Southeastern Divers, Inc.

2720 Governors Drive SW, Huntsville Alabama 35805 - Phone: 256-536-8404

 

"Training the best divers in North Alabama since 1980."

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Gas Blender

 

 

Max Gilbert PADI IDC Staff Instructor

Gas Blender

When I took my trimix class, it was the weekend after I had taken my DSAT Gas Blender class.  My instructor, Lance Briner, who also assisted in the trimix class, helped me blend gasses for myself, him, and my primary instructor, Jeff Loflin.  I was getting ready to do dives deeper than I’d ever been before, using gasses I’d never breathed before, and I was blending them myself.  Needless to say, I was MOTIVATED to get the job done right!  My need to blend gas came from my interested in deep dives on trimix, a gas with helium in it.  The helium replaces some of the oxygen and nitrogen that’s present in air or nitrox, mitigating the effects of narcosis.  I knew that after I came home from my training, I would want to do some trimix dives, and that the only way I was going to get any trimix fills was to be prepared to blend them myself!

The Gas Blender class starts off with a discussion of why and when people dive mixed gasses (nitrox or trimix), and what the physiological effects of each gas are when breathed at depth.  We discuss and calculate Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) for nitrox, and Equivalent Narcotic Depth (END) for trimix.  After we discuss why divers need and want mixed gasses, we move on to the stuff you have to have to make mixed gasses… oxygen clean cylinders, oxygen compatible/ready tubing, blending stations, etc.  The goal of this part of the course is not to make you a fill station designer, but to let you know the amount of care and consideration that goes into designing one, and why it’s so important.  Finally, we move onto the nitty-gritty, the actual math behind partial pressure blending of mixed gasses.  We work tons of examples on the board, and we also use some software to do the calculations for us.

The class finishes up (maybe on a second day if there are several students) with you actually blending some gasses.  If you just want to be a nitrox blender, you’ll make a couple of different nitrox blends.  If you want to become a trimix blender, you’ll also blend some trimix.  You’d better do a good job, because it’s very likely that one of us is going to personally breathe the gasses you blend!

To take the class, you need to be a PADI Enriched Air Diver (or equivalent).  The class is usually taught on a weekend, so plan on spending Saturday in the classroom, and Sunday at the blending station.

“Sea” you soon… underwater, breathing my own custom blend!

max

 

Check out the PADI Tec Deep Blog HERE!

Southeastern Divers Technical Diving Courses

The “New” Tech

When I was coming up through the ranks of technical diving and technical diving instructing, PADI had just three classes. Tec 1, Tec Deep, and Tec Trimix.  Each course represented a big commitment of time and resources just to get started.  In addition to being a bit unwieldy as courses go, these coursed didn’t line up very well with the course offerings from other training organizations, which meant there wasn’t a good way for someone who’d trained with another training agency to switch over.  A while back, PADI re-vamped the curriculum and made every thing better.

For open circuit diving, PADI now has five classes in technical diving.  Tec 40, Tec 45, Tec 50, Tec 65, and Tec Trimix.  These courses line up just about exactly with the Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures, Extended Range, Normoxic Trimix and Full Trimix courses offered by other agencies, so it’s much easier to cross over to PADI/DSAT if you have taken these courses.  There are also two classes that will help you decide if technical diving is your thing or not.  Discover Tec is conducted in a pool, and lets you find out what it’s like to dive in a technical diving rig.  Tec Basics expands on the Discover Tec experience by training you to do dives in technical gear but staying within recreational limits.  Each class builds on the previous one and each one expands the diver’s limits so they can then  do dives to ready themselves for the next level.  The numbers in each course’s name are the student’s new depth limit (in meters) after completing the course. 

Tec 40 is the first course in the PADI/DSAT Technical Diving series, and students who successfully complete it will be qualified to dive to 40 meters (130 feet), using a single deco gas up to EANx50 to extend no decompression limits, or to use that gas to conduct actual decompression dives with no more than 10 minutes total decompression time.  You’ll learn some dive planning and gas management skills, as well as lots of problem solving techniques.   The pre-requisites for this course are Advanced Open Water Diver, Deep Diver, and Nitrox diver.

Tec 45 is the second of the PADI/DSAT Technical Diving courses and in this course you’ll push through that 130’ recreational depth limit for the first time.  After you successfully complete this course, you’ll be qualified to dive to 45 meters (150 feet), using a single deco gas of nitrox or oxygen to decompress or extend your no-stop limits.  Your decompression limit is removed, meaning you can plan and execute dives with as much deco time as you want.  This course also has some diving pre-requisites.  You’ll need to have a minimum of 50 dives.  At least 12 have to be on nitrox and deeper than 60 feet, and at least six (with or without nitrox) are deeper than 100 feet.

