teach and are
recognized the world wide.
Dive safe, educated and equipped.
Chris
ChrisToedt@VanceSystems.com