Technical Spearfishing Instruction

[Ironhed]

I have to say you all have big brass ones for attempting those insane deep shooting sessions maybe one day I will be at that level but right now I am happy in the 120' range.

[dagodiver]

Originally Posted by kmoose

Current entry level "tech" training for the most part only concerns itself with "non-task" related dive gear configurations.

I agree with Chad and Moose all the way but I dont agree with this statement at all.
Any bad situation at depth is a task.
It wasnt but a few weeks ago that I responded to a thread about breathing the wrong reg and got pm's about why my way was the wrong way so I wont get into those anymore but you have to be comfortable deep and know how to handle all situations BEFORE you plan on going down there to shot the big one.
Rant over.
Sorry.


Dago.

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by dagodiver

I agree with Chad and Moose all the way but I dont agree with this statement at all.
Any bad situation at depth is a task.
It wasnt but a few weeks ago that I responded to a thread about breathing the wrong reg and got pm's about why my way was the wrong way so I wont get into those anymore but you have to be comfortable deep and know how to handle all situations BEFORE you plan on going down there to shot the big one.
Rant over.
Sorry.


Dago.

Mike, what I mean by "non-task" is anything other than the aspects of surviving the dive and the inherent hazards associated with the dive itself. Adding any activity that would distract from or complicate the dive, I would refer to as a task, for example: Removing the bell from an unidentified wreck , or replacing hardware on an oil rig platform.

[ROCK BOTTOM]

So should I be concerned diving to 228 fsw on a single 80AL with air? Good fish down there.

Zz

[biggsy]

Originally Posted by ROCK BOTTOM

So should I be concerned diving to 228 fsw on a single 80AL with air? Good fish down there.

Zz

I think Hell Divers live by a different set of rules. God Bless all of you!

[dagodiver]

Originally Posted by ROCK BOTTOM

So should I be concerned diving to 228 fsw on a single 80AL with air? Good fish down there.

Zz

Hell no.! If it works use it.
Get out and get some fish so we can read those cool reports.!


Dago.

[dagodiver]

Originally Posted by kmoose

Mike, what I mean by "non-task" is anything other than the aspects of surviving the dive and the inherent hazards associated with the dive itself. Adding any activity that would distract from or complicate the dive, I would refer to as a task, for example: Removing the bell from an unidentified wreck , or replacing hardware on an oil rig platform.

Yep.!
I quess my point was that learning how to dive first THEN adding the task is the proper way to do things. I know when the crap hits the fan I just get back into self preservation mode and deal with the problem. I hate reading the post where people have tons of air in there tank and bolt to the surface for no good reason.
Moose yourself and your team of divers are in a small group of people who can handle the situations at hand and still shoot some HUGE fish in some stupid deep waters.!
I have left alot of brass trinkets on the ocean floor because it was time to turn the dive.
Now about this bell.!

thanks

Dago.

[HeadHunter]

You need experience and proper instruction. My suggestion is to go with an instructor who actually has done or does what you want to do. If thats not available, get with a techie in your area that you trust and ask for his reccomendation on a local instructor.

If you're taking Tech cert's to deep spearfish, than an instructor who deep spearfishes would be a given. Techniques and gear cofigs that work great for wrecks and caves may not be whats best for deep spearfishing.

You can BS almost anyone on the planet, but you'd better not BS yourself about what level of diver you really are. Finding out you're a 150 diver when a major situation happens at 250 could KILL you. Real easy too.

Get experienced and get trained. Buy the best equipment you can and use it all wisely.

[Ironhed]

I know of one very qualified instructor for deep spearfishing training in the tampa area and that is chad carney I hope to get some training from him possibly this year. He is a TDI instructor with 30+ yrs experience shooting. I think there are certain legends in this sport that would agree with me on this.

