When should you take the plunge into

Technical Diving?

There is a growing trend in the diving industry - more and more divers are seeking training to enter the technical ranks. Is this good for the industry? How do you know if tech diving is right for you and how do you know if you are ready to take the plunge?

Danny the Diver is on a trip to San Diego to dive the artificial reefs that have been laid to rest and he is entranced with two of the divers on the boat. The duo is strapping on a set of double tanks that makes his aluminum 80 cuft tank look like a Spare Air cylinder. They dive into the water in their drysuits and are handed even more cylinders from the Divemaster on the boat before they sink below the chilly water's surface.

After Danny finishes his dive, they are nowhere to be seen. He wonders where they went and what they are doing. After his surface interval, he straps his BCD back on and jumps in for a second dive but is startled by the two divers from an hour ago as he descends. They are now hanging on the mooring line, breathing from one of the cylinders that was handed down to each of them before their submergence.

After Danny completes his second dive, he cautiously approaches the two divers to ask them about their equipment and their style of diving. Being friendly enough, they strike up a conversation with Danny and recount stories of unexplored shipwrecks and virgin caves. Danny sits there, on the edge of his seat, listening to their stories and wondering one thing -  How do I get into this type of Diving???

This scenario has been played out countless times on dive boats around the world. Recreational divers, hungry for something more challenging and more exotic, are flocking to Technical Diving like never before. They yearn to see what few or none have ever laid eyes on. They marvel at the toys and gadgets that are hung from tec divers like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Some of them even hunger for something more dangerous than the recreational reef diving in which they have participated for the past years.

What is the cause of this increase? One major reason is the successful campaign of the major certification agencies to market technical diving to the unchallenged recreational enthusiast. The training has become more specialized and the agencies see the benefit, be it monetary, political or simply to promote diver retention, of exposing such divers to the new style of diving.

But is this a good thing?

Heck yeah!!!

Through the increase in the number of technical divers, several effects can be felt that help the industry:

Improved Equipment   - With companies such as Dive Rite, OMS and Halcyon selling more equipment, they can also afford more Research & Development, resulting in more advanced, state of the art, comprehensively tested equipment.

Improved Training   - With the increase in training, certification agencies are more likely to maintain and revise training procedures to evolve with the tec diving market. This results in better training materials and lower certification costs.

More Dive Buddies   - How many times have tec divers tried to put a trip together, only to have it fall apart because they cannot find enough tec divers to fill the roster? With more divers out there, it becomes easier to contact, dive with and benefit from the larger number of divers in the market.

But when does one make the leap to Technical Diving? The answer is simple - only after complete mastery of all recreational skills and techniques. The recreational foundation must be solid before a student can start technical training. There can be no distractions due to buoyancy issues or overtasking. The recreational skills serve as the starting point for technical dive training - without them, training cannot begin.

With the increased interest in Technical Diving, many recreational divers try to rush the process and shorten the learning curve. This is a recipe for disaster - when things go bad, there is no foundatiton to fall back on. Skills have to become second nature and muscle memory must be developed. This is for the diver's enjoyment and, more importantly, for the diver's safety.

So next time you talk to that recreational diver who is thinking of stepping into the technical ranks, make sure to encourage them and let them know how exciting tec diving can be - as long as the prerequisites are met and the diver is prepared.