technical diving news and events in thailand
Posts tagged gas blender
BSAC Skill Development Course (SDC) in Thailand
Dec 26th
BSAC Skill Development Course (SDC) in Thailand
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Big Blue Tech and BSAC Thailand completed Skill Development Courses for Ash Dunn and Mark Slinn during a workshop in Koh Tao on the 23rd of December to ehnace their abilities as scuba diving instructors.
A SDC is a course that teached instructors the ability to deliver different or signature courses. For example, a nitrox course could be considered a SDC because it delivers a specific skill set rather then enhancing day to day diver skills.
BSAC Thailand took Mark and Ash through the BSAC Oxygen Administrator Instructor and BSAC Compressor Operator Instructor SDC during the day long workshop. During this time the students had to demonstrate their overall knowledge and ability in both disciplines to the instructor examiner.
After a written and practical exam they were issued their certification cards and received authority to begin teaching the courses.
Andy Cavell, our other intern, missed this event because he was teaching a PADI Deep and Nitrox Specialty Course. He will complete this workshop on the 29th of December.
The rest of the SDC will be earned in February with titles such as Gas Blender Instructor, Mixed Gas Diver Instructor and various other accompanying disciplines like service technician skills.
For more information or to attend our next cross-over, sdc workshop or instructor course please contact us or www.bsacthailand.com
Tags: BSAC Compressor Operator, BSAC Oxygen Administrator, bsac thailand, diver instructor, diver skills, diving instructors, gas blender, instructor course, instructor examiner, koh tao, oxygen, service technician, signature courses, skill development courses
Technical decompression diving in Thailand
Dec 26th
Technical decompression diving in Thailand
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Big Blue Tech completed a TDI Advanced Nitrox Course yesterday with the combined afternoon of skills which embodied both TDI Decompression Procedures and TDI Advanced Nitrox.
With the flexible curriculum offered by TDI it was possible for the training team to introduce interesting and valid skills which are appropriate for the diving ahead.
The students on the course were Mark Slinn, Andy Cavell and Ash Dunn who are all working towards a future as a technical diving instructor.
One of the signature skill introduced involves using a 3m marked line on the sea bed and having the divers wearing full technical diving gear start at the 1m mark and start fining, during fining the diver must remove one decompression cylinder without loosing control, upon reaching the end of the line the diver stops and begins backwards kicking, collecting his decompression cylinder while kicking backwards and returning to the start where the diver turns 180 degrees and moves away. The goal is to not use your hands and focus on perfect trim and balance while performing these skills.
Backwards finning can be quite difficult initially, to help this process we provide Jet Fins to our students as part of the equipment they will be using during the course to enhance the ease of learning. Here is a video to help illustrate the skill:
Additional to these skills was task loading with 8 cylinders removing and replacing each one while maintaining buoyancy. The training team felt the students really excelled and didn’t see them disturb the bottom, without being told to, during both 50 minute dives.
This would be the last dive until the after christmas as the students progress on to their Gas Blender and BSAC Instructor course.
Tags: buoyancy, decompression diving, dives, diving in thailand, diving instructor, gas blender, instructor course, jet fins, sea bed, students progress, task loading, tdi
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TDI Intro to Tech completed in Thailand
Dec 17th
Big Blue Tech completed a TDI Intro to Tech course today for Andy Cavell and Mark Slinn who began the first level in water skill development for their technical diver internship.
The TDI Intro to Tech course is the perfect course for divers who have heard about technical diving and want to find out more about this exciting branch of advanced recreational diving. This course walks students through the special techniques, planning procedures and skills that set technical diving apart from traditional sport diving. It will show them how to improve their dive planning methods, in-water skills and streamline their existing gear configuration, in a non-threatening and fun learning environment. The specific skills this course will highlight are: Advanced Buoyancy Control, Gas Management, Situational Awareness, Trim, Gear Configuration and Selection and Many More!
