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All I want for Christmas is TECH

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:32:22 +0000

All i want for Christmas is TECH

December 29th, 2009

Big Blue Tech – Technical Diving Thailand – Celebrates the graduation of Ash Dunn, Mark Slinn and Adny Cavell from their TDI Decompression Procedures Course conducted over the past few days off the coast of Thailand on and island called Koh Tao

The TDI Decompression Procedures course is best described by the TDI/SDI website as:

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.

This course began before the christmas break with some new skills to help train the students to a level appropriate for entering the next step. The students will start their next course, TDI Extended Range, on our Similans Islands Liveaboard in the new year.

The highlight of the course was the abundant marine life on every dive. With large 2 meter Bull and Gray Reef Sharks around us during all our dives the excitement of diving was forced back into every sense we had. The sharks at Chumphon Pinnacle Dive Site seem to disapear during some months and then come back in large numbers without warning. Sharks can be seen hunting and stalking prey but always keeping a safe distance from divers. This safety is kept in part from the prevention of shark feeding so no shark has associated food with a diver.

All of the students excelled at their skills and conduct in the water and received their certification after completing a written examination.

Below are some pictures from this event. The next open space for this course is in March 2010

Tags: abundant marine life, cavell, decompression diving, excitement, graduation, gray reef sharks, koh tao, large numbers, open space, pinnacle, sdi, shark feeding, slinn, sport diving, technical diving thailand

Solo Diving with Whale Sharks in Thailand

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:51:23 +0000

This morning divers on Koh Tao were treated with the presence of a Whale Shark at the local dive site Chumphon Pinnacle.

Mark Slinn who is enrolled in a technical diving internship with Big Blue Tech was utilizing his SDI Solo Diver Certification this morning when he spent quality time with the whale shark. Mark experienced one on one interaction without any other divers.

This is not the first time mark has dived with whale sharks but it is his first time alone which made this a unique and special diving experience. When he got back to the boat, teh dives on board didn’t believe him and after all there were no witnesses, this remained the case until Yvonne Fries Big Blue Tech Crew arrived on the boat after completing some deep training dives and had also seen the shark.

So congratulations to the divers that saw them and .. sorry, maybe next time to the ones that didn’t.

Here is some stock footage from Ace Marine Images about Whale Sharks of Koh Tao

Tags: diver certification, internship, koh tao, pinnacle, sdi, solo diver, solo diving, whale shark

Oxygen equipment service technician course completed in thailand

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:16:45 +0000

Today Mark Slinn (intern) and Andy Cavell (intern) completed their TDI O2 Service Technician Course. This would be the most recent service and technician related course after completing their TDI Visual Inspections course last week.

The o2 Service Technician builds on servicing regulators and cylinders but to a “oxygen clean” level. The students began by stripping and cleaning an Scubapro Mk2 1st stage and R295 Second stage and cleaning it removing any source of hydrocarbons. After a full clean and inspection the regulators we re assembled and tested. After full assembly the regulators were marked and recorded to be used in future training when breathing oxygen underwater. You can read more about this unique course here.

As the internship progresses the interns will be required to attain the SDI Divemaster certification and later the TDI Technical Divemaster certification. Since they are already PADI Divemasters all they had to do was cross over their skills and fill the gaps in the training.

One of these gaps is the most unpleasant swim tests and “surface recovery” or “ditch and don” exercise. The swim test are similar to other organizations with slight differences and the ditch and don exercise is rarely in a divemaster program in any official capacity (although many introduce it). At lunch we hit the water to cover these skills and stamina tests. The ditch and don is described as sinking your scuba gear, freediving down to it and assembling it underwater in about 3m. There are more steps to it but that’s the general description.

All of them did really well except Mark. Mark is a former soldier from the Parachute Regiment and is considered rather tough, however a cold got in his way and he couldn’t get down. He spent the remainder of the day blowing his nose and generally moaning on the surface with the instructor. He’ll get another chance in a few days.

In the afternoon the students cleaned their lean decompression mix cylinder while Ash cleaned twin set in preparation for our epic diving adventure in January. Once the practical work was finished the students sat a written exam and put all the tools away to prepare for the TDI Compressor Operator Course (distinctive) tomorrow.