TDI Technical Diver Interview

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TDI – Hello Jarrod, thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us.  Before we get into technical diving, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jarrod – Well I was born and currently live in Albany, New York. I own a water purification company that specializes in products for dialysis companies, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies. I spend my weekends diving the ship wrecks and submarines of the North Atlantic or helping out with dive classes.

TDI – What is your background in diving?

Jarrod – At the age of 16, I opened up a dive magazine and became fascinated with the reef, fish, and shark photos displayed in the Cayman Islands. While I flipped through the pages, I knew I had to become a diver. I went through the Open Water Scuba Diver course and then life seemed to happen and I did not find myself actively diving for a long time. Fast forward 20 years later, as I am planning a cruise ship vacation with family and friends, I see one of our stops is Cayman. I knew this was my golden opportunity to see the reefs, fish, and sharks I saw in the magazine years ago. I went through the inactive diver program to refresh my diving skills before my trip. I always wanted to dive Cayman and I actually got to do it! This trip revamped my enthusiasm for diving in 2007 and I started technical diving in 2010.

TDI – What areas of technical diving are you involved in?

Jarrod – I just switched over to closed circuit rebreather (CCR) diving a year ago and I love it! The bottom time is incredible! I really do not see any reason to go back to diving open circuit (OC). I can spend more time on the bottom while wearing less equipment on CCR dives versus OC dives. Even though you must always be aware of your cylinder pressures in both configurations, I do not feel like I am fighting against a ticking clock of a depleting gas supply while diving a rebreather which makes diving much more relaxing and enjoyable.

TDI – What triggered your transition from sport diving to technical diving?

Jarrod – My wife and I went to Long Island to dive a ship wreck called the USS San Diego that starts in 65FSW and bottoms out at 110FSW. We were not technical divers at the time so were only able to do two short dives on the wreck with a long surface interval in between the dives. It was very frustrating to see the technical divers spend so much more time on the bottom. In fact, they descended with us and didn’t surface until AFTER we completed the second (short) dive of the day. That was the moment that I said to myself, I have to do something! I have to become a technical diver to extend my bottom times allowing me to see and experience more in the water.

TDI – What was the most challenging part of your technical training?

Jarrod – The parts I thought would be really difficult actually turned out to be pretty easy. For example, carrying stage bottle(s), attaching a reel to a surface marker buoy on the bottom then sending it to the surface, and doing valve drills were a lot easier than I anticipated. After practicing these skills a couple of times, I gained the muscle memory to complete these skills efficiently and create a habit. The most challenging part for me was perfecting my buoyancy and trim (body position). During training, I was required to complete all of the skills neutrally buoyant AND trimmed out! I was confident going into training with 60 dives that I had it all figured out but I learned… After spending more time in the water and practicing skills it became much easier.

TDI – As a technical diver, what kind of equipment do you have and how does it differ from recreational diving equipment?

Jarrod – Well to start… There is just a lot more of it! You have to get use to having more gear on you above and below the water. As a technical diver, I expect a lot more out of my gear versus my sport diving equipment. I need it to function when I am obligated to stay underwater due to decompression requirements. The materials need to be strong and heavily stitched. When I am selecting gear, I look for simplicity so when I need to access something I can locate it with ease. I think gear familiarity is extremely important in technical diving. My sport diving gear mirrors my technical diving gear; I wear a long hose configuration, back plate and harness during both OC dive settings. Technical diving equipment also requires redundancy… That was a shock in the beginning when I realized, wow! I need 2 of everything! With the equipment expense in this area of diving, it’s important the gear functions efficiently in the water and lasts a long time.

TDI – What makes a dive a “technical” dive?

Jarrod – Well I know a lot of people would say depth but I have to disagree… I do not feel that is the primary factor that makes a dive a technical dive. I’ve seen people conduct a sport dive within sport diving limitations to the same depth I am doing a technical dive. It’s the amount of time spent on the bottom and tasks that transition a dive from a sport dive to a technical dive. A technical dive involves proper planning, calculating gas requirements, preplanning a mission or object for the dive, setting up contingency plans, reviewing over emergency scenarios and more.

