Scuba Certification In Virginia: Discover Tec Diving

The PADI Discover Tec Experience is a Dive conducted in shallow water wearing technical diving gear. The experience is designed for certified divers who want to gain insight into what Tec Diving is about, but are not sure about signing up for a Tec Diving course.  In fact if you do decide to enroll in the next Tec Diving Course, this experience can be counted as Dive 1 of the  Tec 40 diver course by simply completing a few more skills when taking that next course.

Some of the gear you’ll use includes but is not limited to:

1. Two Cylinders that can be either back mounted or side mounted with DIN system connections – an alternative is a single cylinder with an “H” Valve.
2. Primary and secondary regulators where the primary has a 2 meter/ 7 foot long hose.
3. Technical Diving BCD (Wings) and harness or sidemount harness for sidemount.
4. Dive computer, or a timer, depth gauge and tables.

Prerequisites to take the Discover Tec Course:

1. Be a PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent
2. Have a minimum of ten logged dives
3. Be at least 18 years of age

Are you curious about what Tec Diving is all about?  Want to sample it and not have to make a big commitment?  Then the Discover Tec Course might be just what you are looking for.

SCUBA DIVING LESSONS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA – TECHNICAL DIVING – PADI SELF RELIANT DIVER – SDI SOLO DIVER

Recreational Scuba Diving traditionally calls for all scuba divers to dive in buddy teams.  This practice has historically been used and has its roots in diver safety.  With the popularity of Technical Diving in the past few years the concept of scuba diving in buddy teams has lessened.   While most scuba divers today still scuba dive in buddy teams, there are times when that is just not practical.   As a result Scuba Diving International or SDI came out with a scuba training course called Solo Diver, and the Professional Association of Scuba Instructors or PADI followed with a course called Self Reliant Diver.

At Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, a PADI 5 Star Dive Center in Northern Virginia, we teach primarily recreational scuba diving.  However, there are a number of scuba divers who want to Learn to Scuba Dive Northern Virginia who also want to learn Technical Diving.  Consequently, we teach both recreational scuba diving and technical scuba diving.

Recreational Scuba Diving – The Buddy System

As we stated earlier, recreational scuba divers always dive with a buddy or in buddy teams.  This is a safety issue.  In the event of something out of the ordinary happening a second or even a third scuba diver is present to assist with what ever problem may occur.  Another reason for the Buddy System in scuba diving you use a lot of scuba equipment and  it is simply easier to get into or out of your scuba diving equipment when another scuba diver is present to assist you.

Technical Diving – Self Reliant Diver and Solo Diver

While most of us prefer to dive with a buddy there are times when it might be impractical to dive with a buddy.  Training to dive without a buddy actually goes a long way to making you a better dive buddy.  You learn how to deal with problems on your own, which adds to your ability to help other scuba divers.   A good examples of this is if a buddy gets separated from his dive buddy being self reliant will allow him or her to safely find the missing buddy or safely terminate the scuba dive.  Another example is underwater photography often requires the scuba diver to be separated from his or her buddy in order to be able to photography the fish without scaring them off.  Wreck Divers also need to be self reliant since they are often separated from each other when exploring narrow passages of a ship wreck.

Technical Scuba Diving Equipment

In order to scuba dive without a buddy you need to have redundant scuba equipment and be self reliant.  To do this you must scuba dive with some Technical Scuba Diving Equipment.  In addition to the primary scuba cylinder the diver would carry a redundant second air supply like a pony bottle and second scuba regulator.   The list of back up scuba equipment is very extensive and we will cover this in a future segment.

What is Technical Diving or Solo Diving Like – Discover Tec

If you think that you might be interested in trying either technical scuba diving or the SDI Solo Diver or PADI Self Reliant Diver courses but are not sure then you might want to try the Discover Tec Course.   The Discover Tec course is a pool experience under the direction of a Technical Diving Instructor who will show you the appropriate technical diving equipment and even allow you to test it in a swimming pool.

