Tec Diving Thailand

Divers get technical with advanced skills with mixing gas and handling compressors.

Koh Tao, Thailand

Mixing different gasses to create enriched air nitrox for divers creates a lot of patience and skill. Few divers take on the challenge to learn the skills which support diving activities but many find the endeavor rewarding in learning the process of how different gasses get into our diving cylinders.

The course started with the BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) Compressor Operator Course taught by Technical Instructor Ash Dunn for Tom Percy and Thomas Hallstrom. This course teaches the student how to properly operate scuba diving compressors including filter management, oil selection and maintenance, filling cylinders and combination with air banks. Ash recently returned from his Bauer Service Technician course and combined his knowledge of servicing compressors with the course enriching the knowledge and theory.

After completed the course and the required 3 hours of cylinder filling the students moved on to the TDI Nitrox Gas Blender Course.

The TDI Nitrox Gas Blender course teaches the students the safe method of blending nitrox using our own continuous flow system in combination with partial pressure techniques and theory for many other methods. In addition to the hands on experience the course is enriched with complicated theory giving the student a real mental work out. The last day the students had the pleasure of spending the afternoon filling 30 nitrox cylinders of different mixes which we have been keeping empty for a few days in anticipation of this course.

The afternoon filling gives the student the best quality of experience when they move into other dive shops and start working as gas blenders or compressor operators.

Technicians learn how to service scuba diving compressors from Bauer

Phuket, Thailand

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Facilities Manager Ashley Dunn from his Bauer Compressor Technician course conducted by Frank Herbert of STI over 5 days in Phuket.

The Bauer certified training course is designed to train the technician the full service and maintenance of Bauer compressors with strip down, rebuilds, trouble shooting, testing and repairs.

The work shop included several cut away compressors which illustrate the flow of the working parts to help the student understand how the compressor work taking into consideration all levels of knowledge.

Big Blue Diving nationwide have 7 Bauer Diving compressors from different ages and sizes along with 4 other brands. When compressors make up the backbone of any diving environment to fill tanks it’s essential to have properly trained staff to look after them.

Big Blue Tech take pride in ensuring that our divers get clean safe air from our properly maintained and serviced compressors on all our boats.

Divers descend on local wreck to explore the sunken vessel

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech hosted a day of wreck diving on our local wreck affectionately named “Big Blue Wreck”. The day consisted of an afternoon of 2 dives to 40 meters with crystal clear visibility.

Wreck diving can be one of the most exciting aspects of sport diving and can uncover pieces of history seen by few others, however every effort must be made to maximize safe diving techniques which is why we restrict these trips to only those who have a certification to the depth they are diving and in addition have experience diving on wrecks.

Big Blue Tech took technical divers and deep trained recreational divers wanting to explore the wreck which was discovered by us in March of 2010 after sinking in 2009 during rough seas.

The wreck is a wooden ferry which was used to transport people and goods during an overnight journey from Koh Tao island to Chumphon city in the mainland. The wreck is lying upright in 42m water with a length of 35m. The marine life has been abundant and working with the ecological awareness team called Save Koh Tao, Big Blue Tech has taken an active role in monitoring and preserving the site.

Special thanks to James F, Helen, Yvonne, Nick, Chris, Thomas, Magnus, Cav, James T for making up the technical diver contingent and Simon, Jodie, Kim, Dan, Marco, Paw, Emma, Ricky for joining us from the recreational divers.

Technical divers train on underwater skills for decompression diving.

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of James Foleher from his TDI Decompression Procedures course which was conducted over 3 days with the final days on a our local wreck.

As sport divers, planned decompression is not something that we do or have been taught. The TDI Decompression Procedures course prepares you for planned staged decompression diving. With a maximum operating depth of 45m/150 feet, this course is your first step beyond the normal sport diving limits. Your TDI Instructor will provide you with valuable information and skills, among the topics covered are

• Kit set-up
• Equipment requirements
• Decompression techniques
• Decompression breathing gases
• Gas management
• Contingency planning

The TDI Decompression Procedures course combined with the TDI Advanced Nitrox course form the foundation of all other technical courses.  After these two courses and some additional experience, the stage has been set for you to move onto additional technical levels. Some of the materials you will be using include the TDI Divers Guide to Decompression Procedures, US Navy or Buhlmann Air Decompression Tables (made of vinyl for easy in-water use and storage)

James progresses on to his TDI Extended Range course next week in the next step in his internship.