TDI – What do you do to pass the time during decompression?

Jarrod – That’s kind of funny… I always imagined passing the time during decompression as playing video games on my dive computer to make the time go by faster… Instead, I always relive the dive and think back on all of the new exciting things I just saw. I never get the time to do any of the stuff I originally thought I would do… And the marine life! I see more stuff during deco than I have on the reefs. I’ve seen a school of squid swim by, reef sharks, curious barracudas and more. I don’t mind hang times at all.

TDI – What is the mindset of a technical diver?

Jarrod – One of the most important attributes of a technical diver is being disciplined and paying attention to detail. It’s important to stay on track during a dive and not get distracted. Technical divers must put a high emphasis on “plan your dive, dive your plan.”   A technical diver is self reliant and a team player at the same time; they can take care of themselves while being ready to lend assistance if needed.

TDI – What does it take to create a technical dive team?

Jarrod – A technical dive team needs to have the training required for the specific dive. I refuse to do a technical dive outside of the limits of one my teammates training. I want my teammates to pay attention to detail and not mind if we have to put a lot of time into planning and prepping for a dive. They should have the ability to stay on the dive schedule and not get distracted from the plan. I also don’t want anyone to rush and I want my teammates to be squared away and familiar with their own equipment and mine. Technical dive teammates should be in tune with their overall awareness in the water and be willing to step in and act as a backup brain if necessary.

TDI – Most health insurers categorize technical diving as an extreme sport.  Do you think it is?

Jarrod – I don’t really think technical diving is an “extreme sport” but I understand a lot of people do… Sometimes when I tell dive stories to non-divers or even sport divers; they look at me like I have three heads! The reason why I do not consider this an “extreme sport” is due to the fact that I have the training and necessary skills required to complete this type of activity. I have prepared for disasters and set up contingencies long before entering the water.  I am comfortable in this environment and do not view it as extreme.

TDI – What do you do to avoid complacency in diving?

Jarrod – Plain and simply put, I will not be rushed and I will not short cut any steps. I always complete a checklist for every dive conducted. I also have no issues with sitting out the first dive of the day so I can take my time prepping for the next dive with ease. I take my time to ensure I am doing everything properly to avoid missing any steps that could potentially hurt me later on.

TDI – What advice could you give on tech trip planning?

Jarrod – I have found that if you prepare a tech trip with the dive center; your vacation will be much more enjoyable. It’s important to set up logistics beforehand to ensure the operation will be able to provide cylinders, gas fills, absorbent and bailout (if you’re diving a rebreather) and more. Most dive centers out there will do their best to take care of you but it takes letting them know upfront what is needed to allow them the necessary time to line things up on their end. It’s usually much easier if you coordinate everything ahead of time versus showing up expecting them to be ready.

TDI – What value do you place on good technical training and what should someone consider when they are looking for an instructor?

Jarrod – I think good training makes a world of difference in the diving realm. Think about it like this… If you receive subpar instruction that leaves you with enough tools to get you through half of a dive, you’re missing the necessary requirements to get you through the rest of it! That is not a good thing! Quality instruction typically has a high price tag but the end result of proper training will make a world of difference in your future dives. I believe someone who is interested in technical diving should research active instructors. I also think it’s appropriate and important to interview your potential instructor and ask them questions like; how long have you been diving and teaching?  How often do you dive when you are not teaching? A technical instructor that spends his time diving to shallow depths in warm clear water will not do it for me in the harsh conditions of the North Atlantic. I believe you should be trained in an environment realistic to what you will be diving in even if it’s challenging and then get some relief from those conditions when you are on vacation. At the end of the day, training in a challenging environment makes diving in an easy environment that much better.

TDI – What advice could you give to someone who is interested in technical diving?