Discover Tec, SDI Solo Diver and the PADI Self Reliant Diver courses are interesting and lead you into a whole new realm of underwater adventure.  Whether or not you decide to continue your scuba diving training you will appreciate the things you learn in the courses and they will also make you a better recreational scuba diver.

TECHNICAL SCUBA DIVING INSTRUCTION IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Scuba Diving is a fun sport that is enjoyed by countless divers around the world.  That is why there are Dive Centers like Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy that offer Scuba Dive Training and Scuba Diving Equipment.

Scuba Diving attracts divers who want to see reefs and exotic tropical fish, divers who want to explore sunken shipwrecks, and divers who just like the feeling of weightlessness.   Recreational Scuba Diving has a depth limit of 130 feet and divers will always dive in buddy teams for safety and practicality.  In addition there are strict guidelines for how long a diver can stay down to prevent illness or injury.  If you learn to scuba dive in Northern Virginia or anywhere else for that matter involves learning these rules and obeying them.

In recent years some Scuba Divers have wanted to go deeper and stay longer.  This is a type of Scuba Diving that goes beyond the Recreational Diving Limits – this is what is known as Technical Diving.

DISCOVER TEC

When you participate in the Discover Tec course you will learn about technical diving equipment and procedures to see if they are right for you. In the pool you will actually use some of the equipment and experience some of the skills.  As an added bonus the Discover Tec experiences can also credit towards the Tec 40 Course.

TEC 40 COURSE

As recreational divers all of our dives are what is called no-decompression dives.  That means that we can go directly to the surface without having to stop on the way to off gas excess nitrogen. In the Tec 40 Course you learn how to do decompression dives where you use a dive computer or special tables to calculate how long you can stay and how much time you must spend at various depths to decompress or off gas. In the Tec 40 Course you learn to dive beyond 130 feet and you can complete up to 10 minutes of staged decompression time.  Diving in an overhead environment is also taught during this course.  The skills and dives learned in the Tec 40 Course count toward the requirements of the Tec 45 Course.

TEC 45 COURSE

The Tec 45 Course picks up where the Tec 40 Course ends.  You learn to dive to a maximum depth of 145 feet and how to follow that with repetitive dives.  You also learn how to Enriched Air or Nitrox or oxygen to assist in your decompression.  There is no time limit to the decompression times that you will use in this course.  In addition technical diving emergencies and how to respond to them is taught during this part of the program. Twin Cylinders and stage decompression bottles are used during this course.  These skills count toward the skill requirements for the Tec 50 Course.

TEC 50 COURSE

In the Tec 50 Course the diver will actually make dives to 165 feet and learn how to use decompression computer programs to create dive tables that are needed to complete these dives.  The diver also qualifies to complete technical dives independently without a technical diving Instructor.  Like the Tec 45 Course the diver will use twin cylinders and staged decompression bottles.

DSAT GAS BLENDER COURSE

The Gas Blender Course is a classroom only course to teach the technical diver how to mix the appropriate gases needed for enriched air and decompression diving.  The use of desk top computer programs to assist with calculating the proper mix is also taught.

SDI SOLO DIVER & PADI SELF RELIANT DIVER COURSE

As we mentioned in the beginning of this article, recreational divers always dive in buddy teams or pairs.  Two Scuba Certification Agencies, Scuba Diving International – SDI and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors – PADI have come out with courses teaching the diver to dive without a dive buddy.  The SDI Solo Diver Course and the PADI Self Reliant Diver Course are very similar.  Each of these courses, while recognizing that most divers should dive with a buddy train divers who want or must dive alone about the necessary skills and needed redundant Scuba Diving Equipment needed to dive alone.
LEARN TO SCUBA DIVE: TECHNICAL DIVING vs RECREATIONAL DIVING

Technical diving is not for everyone.  However if you are a recreational scuba diver and want to go beyond the limits of recreational diving, and are willing to invest in the additional Scuba Diving Equipment then Technical diving might be just what you are looking for.