TDI’s Intro to Tech course is a useful stand-alone course for the diver who wants to become a more skilled, more proficient diver regardless of if he intends to move on to technical diving. The course may also be used as an introduction to the TDI Advanced Nitrox course and the TDI Decompression Procedures course. And finally, it is also a good refresher for certified technical divers who may want to refresh their skills or have them re-evaluated by a TDI technical instructor.
Although the students did not need this course to start their official technical diving series it was offered to them to have 4 additional training dives to enhance their overall skills and start with a solid foundation of buoyancy and trim before moving deeper through different challenges in the future.
The course was also completed with the assistance of Ash Dunn who is working towards his technical divemaster certification which requires assisting a variety of technical diving courses.
The students progress on to the TDI Advanced Nitros and TDI Decompression procedures this week along with TDI Gas Blender and TDI Advanced Gas Blender with the use of helium for trimix.
Tags: additional training, buoyancy control, decompression, divemaster certification, diving courses, gas blender, gas management, gear configuration, recreational diving, skill development, slinn, sport diving, students progress, technical diver, technical diving, technical instructor, traditional sport, water skills
Big Blue Tech release new PADI TecRec courses for 2010
Dec 10th
Big Blue Tech have revised their website to include the release of the new PADI TecRec courses we’ll start offering in the new year of 2010.
In September of 2009 PADI released the new technical diving cirriculum to the public with a new name and new standards. Many say PADI have made a move to follow the trend of modular teaching which are already in place with other diving agencies like TDI and IANTD. Additionally PADI have invited Cave Diving Instructors to develop their own courses called “TecRec Cave Diver” which will be specific to the instructor/author and suit the local conditions and methods.
With this change it appears PADI have also dropped the name “DSAT” which stood for “Design, Science and Technology” which didn’t really suite as the cover for their technical diving branch.
In January of 2010 Big Blue Tech will be releasing PADI Cave Diving courses designed for technical divers. This course will be distinctive to Big Blue Tech as it has been written by us. The other TecRec courses have been released for quite some time and can be seen below:
PADI TecRec
PADI Tec 40
PADI Tec 45
PADI Tec 50
PADI Tec Trimix 65
PADI Tec Trimix Diver
PADI Gas Blender
PADI Trimix Blender
PADI Tec Cavern
PADI Tec Intro to Cave
PADI Tec Cave
You can also read more on the PADI TecRec blog:TecRec Cave Diver
TDI Compressor Operator Course Premier in Thailand
Dec 8th
Today Big Blue Tech conducted the first TDI Compressor Operator Course ever. This course was attended by Ash Dunn, Andy Cavell and Mark Slinn and conducted on Koh Tao island in the south east of Thailand. Big Blue Tech authored and submitted this course as a custom written certification and received authorization from TDI HQ to start teaching. We have been told that TDI plan to develop their own Compressor Operator course based on our outline.
The TDI Compressor Operator course is designed to introduce the safe operation and handling of scuba diving compressors and air bank systems. The students learned the proper checks, safety and hazards, minor maintenance and operation of 2 different compressors including the combination of a large air bank system. On our next Khao Sok expedition later this month they will also be operating a portable petrol powered compressor in the jungle.
Big Blue own over 10 compressors around thailand, on Koh Tao alone we have 2 Coltri Sub MCH16’s, 2 Bauer Mariner 1, 2 Bauer 250, 1 LW 450 and 1 Bauer Junior (for cave and remote diving). In Khao Lak we have 2 Bauer Mariner 250 and 1 Coltri Sub MCH16, which gives our students a lot different compressors to practice with and become familiar.
After our time in the shop and on the boat we filled all the twin sets and air systems in the shop giving the students ample time to practice and learn using a compressor un-aided. The students will later evolve their diving skills with future TDI Nitrox Gas blender and TDI Advanced Gas blender courses.
The certification earned will give the students the recognized ticket to operate scuba diving compressors in government controlled diving areas.
For those TDI instructors interested in teaching this course, feel free to contact us for authorization to teach this distinctive specialty course.