Tec 50 is the third of the PADI/DSAT Technical Diving courses, and in this course, just like in Tec 45, you’ll go deeper than you’ve ever been before.  After successfully completing this course, you’ll be qualified to dive to 50 meters (165 feet) using up to two deco gases of nitrox or oxygen to extend no-stop limits or to decompress on.  In addition to all the pre-requisites for Tec 40 & 45, you’ll also need to have earned a Rescue Diver rating.  Also, there are some dive experience requirements.  You’ll need at least 100 logged dives.  Twenty of them have to be nitrox dives, 25 must be deeper than 60 feet, and 20 must be deeper than 100 feet.

To take these courses, you’ll need some gear that’s different from what you used in your recreational classes.  For Tec 40, you can do the class in your recreational gear, but it really isn’t recommended… a set of technical diving gear is what you should have.  You’ll need a set of double tanks (backmount or sidemount), a regulator for each of the double tanks, plus a regulator for each of your deco cylinders.  For backmount, you’ll need a technical diving harness, or for sidemount you’ll need a sidemount BC.  You’ll also need knives, two methods for determining depth & time, a canister light, two backup lights, a lift bag & finger spool and a couple of masks.  Finally, though it isn’t “required”, I highly recommend that you have experience diving in a dry suit.  Most of the time, it’s chilly to cold at the depths we’ll be diving, and a wetsuit just won’t keep you warm enough. 

There’s more information below about each of the courses we teach and a full equipment list.

Think you’ve got what it takes to join the ranks of the diving elite?  Want to have skills and control in the water better than everyone else?  Come get started on your technical diving learning experience! 

See you underwater… deep, deep, deep underwater!

max

 

Discover Tec

Purpose:

Discover Tec is an experience for certified divers interested in trying out open circuit technical equipment in controlled conditions

 

 

Prerequisites:

Certification as a PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)

Have a minimum of 10 logged dives

Cost:

Free

Dates:

Please call or e-mail for next available class.

Tec 40

Purpose:

PADI Tec 40 course introduces divers to limited decompression diving within accepted recreational depth limits. Although the student who clearly intends to continue through Tec 50 is encouraged to complete Tec 40 in complete tec diving gear, the limits of the Tec 40 qualification allow more flexibility. Therefore, to accommodate divers interested in very limited tec diving, the Tec 40 equipment requirements are only a bit beyond those of the standard recreational kit.

Prerequisites:

·  Certification as PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent)

·  Minimum age of 18 years old

·  Certification as PADI Enriched Air Diver (or equivalent)

·  Certification as PADI Deep Diver (or equivalent)

·  Have a minimum of 50 logged dives, of which at least
- 10 dives must be on enriched air
- 12 dives must be deeper than 18 metres/60 feet
- 6 dives must be deeper than 30 metres/100 feet

·  Have a medical form signed by your physician

Duration:

Each section of the course will require 2-3 days of diving (including pool and open water sessions), 2-3 academic sessions, and 2 or more equipment configuration sessions.

Depth Range:

·  Dive 1: 0-30

·  Dive 2: 30-60

·  Dive 3: 50-90

·  Dive 4: 85-130

Limits:

·  Use decompression software and dive computers to plan and make decompression dives with not more than 10 minutes of total decompression and not deeper than 40 metres/130 feet.

·  Use a single cylinder of decompression gas with up to 50 percent oxygen (EANx50) to add conservatism to the required decompression. The Tec 40 course consists of knowledge development, three practical application sessions, one confined or limited open water dive, two open water no stop dives (simulated decompression) and one open water decompression dive.

 

 

 

 

Certification:

DSAT

Cost:

$450.00

Dates:

Please call or e-mail for next available class

 

 

 

Tec 45

Purpose:

PADI Tec 45 course provides a transitional qualification while continuing to develop as a technical diver. The equipment requirements are the same as for the Tec Deep Diver Course. This diver is qualified to make limited technical decompression dives using the equipment and the procedures used at the Tec Deep Diver level. However, qualifications are narrow, reflecting comparatively limited training and experience. The expectation is that a Tec 45 diver plans to continue on to Tec 50.