Selecting Your Scuba Diving Regulator in Northern Virginia

Why would selecting a Scuba Diving Regulator in Northern Virginia be any different then in selecting a Scuba Diving Regulator anywhere else?  The answer lies in the temperature of the local diving conditions.  Open Water dives in the North Eastern United States is definitely colder then in the Caribbean, therefore the Scuba Diving Equipment being used must be appropriate for the environment.   Aside from that what other factors will determine what Scuba Diving Regulator you will select for you use?  Lets take a look at these factors one at a time.

How Deep Will You Be Diving With Your Scuba Diving Regulator?

A Scuba Diving Regulator will have to pump more air on deeper dives then it will on shallower dives.  Therefore Scuba Divers who often dive deeper will need a Scuba Regulator that is balanced so that it breathes evenly throughout the dive regardless of depth.  All reputable regulator manufacturers make balanced regulators but like anything else some are better then others.  In addition the manufacturers will make balanced regulators in several price ranges so that they can provide product for divers regardless of price range.  For example Sherwood Diving Equipment offers the Brut Regulator, the Magnum Regulator and the SR-1 Regulator which are all come with various features to fit most price ranges.  ScubaPro and Zeagle do the same.   ScubaPro offers the MK25/s600, the MK11/C300 while Zeagle will offer the Mark VII, the  50-D and the DS-V Regulators.  Sub Gear will offer both the Cayman Regulator and the Bonaire Regulator for those divers seeking a balanced regulator.  Obviously if you are doing any type of technical diving you would want a regulator that is balanced for deeper diving.

Diving with Enriched Air – Nitrox:

Not all Scuba Diving Regulators are approved for use with Enriched Air – Nitrox.  Some are approved out of the box and some must have a conversion kit installed in order to use Enriched Air.  Some cannot use enriched air at all.  Scuba Pro Regulators, Zeagle Regulators, Mares Regulators and Aeris Regulators are approved for use with Nitrox out of the box.  The newer Sherwood Regulators are also approved for use with Nitrox.  Since Technical Divers often dive with enriched air or other mixtures your scuba regulator must be able to accommodate these mixtures.

How Cold is the Water?

We mentioned earlier in this article that water temperature has a bearing of the Scuba Diving Regulator that you might use.  In colder water your Scuba Regulator should be either environmentally sealed or have a special heat sink to allow its use in colder water.  Sherwood Regulators, most Zeagle Regulators and many of the Aeris Regulators are environmentally sealed.  Several of the ScubaPro regulators such as the MK25 have heat sinks installed to allow its use in colder water.  The Scuba Pro MK17 is also environmentally sealed.  The use of regulators that are not environmentally sealed or do not have a heat sink can lead to free flows in colder water.

Proper Care of Your Diving Equipment:

Regardless of how good your diving equipment is unless you take proper care of it you will not get the most from it nor will it last as long as it should.  Any Quality Dive Center like Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy will provide proper support for your equipment after you have purchased it.  This should include both instruction on proper use and service after the purchase.  Proper instruction on your equipment care after the purchase should include the do’s and don’ts of what to do and not to do regarding your purchase.  This includes helping you, the consumer, with warranty repairs if needed.

Where to Buy Your Scuba Equipment?

Deciding to buy scuba equipment is only the first step.  Deciding what to buy and where to buy it is just as important.  Since all major Scuba Equipment Manufacturers make quality products deciding where to buy it may be the single most important decision of all.  Select a Dive Center that has a good reputation, has been in business for a long while and has a good reputation for both quality equipment and standing behind the equipment that they sell.  In Northern Virginia, Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy has one of the finest reputations if not the finest reputation for quality product, standing behind the products that they sell and post purchase service of any dive center in the Northern Virginia, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Selecting A Dive Center:
Selecting just the right Dive Center involves more then just finding the one that is closest to you.  Just like an auto mechanic or someone to repair your home, you want someone who is qualified to do the job, takes pride in their work, is willing to work with you if there are problems and whose charges are reasonable.