Jarrod – Sport divers, step on over! Technical training is an attainable goal. Look at me; I made the transition not too long ago. Even if you do not want to go far into technical training, the beginning courses like Intro to Tech and Advanced Nitrox will open up your eyes to diving in a different way and help you increase your overall awareness and skill set in the water. If after going through the entry level courses you realize it’s not for you, nothing says you have to do decompression dives but the tools you will gain will make sport dives more enjoyable. I think most enthusiastic divers that give it a try will realize it’s very possible for them to continue on and become a technical diver.

For more information on TDI courses offered, visit https://www.tdisdi.com/tdi/get-certified/tdi-diver-level-courses/

Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.

Tel: 888.778.9073 | 207.729.4201
Email: Worldhq@tdisdi.com
Web: https://www.tdisdi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechnicalDivingInt

A Day in the Life… A TECH DIVER

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Photo Credit Thaddius Bedford

Most days, a technical diver’s schedule is pretty much the same as everyone else’s, even a non-divers. For a lot of those days, that awful work thing gets in the way of actually diving, but is accepted as necessary in order to buy all the trinkets that make diving possible. However, on “dive day,” the life of tech diver can get pretty interesting.

Everyone has their own ideas about what makes “technical” diving different to sport diving, but most would agree that at the heart of any real differences is the level of planning and attention to detail that tech divers go through to make their dive happen… And to help make sure that their dives unfold exactly as intended… Or close to it.

I guess we can also agree that the kind of person who doesn’t get a buzz out of planning and who feels no sense of fun putting all the components of a good plan together, and then after everything is over would not get a huge satisfied high from looking back on a great dive that went exactly according to plan, is probably not cut out to become a technical diver.

Folks who take shortcuts and can’t be “bothered” with the details that help to make a technical dive, “safe and sensible,” must understand that complex, advanced diving such as deep wreck or cave diving is simply not possible without a good plan. (Well, let’s rephrase that. The dive may be possible but the level of risk involved would put doing it in the “crazy” category… which should be along the same lines as impossible.)

So, a day in the life of a technical diver – let’s call her Janet — might go something like this.

If Janet is typical, she wakes up early and excited because today is DIVE DAY, and there is not much wrong with that. Again, if Janet is typical, she had her initial checklist ticked off and most of her dive gear packed and ready to go the night before.

Janet, probably like most technical divers, has had the experience of arriving at a dive site only to find that some important piece of kit got left behind. There is actually a law of technical diving that states the importance of the piece of kit left on your kitchen table is directly proportional to the square of the distance the dive site is from your house. For example, I once arrived, at a site more than a seven-hour drive from home, to discover my dry suit was still in my dive locker.

But Janet, has learned her lesson and has a checklist of what gear and accessories have to travel with her to the dive. And, in the case of our Sample Day, let’s say that she used it the evening before as she played the Tetrus-like game of fitting all her kit into her car. She has everything she needs.

Again, if she is typical, before she leaves her driveway, she’ll make one final scan to make sure everything really is loaded, and nothing is sitting on the roof of her car – something else we have been guilty of – and then she makes that all-important phone call or text to her dive buddy: “Leaving NOW. See you there!”

During that drive, Janet will most likely go over the overall dive plan in her head. Chances are very good that she and her buddy have spent some time prior to Tech Dive Day, working out exactly what they want to do “on the day.” You might say their Dive Day actually started some time beforehand when they discussed what they wanted to do and how best to do it. Also, it’s likely that some of the basics such as gas fills was done and dusted before this particular Dive Day dawned.

You might read in some books that tell us the story about high-risk activities, which participants go through a process of visualization before the event; essentially working through the activity in one’s imagination. That may be the case, but if Janet is like most technical divers, the process of going over the dive on the way to the dive site is called fun… the whole aspect of anticipation may well help us to work through the nuances of the dive before it happens, but very importantly, in my opinion, anticipating the ins and outs of an upcoming dive is a big part of the fun.

Anyhow, at the dive site  – and let’s say our sample dive is a shore dive… perhaps a cave dive – Janet and her buddy will get those checklists out again as they unpack their gear and get it ready for the dive.

