As technical diving gains popularity, proper preparation is key to a safe and successful experience. We’ll share some tips to help you dive confidently and safely.
1. Theory of Understanding Decompression Diving
- Once you commit to a decompression dive, direct ascent to the surface is no longer an option. You need to ensure you have a decompression plan in place to allow for stops during ascent to allow your body to safely eliminate excess nitrogen/helium absorbed at depth. So it’s crucial to execute decompression stops accurately to avoid serious risks.
- Realise the dangers of technical diving. DCS can occur even when diving within the parameters of your decompression plan. It is possible to get DCS even if you have ascended at a safe rate and completed all your required decompression stops. Symptoms include (but are not limited to) joint and muscle pain, numbness, fatigue, and can lead to serious consequences, including death.
2. Some Key Elements for Safe Technical Diving
- Preparation
- Planning: Always prioritize thorough preparation and adhere strictly to your dive plan to ensure a successful technical dive
- Consider Variables: Factor in conditions such as environmental considerations, gas mixtures, depth, time, and potential hazards.
- Teamwork: Ensure that all divers are well-prepared and knowledgeable
- Understanding the dangers associated with decompression illness ,oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis and high pressure nervous syndrome is crucial for safety.
- Redundancy
- Gas Supply: Always have at least two independent gas sources (e.g., twin tanks or side mount systems), when diving open circuit or always ensure you have adequate bail out gas when diving a rebreather.
- Computers: Carry two dive computers or a dive timer, depth gauge and a backup slate with a decompression schedule.
- Additional Equipment: Have two masks, cutting devices, signaling devices, and buoyancy control systems.
3. Others
In technical diving, maintaining visibility is essential due to challenging environments, such as deep water, wrecks, or caves, where natural light is limited or non-existent.
In these diving sites, good lighting helps avoid obstacles, safely navigate, and maintain awareness of your surroundings. So you need a powerful primary light and reliable backup lights.
OrcaTorch D630 v2.0, as the 2023 Annual Reward for instructors and instructor trainers from China and Korea by SDI TDI ERDI PFI China, which has a max of 4,000 lumens for 5 hours, ensures you can see clearly, navigate, and monitor your instruments as you dive deeper, so is perfect as the primary dive light for tech diving! It has been involved in quite a number of technical dives, such as explorations at the Felicitas Mine in Germany, the Yucatan caves in Mexico, and the Boh Yai jungle mines in Thailand, etc.