What To Look For?
One of the best places to start is with friends who are divers.  They may already have a relationship with a local Dive Center that they would recommend.  Even if they do you might want to do some checking on your own.  I live in Alexandria which is in Northern Virginia so I might want to conduct an internet search for: Scuba Lessons, Northern Virginia or Scuba Classes, Northern Virginia or even Dive Center Northern Virginia or Scuba Certification, Northern Virginia.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Training:
Once I have received the list of Dive Centers that comes up under these searches I would try to narrow the list down.  In an earlier post I talked about the different Scuba Certifications (March 2, 2011).  I personally prefer the courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI.  Consequently, I would look to see which ones from the initial list are a PADI Dive Center, preferably a PADI 5 Star or PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center in Northern Virginia.  A PADI 5 Star Dive Center offers more courses and services then a regular Dive Center.  IDC stands for Instructor Development Course which is the training program required to train Scuba Instructors.  Therefore a PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Center would offer the highest level of certifications as well.

At this point you would want to look on their webpage to see what courses they offer.  Does the course list match the areas of diving that you are interested in; such as underwater photography, Deep Diving or Divemaster or Scuba Instructor Training.

In addition to regular Scuba Courses there are many related Dive Courses such as those offered by the Diver’s Alert Network or DAN.  DAN specializes in research and training related to medical issued that influence scuba diving protocol.  Many Dive Centers offer a variety of DAN courses and the more experienced ones are designated as a DAN Training Center.

Narrowing The List – Scuba Equipment:
Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport.  It is most helpful if your Dive Center sells and services scuba equipment.  Look to see that what lines of equipment that they carry.  No Dive Center can carry all of the lines available nor would you want them to do so.  Check to see if they carry some of the major ones, if they have a good inventory of items on hand and if the sales people in the Dive Center are knowledgeable about the products that they carry.  A few phone calls or emails can help establish this part.  Some of the major lines of scuba equipment are Zeagle Scuba Equipment, Sherwood Scuba, Aeris Scuba, Henderson Wetsuits and DUI Dry Suits.

Narrowing The List – Dive Travel:
While I really enjoy teaching scuba diving I must admit that I enjoy leading the Dive Center sponsored Dive Trips even more.  There is a big advantage to diving on trips that are led and sponsored by a Dive Center.  Most of the hard work and research are done for you.  These trips should be led by one of the staff at the Dive Center.  Preferably by a Scuba Instructor so that continuing education scuba courses can be conducted on these trips.  Going on a scuba diving vacation when all the work, the research, reservations and bookings are all done for you makes it so much easier and so much more enjoyable.  You also have a group to socialize with after the dives and usually never have to worry about finding a dive buddy for the dives since you are in a group.

Take a look at the Scuba Dive Travel section of the various Dive Center’s webpages.  Look to see if they offer Dive Travel?  Is it throughout the year?  Do they go to a variety of different resorts and locations?  Will they help you book your own trip (Individual Dive Travel) if your schedule does not match that of the Dive Center?

Adding It All Up – Making Your Selection:
Once you have looked over all of the above options you are then pretty well informed.  You should be able to see what each Dive Center offers and most often one will stand out as being able to provide everything that you are looking for.  This will probably become your own favorite Dive Center.   The next step is easy.  Go in take some classes, go on a trip, maybe add to your collection of scuba equipment and just have fun, and enjoy your Aquatic Adventure!

Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy - Technical Dive Training in Northern Virginia

What is Technical Diving?

The past few years there has been quite a bit of talk about Tec Diving or Technical Diving.  Just what do they mean by this?  Before we can answer that question we really have to ask what is scuba diving?  Scuba Diving is diving underwater with a cylinder of compressed air.  You need to be certified as a Scuba Diver in order to purchase scuba equipment and go out on dive boats.

The beginning scuba certification level is the Open Water Diver.  Here a diver is taught the basics about scuba diving and taught to dive to a depth of 60 feet.  Once a diver completes the Open Water course he or she can then take the Advanced Open Water Course.  During the Advanced Open Water course the diver is taught to dive deeper to a depth of 100 feet.  They are also taught underwater navigation and several other advanced skills.  If the diver were to take the Deep Diver Specialty they would be taught even more about deeper diving but would have a maximum depth of 130 feet, which is the recreational diving limit.