An important difference between technical divers and most sport divers is that technical divers understand fully and plan around carrying spare gas for their buddy in the event of some catastrophe with that buddy’s gas supply. You may already know about or have heard about the rule of thirds and what it entails. Janet and her buddy follow this rule, and also take things a step further by making sure they have each confirmed what flavor of gas their buddy is carrying for them. In other words, one of the first actions when the two of them get together is to analyze their mixes and mark them together.

We should never dive with people we do not trust and respect, but we should never accept – even from folks who qualify as good mates and dive buddies – that a cylinder carrying spare gas that we may have to use, is what someone tells us it is without analyzing it for ourselves. What this simply translates to is that Janet and her buddy (Bill), reanalyze their gas at the dive site and confirm some things: 1) that it is the same as the mix they planned to use, and 2) that each and every cylinder is appropriately marked with contents and MOD (Maximum Operation Depth).

As Janet and Bill put together their kit and get themselves ready for their dive – once again using a checklist and confirming with each other that each step in the elaborate process of getting ready and prepping gear is followed correctly, they will also take time to confirm what are called the dive’s Waypoints.

These waypoints are mini-events that punctuate the dive breaking it up into little bite-sized chunks, which seem to make it easier to track and manage the dive and to confirm that the dive is actually happening the way it should.

Typical waypoints include the TDI START acronym to begin the dive. START represents: S-Drill and bubble check (no leaks and long-hose ready to deploy in an emergency); Team check (buddy check including stress assessment); Air (what gas or gases, how much and what to do if some disappears); Route (where the dive will take the team, elapsed time budgeted for each stage of the route, and where the “safe exits” are; Time (total expected run time, bottom time, decompression times and contingency times).

These are followed by waypoints for the dive itself and are often referred to as Go-or-Go-Home checks. At specific times, such as reaching target depth, the team will confirm with each other that everyone is cool to continue. Janet and Bill, as an experienced buddy team, will most probably have a set of basic waypoints they use on every dive. For a particular dive, they may add one or two additional waypoints specific to the route and plans for that dive… Let’s say arriving at a specific landmark.

With these tasks all completed satisfactorily, the fun continues and ramps up a little. Janet and Bill will do a final survey of the dive site, the conditions, and how each feels before giving a final OK and starting their dive.

Now we could run through the dive, minute by minute and foot by foot, but let’s just say that both divers have broad smiles on their faces the whole time they are underwater. And when the dive is over and the kit is cleaned and packed away, things might wrap up sharing a drink, a burger, and one of the pair coming up with the bright idea to do it all over again tomorrow!

Technical diving should be fun. You can find out how by contacting your local TDI facility by clicking here – https://www.tdisdi.com/search/?area=tdi

Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.

Tel: 888.778.9073 | 207.729.4201
Email: Worldhq@tdisdi.com
Web: https://www.tdisdi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechnicalDivingInt

From Rec to Tech – where to start in Tech Diving?

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Photo credit Juergen Hitzler

So you’ve been diving for a while and are looking to advance your training beyond “recreational limits”.  Maybe it’s deep diving, wrecks, or caves that pique your interest, or maybe you just like to challenge yourself.  Whatever your reasons for wanting to move towards technical diving, it can be difficult to make sense out of all the different courses to take.  Where do you start?  What training is really necessary?  How long will it take?  Are you ready for tech diving?  Here we will lay out a basic road map to give you some direction for your initial technical dive training.

Are you ready for technical diving?  If so, what’s the first step?  Often times, the first step is the hardest, and this is certainly relevant when it comes to technical diving.  You may have heard others say you need “x” number of dives and “x” number of years experience before you can think about technical training, that technical diving is only for the most experienced and most proficient divers.  While it’s true that tech divers should be the most experienced and proficient divers in the water, it doesn’t mean they started that way.  And that’s what the Intro to Tech Course is all about.  Intro to Tech will familiarize you with the basic skills and equipment required for more complex technical dives, it is this basic foundation that further training will build upon.  Depending on your level of comfort in the water, you may go straight from Intro to Tech into Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures.  You may also want to take some time and dive on your own practicing the skills you learned in Intro to Tech before moving on with your training.  This is a personal decision, and can only be made by you and your instructor.  Unfortunately, there is no magic number of dives that will tell you “yes you are ready for tech training”, but your instructor can help you make an educated decision about what you are ready for and what specific areas you may need to work on.

