Tech Expeditions Instruction

Steps in Ultimate Diver Training: Step 1: Freediving

   In the PDIC Extended Range Freediving Course the student will learn the theories, skills and techniques for safe constant ballast breath hold diving to 30 meters/100 feet. Emphasis will be on relaxation techniques, airway management, form, movement, equalization, safe practices, and rescue. Static apnea, dynamic apnea, and deep diving practicum will develop the student's proficiency in apnea diving. Upon successful completion, the student will receive a PDIC Freediver/Apnea Diver certification card. Duration: 2 days. Prerequisites: 15 years of age or older. Required equipment: mask, snorkel, wetsuit, weightbelt and snorkeling or freediving fins.

Also available: Coaching, Freediving Safety Diver, Freediving Assistant Instructor, Freediving Instructor.

Step 2: Open Water SCUBA Diver Training

   In the PDIC Open Water Diver course, the student will be introduced to the knowledge and skills needed to engage in safe open circuit SCUBA diving in an open water (no overhead obstructions) environment. 8 classroom and pool or confined water sessions will cover snorkeling physiology, SCUBA habits and equipment, SCUBA physiology, decompression, diving oceanography, marine life, open water techniques and testing. At least 5 open water dives will challenge a student's ability to perform self and buddy rescue, demonstrate proper diving skills in open water, handle emergencies and out of air situations, navigate, plan and execute dives using a single SCUBA cylinder. Duration: 10 days. Prerequisites: 15 years of age or older. Required equipment: backplate with single tank BCD wing, mask, snorkel, weight system (if needed), ScubaPro Jet Fins, Turtle Fins, or like design, wetsuit, digital dive timer or dive computer with gauge mode, utility pocket, compass, and the PDIC Dive Tables. You will be assured quality training that exceeds any open water certification course. You will do open water dives in lakes, rivers, and the ocean. Ocean dives will be both surf entry and from boats depending upon the local geography.

Also available: Junior Open Water Diver (minimum age 12 years old).

Step 3: Advanced Open Water

   The PDIC Advanced Open Water Diver course contains a core curriculum of essential diving skills necessary for true advanced diving certification. This core curriculum includes advanced diving equipment systems, boat diving, advanced navigation, search and recovery, diver stress and rescue, limited visibility and night diving, deep water and decompression diving. Open water training dives will evaluate a student's current skill and performance levels, improve techniques focusing on trim, buoyancy, and total awareness of the student's self, equipment, team and environment. Students will learn the proper techniques for using reels and spools, running line, deploying liftbags, recovering objects, navigating complex courses and patterns, diving at night from a cave diving approach, and deep diving simulating decompression stops. Students attending the class equipped with double SCUBA cylinders will be taught the skills to handle nine possible manifold failures and to deal with them individually and as a team. Team skills, communications and procedures will be developed. Duration: 8 days. Prerequisites: PDIC Open Water Diver or equivalent. Minimum age 15 years old.

Also available: Police, fire, rescue, military and special team development training

Step 4: Specialty Training

   More intense training and a thorough knowledge base in Night Diving techniques, Deep Diving, Wreck Diving, Nitrox, Technical Equipment, Drysuit, DPV/Scooter, and Advanced Rescue is available for continuing education and skill development. These are not fluff courses, but truly challenging specialties in which divers will be rewarded with knowledge and skills and not just certification cards.

Also available: Dive Supervisor, Nitrox Dive Supervisor, Assistant Instructor, Instructor, Nitrox Instructor.

Step 5: Technical Preparation Training

   The PDIC Tek Prep course is designed to introduce the student to the skills and techniques that are necessary to engage in technical SCUBA diving. Emphasizing trim, buoyancy, maneuverability, individual procedures, team procedures, and diver creativity, the begining technical student will be taught how to plan, conduct dives that will prepare them for technical training in cave or mixed gas diving. Students will learn the use of double scuba cylinders with isolation manifolds and how to properly rig and carry stage/deco bottles. Several diving philosophies will be presented including DIR, Hogarthian, cave diving and wreck diving practices. Your instructor has trained with instructors from PDIC, GUE, FifthD-X, IANTD, TDI, SDI Solo, NAUI, NACD, IUCRR and NSS-CDS and is able to present a wealth of information from each agency to prepare the student for technical training with each and every organization.

Step 6: Technical Training

   The PDIC Basic Technical Diving course will help prepare a student for extended range diving to 180 feet. Gas planning and management including calculating the amount of drysuit inflation gas, back gas, deco gases, lost gas, best mixes and changing volumes due to pressure and temperature are emphasized. Decompression strategies and omitted decompression strategies are covered. The use of technical equipment as well as liftbag and Jon-line deployments are practiced.

   The PDIC Tek Nitrox course will prepare the diver to use backgas enriched air mixtures that range from 21% to 36% oxygen to extend bottom times to depths of 145 feet and to decompress on mixtures from 40% to 100% oxygen. Students will learn to make dives keeping ppO2's at 1.4 or less on bottom gases during the working part of the dive then take advantage of high oxygen mixtures to eliminate nitrogen more rapidly during ascent. The course continues to focus on improving diver skill, trim, diver performance and the use of decompression and stage bottles.

   The PDIC Tek Wreck course introduces the student to safe wreck diving practices including penetration and gas management strategies. Successful team wreck diving is emphasized, but team breakdown and individual survival strategies are taught.

     The PDIC Cave 1 course will help prepare the student for safe overhead exploration up to 1/6 of the gas supply of double cylinders. Unified team diving is the goal of PDIC Cavern or Cave divers. However, team breakdown under the heavy psychological stresses of overhead environments such as frozen diver, panicked diver, panicked diver during a gas share and critical decision making are studied and practiced. The protection of the cave environment is just as critical as the preservation of life. The student will be trained to respect caves for their beauty and make low impact dives. In a diving world in which most technical students "want to be the next explorer," the greater emphasis will be placed on gentle cave diving techniques and sharing the cave..

     Tek Trimix is coming soon! Contact PDIC Trimix Instructor Trainer, Tony Davidson, for information, instruction or instructor training in PDIC Trimix.

Click here for instructor bio and course information.