Technical diving intern progresses through advanced nitrox use.

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of James Foleher from the TDI Advanced Nitrox Course conducted over 3 days on Koh Tao island in Thailand by TDI Instructor James Thornton-Allan

The Advanced Nitrox course trains the diver to handle oxygen enriched air up to pure oxygen in combination with advanced dive planning to extend no decompression limits essentially diving deeper and longer then possible with normal scuba methods.

This is the first (1st) stage of training in the series of TDI’s tech diver development program. The objective of this course is to train the divers in the benefits, hazards and proper procedures for utilizing Enriched air nitrox twenty one (21%) percent through to one hundred (100%) percent oxygen for dives not requiring staged decompression. To a depth of forty (40) msw, one hundred thirty (130) fsw this course can be combined with Decompression Procedures at the discretion of your instructor but this course was not combined.

James moves on to his TDI Decompression Procedures course as the next step in his internship.

Divers discover wreck diving in Thailand during a wreck specialty course

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech celebrates teh recent graduation of 4 new wreck divers who explored 2 different wrecks over 3 days off the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. They successfully completed their Wreck Diver Specialty.

The course, conducted by Tech Instructor Andy Cavell, started on our Big Blue Wreck with 2 introductory dives and finished on a shallower local wreck for reeling and mapping skills

The lure of exploring sunken ships and boats is something most divers can’t resist. This temptation prooved too much for our students who couldn’t get enough of wreck diving and the unique marine life found around them.

The student progress on to their deep diver and nitrox diver course in the coming days.

Divers discover technical diving in the spring season in Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech celebrates the recent graduation of Max Kahman and James Foleher from their TDI Intro to Tech course conducted over 2 days on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. This course allows the student to dive to their own recreational dive limit in technical diving gear.

The course covered several aspects of technical diving during the 4 dives and visited 4 different dive sites. The Intro to Tech course is a low cost and low commitment introduction to technical diving.

The TDI Intro to Tech course introduces students to the world of technical diving.The objective of this course is to familiarize students with technical gear configurations, to enhance open water diving skills (such as buoyancy, trim, and situational awareness), and to introduce students to advanced gas planning techniques within a no-decompression context. This course is strictly a no-decompression course; students are permitted to use Enriched Air Nitrox mixes, provided the gas mix is within their current level of certification.

Change of life program for technical diving enthusiasts.

Koh Tao, Thailand

On April 1st Big Blue Tech started a technical diving internship for James Foleher who joins us for the next 3 months covering a series of courses taking him all the way up to technical diving instructor. James is an experience recreational instructor who has been working teaching scuba diving in England but left England for the sunny skies and clear water of Thailand.

During the 3 months James will be working hand in hand with the training team and will receive the following certifications

TDI Intro to Tech
TDI Advanced Nitrox
TDI Decompression Procedures
TDI Extended Range
TDI Trimix
TDI Compressor Operator
TDI Gas Blender
TDI Advanced Gas Blender
TDI Visual Inspection Procedures
TDI O2 Service Technician
TDI Full Face Mask
TDI Semi Closed Rebreather Diver
TDI Cavern Diver
TDI Advanced Wreck Diver
SDI Oxygen Provider
SDI Research Diver
SDI Solo Diver
Aqualung Service Technician
TDI Technical Divemaster
BSAC Instructor (with compressor operator and oxygen provider specialties)
BSAC Extended Range Instructor
PADI TecRec Instructor (Tec 40)

In addition to a large collection of plastic and training James will also be attending trips to Khao Sok, Similan Islands, and wreck liveaboards in Singapore.

The goal of the internship is to train the diver to be an experience technical instructor so they can handle remote expedition style instruction and be able to handle any situation that will arise. Learning topics of equipment service, wreck searches, remote gas blending and portable compressors, trip planning and gas planning, emergency awareness and assisting students with difficulties.

You will see James in most of our news for the next 3 months, so check back with us for updates.