Once both you and your instructor are confident in your abilities, overall comfort in the water and proficiency using technical diving equipment, it’s time to move on to Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures.  Advanced Nitrox will teach you the benefits and hazards of using nitrox mixes containing more than 40% oxygen.  This course is often taught in conjunction with Decompression Procedures, in which you will be introduced to planning and executing dives requiring staged decompression.  You will learn techniques for handling emergencies when immediate access to the surface is not available (due to either the soft overhead of decompression obligations or a hard overhead such as a wreck or cave).  From this point, you can move into more specific areas of interest, such as deep mixed gas (Trimix) diving, cavern/cave diving, or advanced wreck diving.

While this may not be the exact path you end up following, we hope it gives you a starting point.  The most important step now is finding an instructor that matches your personality and goals.  Click here for more information on how to choose a technical instructor or training facility.

For more information on TDI courses offered, visit https://www.tdisdi.com/tdi/get-certified/tdi-diver-level-courses/

Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.

Tel: 888.778.9073 | 207.729.4201
Email: Worldhq@tdisdi.com
Web: https://www.tdisdi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechnicalDivingInt

Scuba Diving – How-to-Guide to be a Certified Diver

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diver_stingraySo you’ve been dreaming of exploring the peaceful underwater world, drifting weightlessly with the fish and turtles, dancing with dolphins, and gliding effortlessly with the rays.  That dream can easily become a reality and here’s how:

  1. Contact your local SDI dive center and sign up for your Open Water Scuba Diver Course.  You can use Scuba Diving International’s dive center locater found here.
  2. Once you have chosen your dive center, you can start the home study portion to prepare for your course.  This can be done with either the traditional manual, or the more popular online eLearning course.  This will provide all of the basic knowledge you will need to begin your underwater adventure.  This information will then be reviewed with your scuba instructor where they can answer any questions you may have and correct any questions you might have missed.
  3. Your next step in becoming a certified diver is to complete your in-water skill development training with an instructor.  This will take place in a swimming pool or similar body of water.  This confined water session is where you will learn and master the basic skills required for the underwater world.  Skills including equipment set up and use, buoyancy control, proper swimming techniques while wearing SCUBA, regulator and mask clearing, proper ascents/descents, as well as emergency procedures will all be covered and practiced until you are proficient and comfortable in the water.
  4. The final step of your certification process is to test your skills in open water.  Here you will apply what you have learned during your academic and skill-development sessions, while learning practical lessons that can only be gained through real-world experience in open water. This portion of the course will include a minimum of four open water dives, where you will demonstrate your ability to plan and manage dives under the direct supervision of your instructor.  These “check-off” dives can be conducted locally with your dive center, or while you are on vacation in a tropical paradise.
  5. Get out there and DIVE!  Scuba Diving grants you access to a whole new world, what adventure awaits YOU below the surface?

Here is a list of some basic scuba gear to consider for your recreational dives. Talk to your instructor about what tools to consider for your course!

  1. Wetsuit
  2. Cylinder (Scuba Tanks)
  3. Mask
  4. Fins
  5. Snorkel
  6. Dive Computer
  7. Regulator
  8. Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG)
  9. Alternate Air Source
  10. Compass
  11. Buoyancy Control Device (BCD)
  12. Weights
  13. Gear Bag (carry all equipment)

Other Dive Gear Considerations

  1. Dive Knife
  2. Whistle – Signal or attention device
  3. Dive Light
  4. Dive Flag

For more information on becoming a certified Open Water Scuba Diver or to find an SDI instructor near you, visit us at https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/get-certified/open-water-scuba-diver-course/

Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.