Prerequisites:

·  Certification as PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent)

·  Certification as PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent)

·  Minimum age of 18 years old

·  Certification as PADI Enriched Air Diver (or equivalent)

·  Certification as PADI Deep Diver (or equivalent)

·  PADI Tec 40 (or hold a qualifying certification from another organization)

·  Have a minimum of 50 logged dives, of which at least:
- 12 dives were made with enriched air nitrox deeper than 18 metres/60 feet
- 6 (with or without EANx) dives were deeper than 30 metres/100 feet

Duration:

The course will require 2-3 days of diving (including pool and open water sessions), 2-3 academic sessions, and 2 or more equipment configuration sessions.

Depth Range:

·  Dive 1: 8-30

·  Dive 2: 40-60

·  Dive 3: 60-100

·  Dive 4: 90-145

Limits:

·  Make single and repetitive dives to a maximum depth of 45 metres/145 feet.

·  Use a single decompression gas of EANx, or oxygen, to accelerate or add conservatism to the decompression. In addition to the Tec 40 course requirements, the Tec 45 course consists of knowledge development, three practical application sessions, one confined or limited open water dive, two open water no stop dives (simulated decompression) and one open water decompression dive.

Certification:

DSAT

Cost:

$550.00

Dates:

Please call or e-mail for next available class

 

 

 

Tec 50

Purpose:

PADI Tec 50 course is the complete, entry-level skill set for extensive open circuit deep decompression tec diving (formerly Tec Deep Diver). The diver is qualified to make technical decompression dives within the limits of training and equipment.

Prerequisites:

·  Certification as PADI Advanced Open Water (or equivalent)

·  Certification as PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent)

·  Minimum age of 18 years old

·  Certification as PADI Enriched Air Diver (or equivalent)

·  Certification as PADI Deep Diver (or equivalent)

·  DSAT Tec 45 Diver (or hold a qualifying certification from another organization)

·  Have a minimum of 100 logged dives, of which
- 20 dives must be enriched air dives
- 25 dives must be deeper than 18 metres/60 feet
- at least 20 dives must be deeper than 30 metres/100 feet

Duration:

Each section of the course will require 2-3 days of diving (including pool and open water sessions), 2-3 academic sessions, and 2 or more equipment configuration sessions.

Depth Range:

·  Dive 1: 8-30

·  Dive 2: 40-80

·  Dive 3: 100-165

·  Dive 4: 130-165

Limits:

·  Use air, EANx and oxygen for multiple stop decompression dives as deep as 50 metres/165 feet using standard open circuit, multiple cylinder (backmount and/or sidemount) tec diving equipment.

·  Use two decompression gases (EANx and/or oxygen) to accelerate or add conservatism to the decompression. In addition to the Tec 45 course requirements, the Tec 50 course consists of knowledge development, two practical application sessions, two open water no stop dives (simulated decompression) and two open water decompression dives.

Certification:

DSAT

Cost:

$600.00

Dates:

Please call or e-mail for next available class

 

Equipment/Materials Required:

 

·         DSAT Tec Deep Crew Pack.

·         Diving cylinder with at least 80 cubic feet or 2 diving cylinders at least 80 cft back mount or sidemount

·         Primary & secondary regulators for doubles

·         One with a seven foot hose for air sharing

·         One with an SPG

·        Stage/deco cylinders with regulator, SPG & staging kit – properly labeled.  One cylinder required for Tec 40 & Tec 45, two for Tec 50.

·        Back-up deco gas as required

·        BC, back plate & harness (dual bladder or dual wings unless dry suit diving)

·        Dive computer (single or multi-gas), and either back-up computer or timer & depth gauge

·        Back-up decompression information (computer, dive tables, etc.)

·        Exposure protection (dry suit use requires prior dry suit diving experience)

·        Weight system (if needed)

·        Lights as necessary, including primary and backup

·        Jon line (for current diving environments)

·        Safety reel

·        Two slates, (1 wrist-type, one pocket)

·        Compass

·        Z-knife and back-up cutting device

·        Spare clips, pull-ties, tank wrap bands & other rigging accessories

·        Back-up mask (optional)

·        Lift bag (100lbs min)

 

 

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Equipment provided by SDI:

·  Computer with decompression software

·  Oxygen analyzer

·  Emergency Oxygen & first aid kit

·  Contents labels

·  Forms & support materials

Divers will read the appropriate section of their TecRec manual and answer the Knowledge Reviews prior to the practical application portion. A score of at least 80% is required on all exams.

Divers enrolled in the Tec 40, Tec 45, Tec 50 or Tec Deep courses MUST have DAN Master Plan dive insurance (or equivalent). Additionally, all divers MUST have a physician's signature to participate in the classes.

 

 

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