Stage Rigging   We get asked a lot about stage rigging, both for open circuit decompression, for cave stages and for CCR bailout. There are three main schools   Traditional   Stage rigging kit, top boltsnap on the shoulder of the cylinder, lower boltsnap on jubilee band, all boltsnaps attached by cord. Cylinder is quick […]

TECH CENTRE EX RENTAL EQUIPMENT FOR SALE   As a specialist technical centre we are obsessive about our gear. It’s properly looked after, serviced by us as an Apeks Technical Centre, JJ-CCR Factory Service Centre, Seacraft DPV Service Centre and more. We replace our rental stock regularly. Here is this year’s list. These are not […]

Step up or Step Across? The leap from recreational to technical diving   Most dive agencies lay out a ladder type pathway for dive development, showing each course as a step up, building on the last. Then you reach the top of the ladder, Master Scuba this or Leading that… At this point continuation of [...]

As a tech and cave instructor as well as someone who often guides tech and cave dives I have seen a massive variety in the way people mark stage and deco cylinders. By and large the community has come to a consensus on the markings for the side of the cylinder but there is a [...]

Skills are the foundation of safe and enjoyable diving and the building blocks of all diving certifications. The comment here is not that learning skills is a waste of time, but, learn them from the wrong instructor, and you will have to re-do them completely for them to be of any use.   Until you […]

BOV or no BOV   This is usually a polarised argument. People are either all for or all against.  So, let us examine the arguments from both sides. I’m going to put in some assumptions though. To me they are not assumptions, mainly because I have tested these in dry chamber dives or if safe […]

Twinset Valve Drill   The valve drill should be and in fact is easier to carry out in flat trim, with your head up and not moving! Before jumping in make sure you haven’t got folds of drysuit or undersuit restricting movement, this should be obvious when doing a flow check! Keep your elbow high […]

Now with Covid 19 cover   Insurance is a massive issue for us all as divers and something we need for peace of mind for ourselves and is usually required by dive centres or local country legislation. We have through TDI recently moved to DiveAssure, an excellent level of cover and really good customer service. […]

I got asked recently about choosing a Sidemount CCR. Of course, this is a subject that will lead to war on social media, but I thought I would put my reasons into the mix.   Manual v E-CCR   Many cave and very experienced (old?) CCR divers favour a manual unit. It makes sense in [...]

START      MODS/NOTOXIC        STOP   Ref: https://www.tdisdi.com/tdi-diver-news/three-safety-protocols-for-technical-diving/   START   This acronym helps divers remember to do a pre-dive safety check with their buddies. This encompasses everything a dive team should cover before beginning the dive. Despite some recent internet buzz questioning the value of the pre-dive safety check, and poking […]