Tel: 888.778.9073 | 207.729.4201
Email: Worldhq@tdisdi.com
Web: https://www.tdisdi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDITDI

SDI Scuba Diver Interview

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“I have literally packed up my house in Atlanta and moved to the Caribbean so I can dive more often”, Interview with an SDI Diver

SDI sat down with avid diver, Andi Cummings to discuss the effects of becoming a certified scuba diver had on her life. Read below to see how diving could change your life too!

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Andi Cummings

Andi – My name is Andi Cummings. I am 43 years old and I am self-employed. I am originally from Alabama but I lived in Atlanta for 20 years before moving to the U.S. Virgin Islands which is where I live now.

SDI – How long have you been diving?

Andi – I started diving in October 2011.

SDI – What was the defining moment that made you want to become a scuba diver?

Andi – Well it was kind of funny actually… I was planning a Caribbean getaway and looking for activities to do during my stay. I searched around various travel sites online and found the “number 1 attraction” was scuba diving. I made a social media post asking my friends if I should give it a shot… I received a ton of positive feedback and one of my friends even said it would be “the best investment you ever made.” I have to say it is!

SDI – Tell us about your Open Water Course

Andi – I was really nervous before starting the course. I wasn’t afraid of the water but I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to learn everything before my trip. I feared the course involved too much information but I was able to complete all of the academics online through eLearning at my own pace which helped a lot. The dive shop did a really good job at pairing me up with my instructor who I consider a really great friend to this day. After a few minutes with him in the pool, all of my fears were put to rest and I was ready to dive! By the time we hit the ocean, all I wanted to do was get off the descent line and see as much as I possibly could. I consider myself extremely lucky to have the opportunity to learn to dive in the Caribbean on beautiful reefs. We saw turtles, a ton of fish, and on the final day of the course, I was able to dive with dolphins!

SDI – Dolphins? Wow! Tell us about that experience.

Andi – On the final day of the Open Water Scuba Diver course we completed two dives. Towards the end of the first dive, we had four curious dolphins come towards us in the water to check us out and swim around us for easily 30 minutes. After we surfaced from that incredible experience we couldn’t believe it was about to get better… The dolphins actually followed the boat as we made way to the second dive site and greeted us again shortly after we entered the water for our second dive of the day which was my final dive of the Open Water course.  I have been around the world and seen a lot of things but this was the closest to nature experience I have ever encountered and the most memorable dive of my life!

SDI – How did your life change after you became a certified scuba diver?

Andi – My life has done a complete 180! (Laughs) I have made a lot of friends through diving; I have a whole new global network of people I associate and travel with thanks to this sport. I have literally packed up my house in Atlanta and moved to the Caribbean so I can dive more often while working remotely. I consider myself extremely lucky to be at this stage in my life as I am a self employed business consultant with clients all around the world. I can work virtually out of the Caribbean as if I am working back in the states… My office just looks a little different now. I have spent the last 20 years in suits, meetings, and in boardrooms and now I work with an ocean view in board shorts.

SDI – How often do you dive?

Andi – I typically dive 2-3 times a week when I am busy with work. When I am in between projects, I dive every day.

SDI – Have you been able to do any dive traveling?

Andi – Oh yes! I have been to Thailand, Fiji, Bali, Florida, and several islands in the Caribbean; all within the past 2 years! I took a whole month off to travel the Pacific and made some fantastic friends along the way. When I meet people in other parts of the world, we stay connected through social media and when I see someone planning a trip somewhere, I try to jump in or I invite people to stay with me and dive. I am currently planning a trip to Bora Bora with people I met during my Pacific run.

SDI – How do you get ready for a dive trip?

Andi – My trip prep revolves around researching the areas I am going to be diving. I ask myself questions like; what is the water temperature? Do I have adequate exposure protection for the environment I am going to be diving? I try to find reviews and talk to people who have been to those locations to see if they have any suggestions. Finally, I have my go to dive bag. Every pocket has designated items. If a pocket is empty, I must be missing something!