Recreational Divers are all certified and all of their divers are to 130 feet or less.  In addition the length of their dives conform to strict adherence to dive tables know as the Recreational Dive Planner, known as an RDP.  The RDP tells the diver exactly how long they can stay at any given depth and still return directly to the service without risk.  Staying longer would put the diver in what is known as Decompression Diving and would require stops at various depths to off gas absorbed nitrogen before going to the surface.  If the diver did not make the stops while surfacing they would run a very great risk of decompression sickness or the bends.  Thus all Recreational Divers stay within these time and depth parameters while diving.

Technical Dive Training involves training diver  to dive deeper then the 130 foot maximum that Recreational Diver adhere to.  In addition Tec or Technical Divers are also trained to stay longer then the Recreational Limits and to end their dives with a series of Decompression Stops, which are beyond the scope of Recreational Diving.

How Long Has Technical Diving Been Around?

Technical Diving is not new.  The first of the Technical Diving Courses – Cave Diving started in the 1960′s and 1970′s.  Since that time Technical Diving has continued to evolve and today many Scuba Training Agencies, such a the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the largest scuba certifying agency in the world offer Technical Diving Courses.  PADI’s Courses are called Tec Rec and Tec Deep.  There are many other agencies offering Technical Diving Courses such as TDI and others.

Why Would I want to be a Technical Diver?

Tec Diving not only has more risk, but it requires significantly more effort and discipline and equipment.  It is not for everyone, and you can be an accomplished , avid top-notch diver your entire life without ever making a tec dive.

That said, there’s a cadre of individuals who want to visit places underwater that relatively few people can.  Many spectacular untouched wrecks lie at depths well below the recreational dive limit.  Some people enjoy the challenge and focus technical diving requires.  Still others love being involved with the cutting edge technologies.  These are all reasons that Technical Diving is growing in popularity.

How do I Become a Technical Diver?

You start by finding a Dive Center that you know is reliable and offers the programs that you want.  Many PADI Dive Centers, like Aquatic Adventures Scuba Academy, in Alexandria, Virginia, a PADI 5 Star Instructor (IDC) Development Dive Center offers Technical Diving Courses.

Once you find your Dive Center and verify that they offer the scuba diving courses that you desire you need to make sure that you possess the prerequisite background experience.  The Tec Rec course requires participants to have completed not only the PADI Advanced Open Water Course, but the PADI Rescue Diver Course, The PADI Deep Diver Course and the PADI Enriched Air or Nitrox Course as well.  In addition the diver must also have logged over 100 scuba dives.

What Technical Diving Courses Do I Take?

Once you have completed the prerequisites you can then enroll in the Tec Rec course program.  Divers usually start by taking Introduction to Technical Diving, which is a pool experience where you can test the equipment used in technical diving to see if it is something that you like.  Once you decide that it is you then start with the first course Tec 40.  Tec 40 means you are training to dive to 40 meters or 132 feet using Decompression Diving Techniques.  This course is is followed by Tec 45 (148 feet) and then Tec 50 (165 feet).  While many divers will take all (Tec 40, 45 & 50) many divers will take just Tec 40 or Tec 40 & 45 and then stop.  Not everyone wants to go to 165 feet.  That is the nice part you take the ones you want – you do not have to take them all.

What Scuba Diving Equipment do I need for Technical Diving?

The diving equipment that you use as a Technical Diver is much the same as that of a Recreational Diver.  The Technical Diver, however, used two to five regulators, a dive computer, and several scuba cylinders.  Redundancy is the word.  Everything is backed up in case of an equipment malfunction.  The costs involved are greater then that for a Recreational Diver, but since at greater depths an equipment malfunction can be much more hazardous then it is for Recreational Divers the extra precautions are well worthwhile.

Once you have completed the training a whole new world awaits you.  There are many ship wrecks and dive sights that await you.  While the training is fun and enjoyable the diving once you are a Tech Diver is a whole new world!