technical diving

[Phantom]

I'm curious what it means to be a technical diver and how one can get there

[Jack]

Technical diving is anything that denies you direct access to the surface. So that means diving in a hard (cave/ wreck) or soft (decompression) overhead. Because of this, you need additional training, equipment, and planning to handle a myriad of eventualities while remaining underwater. All critical gear is redundant, gases are selected and planned to support a variety of contingencies, and procedures are established and practiced in order to mitigate as much risk as possible from numerous emergency scenarios.

Becoming a technical diver requires time, patience, MONEY, and a good mentor/instructor. That path you take to get there should depend on your goals. If you want to be a technical diver just to be a technical diver, you should reconsider your motives. If you want to see wrecks, caves, deep stuff, then that's how you need to lay out a training plan. Find some technical divers in the area and go on a practice dive with them. Ask questions, see what they do, how often they dive, how much work it takes to plan and execute dives. Most people tend to grossly underestimate the time, effort, and money required to do these dives proficiently. If you think you are ready for that kind of commitment, then come join the madness

[DeepDish]

IMHO tech isn't about going deeper or carrying more gear (in fact you'll see plenty of rec divers carrying more gear). And it's defintiely not about sinking faster

I'd say it's about attitude; leading to gear choice/set-up, trying to be prepared for all eventualities/self-sufficient while part of a team of similarly-minded people (or diving solo); and about valuing practical experience over certification

As far as getting there, I'd start with becoming a good rec diver, then finding a good instructor with tech experience

[Dida]

Getting into Tech Diving

As divers become more experienced and more educated with training a natural progression occurs towards diving with Nitrox (defined below). This in itself is the first step towards becoming a technical diver. The advantages are clear, better bottom dives and less post diving affects associated with with usingair (nitrogen loading and fatigue is accepted by all to being reduced when using Nitrox), though this comes at a price. The diver is constrained to a Maximum Operating Depth (MOD) which reflects the Nitrox mix being used for the dive.

The additional dangers of diving with Nitrox than with air are made very clear on the PADI Nitrox course, the dreaded Oxygen Toxicity. This is generally fatal at depth due to the associated convulsions which cause the diver to drown (unless a full face mask is worn). What is worse there is very little indication something that might be wrong before the convulsions begin.

[DiveDevil1966]

NITROX Diving is not classed technical diving anymore. Nitrox has become part of the mainstream diving, and diving practices with many operators offering this service free.
Completing an Enriched Air Course, often referred to as Nitrox Course, teaches the use of the enriched gas and how to safely plan and conduct dives with enriched air. The advantages are; longer bottom time and may even make you feel more compfrtbale after a day of mulitple dives.
There are also some hazards, but with the porper training and equipment this is very much minimised.
However, learning how to dive with enriched air and plan Enriched Air Dives has nothing to do with the kind of diving we call "TECHNICAL DIVING", and it also should not be placed into the natural progression of every diver.
Just waearing a black mask, and twinset, pumped with NITROX does not make you a technical diver. There is a lot of training necessary, investment into the new and suitable equipment, and much more.
Lets not forget that getting invovled into technical diving also requires the acknoledgement of the higher risk involved in diving beyond recreational diving limits.

DiveDevil