[ArmorDave]

Originally Posted by Dive4Blood

If you are thinking about getting tech dive training in the Tampa Bay area then THE place to go is Depth Perception in Brandon (813-689-3483 www.depthperception.com). Not only do they have tech nitrox and helitrox courses specifically tailored for spearfishing, but they have been a sponsor of the Spearboard Open every year since its inception. They also provide all the training for the City of Tampa PD, City of Tampa Fire Department, and Hillsborough County PD dive teams. Ask for Ira or Jackie, and let them know you saw this on Spearboard. Members who have completed tech training at Depth Perception:

Bgbill
Jaizzen
**********Tampa
Fizisition
ArmorDave
Armorkillshot
Shooter Dan
Financial Advis
....and yours truly El Slin...errr....Dive4Blood.

This is a excellent course, taught by great folks. Not being narc'd is priceless.

[deepdestroyer]

Ok, I dont know much about tech diving but think it is extremley interesting, and have some basic questions. Say I went ahead and spent the money to get all the certs needed to do tech diving. How much more is it gunna cost me to upgrade my gear to take the extra abuse of diving deep trimix dives. Also how much does a single trimix fill cost, and how many places are there that are able give you a trimix fill near Cape Canaveral? I have been wondering about this topic for about a year now and it seems really awesome, but wanna get all the pros and cons before I spend all the money.
Thanks, John K

[dagodiver]

Originally Posted by deepdestroyer

Ok, I dont know much about tech diving but think it is extremley interesting, and have some basic questions. Say I went ahead and spent the money to get all the certs needed to do tech diving. How much more is it gunna cost me to upgrade my gear to take the extra abuse of diving deep trimix dives. Also how much does a single trimix fill cost, and how many places are there that are able give you a trimix fill near Cape Canaveral? I have been wondering about this topic for about a year now and it seems really awesome, but wanna get all the pros and cons before I spend all the money.
Thanks, John K

If you have good gear now there is no reason to change. When you take a class the intr. will let you know if anything needs to be upgraded.
Helium goes for around .20-.30 per cubic foot. "Most" people put the He in at home and have the dive shop top off for you. On your coast there should be a few Trimix friendly shops around. In the 200fsw range a mix like 17/19 heliair makes a HUGE difference on the dive.

Dago.

[Red Tide]

Exceeding the recreational limits while spearfishing does indeed require a new skill set that most dive instructors fail to instill in their new students. I have said this before and I will say it again "A wise man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others"
If you are a serious diver and want to explore the deeper waters,you need to take the classes and learn all that you can.
I think that the number one thing that needs to be taught to spearfisherman is to avoid greed. Look at almost any situation where a diver has died, been bent or nearly died, and you will find some level of greed that occured.
Now for some humor:
As far as equipment goes, I subscribe to the less is better theroy of spearfishing. Thats right....All I need is a good mask, snorkel, fins, and of course my trusty speedo...........

Be Safe,

G.R.

[markZ]

From the posts I have seen on SpearBoard, Team HeadHunter is not only TopGun, but perhaps some of the first person(s) to seriously explore a relatively new facet of diving, technical spearin’.

I would suggest anyone considering crossing the threshold into planned decompression diving to understand that its NOT “just like recreational diving, but deeper”. That kind of thinking is the first nail on your coffin. Decompression diving is way more than that, and it requires a total re-evaluation of your skills, everything you learned, your gear, etc.

Although ocean diving is quite different, the cave community worked out most (not all) of the problems years ago, and many of their solutions are relevent today, e.g., redundancy, use of multiple regs, etc. It seems people keep trying to “reinvent the wheel” from my observations. BTW, I’m not a cave diver.

Anyone interested in pursuing advanced certifications with the idea of using them to spearfish, in my opinion, should start with an instructor well versed in spearfishing (go see Chad), and then remember that the cert is nothing more than a license to learn.

TDI Mixed Gas
# 265

[inletsurf]

Now that I live in Mt Dora, close to Orlando/Ocala, I may be in an area where they offer multiple gas deco instruction as well as normoxic trimix (Brevard didn't have anyone). I want to get certified in both. Anyone have a suggestion on a good instruction agency nearby?