Tech diving training
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Koh Tao Thailand |
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'Introduction To Technical Diving' [1 day] | 3000 baht
Technical diving is expensive. Extra equipment, technical diving training, liveaboard expeditions - it all adds up!
Despite this, deep technical wreck diving is one of the most extreme, exciting & challenging activities you could take up, so the expense is more than justified!
But before you commit to your first full tec course how can you be sure that technical diving is for you?
How will you cope with heavy narcosis? What's it like to explore a wreck at 48 metres?
This is why, at DJL Diving we've introduced our 'introduction to technical diving' program.
This is a one day package that gives you a taster of technical diving - you get to make supervised deep decompression dives on the deep 'Unicorn shipwreck' north of Koh Tao, giving you the chance to decide if tec diving is for before you go further.
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What's included in our Introduction to technical diving program?
The 'intro to tec diving' consists two parts;
 Deep decompression diving theory workshop
2 deep dives on the Unicorn shipwreck
We run the 'intro to tec' with a maximum of four customers per session. The program is run by 2 experienced technical divers plus one boat handler.
[We maintain this low ratio since deep decompression diving is much more demanding than recreational diving]
Dives are run off our high speed RIB - rather than taking 45 minutes to reach the Unicorn wreck (as it would on a conventional Koh Tao dive boat), you'll be there in adrenilin packed 15 mins.
Let's take a look at each of the individual components of the program: |
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Once the tec diving theory is complete, it's onto the diving.
The 'introduction to tec' dives will be run on the Unicorn shipwreck, north of Koh Tao.
The Unicorn is a large Thai cargo vessel. She sank as the result of a suspected insurance fraud - the ship's manifest listed the cargo as valuable fish, but when salvage divers investigated the wreck she turned out to be carrying nothing more than low grade animal feed.
The unicorn wreck lies on the sand @ around 48 metres, upright with a slight list.
The deck is at 42 metres on the shallow starboard side, 46 on the deeper portside. There's a big rear superstructure & bridge area, plus forward mast. Amidships, the cargo holds are open. There's also some heavy winching machinery to check out close to the bow.
There's lots of marine life to enjoy [crabs, masses of pelagics, giant groupers, occasional whale sharks]. The Unicorn also exhibits some of the finest soft corals around Koh Tao.
It's not a dive to be taken lightly. At times the Unicorn can suffer strong currents, plus the high silt environment of this deep wreck means that visibility can be reduced very quickly by untidy fin strokes.
Adding to this, the wreck is a popular fishing spot so there are lots of nets & lines covering the wreck which need to be avoided.
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We'll consult our tide tables and weather forecasts so that the dives are conducted during the most favourable diving conditions - slack current & low wave heights.
All the equipment will be loaded onto our high speed RIB, then using GPS we'll head out to the Unicorn shipwreck.
Since there's no fixed buoyline, will use a sonar [fish finder] to locate the wreck. When we get the correct sonar return we'll drop a weighted shotline onto the wreck. Two technical divers will then descend to tie the line off to the superstructure of the wreck - our RIB can then use this line to anchor.
Next it's scuba gear on and we jump in for the first dive.
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We normally plan the first dive to a maximum depth of 42 metres - this will be a no decompression dive with simulated decompression during ascent.
The first dive is very controlled and allows you your first experience of deep wreck diving and narcosis. We'll explore the rear superstructure / bridge area of the Unicorn Wreck - you'll get to have a good look around and poke your head inside the bridge.
At the end of the dive we'll conduct simulated decompression during ascent. The first stop is likely to be at 10 metres, where we'll run a 10 minute respiratory minute volume [RMV] check. This allows us to calculate exactly how many litres of air you breath per minute.
We'll then step up to make stops at 6 then 3 metres, making sure your buoyancy control is up to scratch on these simulated decompression stops.
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Back on the dive boat, during the surface interval we'll use the RMV data & observations from the 1st dive, and project this into a longer, deeper second dive which will have real [mandatory] decompression stops.
For the second dive we're looking at a 15 to 20 minute bottom time, with a max depth of 46 metres, depending on your own individual air consumption rate.
This longer bottom time allows us to explore more of the wreck.
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Descending down the line onto the rear superstructure, we'll probably swim the length of the deck examining the open cargo holds and continuing till we reach the forward mast & bow.
A quick look around then we'll retrace our route back towards the stern, where we'll ascend up over the bridge to re-join the ascent line.
This time we'll probably untie the ascent line from the wreck, then ascend up the line which will be drifting free in the current [with a bouy on the surface].
This means the decompression stops will be much easier since we won't be feeling the full strength of the current.
Deco stops are likely to be at 9, 6 and 3 metres before finally returning to the surface. |
If you really enjoy the introduction to technical diving and want to learn more, the next step is to take a full technical diving course.
If you want to go for it, we'll deduct the cost of your intro to tec diving from your tec course.
We offer the following technical diving training:
DSAT Tec Deep
BSAC technical diving training
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If you have any questions on any of this, or want to check availablilty, please contact us.
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Check
out the DJL Diving Promo Movie;
See footage of Koh Tao Thailand
diving. |
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