Technical Diving – A Late in Life Guide…
Like a lot of itches, my tech diving itch began quite small and spread slowly. It started during the pandemic with an innocent question about the GUE training a friend of mine had recently completed.
Her answer was that it had been challenging, but rewarding and had made her want to do more. And indeed she did, going on to rebreathers and cave diving!
At that point in time I had been diving recreationally for over 40 years. Having started with the British Sub Aqua Club back when it could take six months of pool training before you got anywhere near the sea!
Of course PADI changed all that and BSAC went through several reinventions to stay relevant.
But the thing was that the BSAC training was comprehensive, complete and good! I eventually went on to become an Advanced Instructor (AI718) and the Diving Officer of the Awali BSAC branch in Bahrain, where I lived with my family for 7 years in the late 80’s before we migrated to Australia. Getting to Advanced Instructor was, for me, a big deal. The training was hard and I really felt that I had earned that qualification!
It’s obvious to me now that the chat with my friend touched the same nerve my BSAC training had. But that was when I was a young man, not coming up for 70… Was this something I should even be considering at my age?
So, I put myself through full regular and diving medicals plus went to see a cardiologist for a stress test. They all said the same – you are good to go!
And go I did… plus I have documented all the stages I have been through in a series of articles for Scuba Diver magazine.
Technical Diving – A Late in Life Guide…
CCR Training – Crossing the Rubicon
CCR Training… After decades of diving open circuit and thousands of hours underwater with scuba tanks, I finally decided to cross the line that divides recreational diving from full-on technical diving: rebreathers. Closed-Circuit Rebreathers (CCRs) have always kind of intrigued me, with their …
Try CCR – Should You Go There?
Try CCR… If you had asked me just three years ago whether I would ever consider spending five figures on a rebreather, my response would have been a resounding no. Back then, I had no idea how they worked, saw no need for one. And frankly considered them glorified death traps. And yet, just …
Diving on Air at Bikini Atoll
Diving on Air at Bikini Atoll… With any adventure, there’s almost always a pivotal moment when the hypothetical meets the reality. And the full magnitude of what you are trying to do becomes apparent. At Bikini Atoll that moment was during my first dive on the “nuclear fleet”. When, as I …
Diving Technically in the Solomon Islands
2024 was my first full year of diving technically and it involved a lot of learning. Some not insignificant “investment” (expenditure…) in new equipment and a whole new mindset around the preparation for a trip! I had planned the year carefully around three key objectives: Match Fitness For me, this …
Technical Diving Match Fitness
Technical Diving Match Fitness… As the end of 2023 approached, I made a decision to approach technical diving from a different perspective. Instead of merely hoping to engage in occasional tech dives. I decided to commit to dedicated trips where there was no option but to dive technically. I …
Getting into Technical Diving
Getting into Technical Diving… If you are into scuba diving, you will no doubt have noticed the growth of what is generally referred to as “Tech”. I certainly have and my attitude towards it evolved from somewhat dubious, to quite interested, as it became more and more mainstream. I was …