SDI – Who is your go-to dive buddy? – My number one man, my son.

SDI – What was it like to see your son become a scuba diver?

Andi – It was such a pleasurable experience. I was so proud of him. It was literally like seeing him take his first steps all over again. I was nervous as a mother but seeing him take to the water like I did made me so proud. He’s at the same place I was two years ago with diving; all he wants to do is take more classes and keep diving. He recently went through an experience that sparked his interest and inspired him… He was able to witness some technical divers prep for their dive. He was so fascinated with their equipment and thought they were total rock stars. Now he is extremely inquisitive about technical diving and what is involved in that area of the sport.

SDI – What do you think about technical diving? –

Andi – I am really lucky to have a few technical / rebreather instructor friends. Seeing them dive that kind of equipment just sparks a whole new interest in me, especially when I see them silently gliding through the water. I think diving a rebreather would just highlight my overall experience in the ocean. I am currently looking at course specific locations around the world to start technical training. For example – I would like to learn how to Cavern Dive in the Cenotes in Mexico and eventually progress on to cave diving.  Technical diving has opened up a whole new way for me to look at diving and dive travel.

SDI – Have you taken any additional courses after you got certified 2 years ago?

Andi – Well I got so hooked on diving when I started… I studied the whole course flow path and mapped out a continuing education schedule. Each month I was coming back to the islands to take the next course on the list. I am very thrilled at the idea of using learning as a tool so I can do and see more in the water. Continuing my diving education after my Open Water Scuba Diver course became something I felt like I needed to do; there is just so much I don’t know and so much to learn!

SDI – What advice would you like to share with people who are considering getting certified?

Andi – You can do it! Study, take the course seriously and pay attention to your instructor. Do your research before choosing a dive center or instructor and ask questions! Diving is an investment of time and money but the rewards can be life changing, literally.

For more information on becoming a certified Open Water Scuba Diver or to find an SDI instructor near you, visit us at https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/get-certified/open-water-scuba-diver-course/

Contact SDI TDI and ERDI
If you would like more information, please contact our World Headquarters or your Regional Office.

Tel: 888.778.9073 | 207.729.4201
Email: Worldhq@tdisdi.com
Web: https://www.tdisdi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDITDI

Scuba Diver, a Day in the Life

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scuba_diver-blue-heron-bridgeIt’s a late Friday morning in the office and I should be wrapping up some projects for the week but what am I really doing? Thinking about diving… As I scan through diving images and scroll through the latest and greatest equipment catalogs, I can’t help but count down the hours until my next dive.  What can I say? I am a scuba diver.

The change my lifestyle would take after becoming a certified diver was not part of the lesson plan in my Open Water Scuba Diver course. I find myself noticing red and white dive flags more than ever and striking up conversations with people in the grocery store who are wearing scuba related T-shirts. I didn’t realize I would be welcomed into a global community of some of the friendliest people on the planet who want nothing more than to share their passion of diving.

My social circle expanded dramatically after becoming a scuba diver with people who don’t even mind seeing snot on my face after surfacing from a dive. Fortunately my new scuba friends are kind enough to tell me to wipe my nose, most of the time… It’s not out of the ordinary to find us at the local hangout after a day of diving talking about just that, diving! Whether we’re discussing what we saw that day, new gear, different techniques, hints tips and suggestions for one another, we all seem to have one thing in mind; dive more and see more in the water.

The world seemed so much bigger after I became a scuba diver when I realized there are so many dive destinations to visit. I found myself asking challenging and fairly bizarre new questions; do I want to plan a trip nonstop shore diving in the Caribbean or spend a week nonstop diving on a live-aboard in the Pacific? I never imaged asking myself these kinds of questions until my life changed when I became a diver.

As I sit in my office thinking about diving, I have to smile when I consider the positive effects becoming a certified scuba diver had on my lifestyle. My social network increased and expanded all around the world, I’ve been able to see and experience things few have before and the financial investment is seemingly small compared to the enormous return. My overall happiness has increased due to the fact that I am a scuba diver.

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