"Basically, what is technical diving"?

Really, are these divers that carry huge packages of tanks around or is this just another fashion trend of the diving industry? Can you call a diver who just purchased a tec jacket for himself because it's "in" - a tech diver? Is a Nitrox diver or a diver who uses a semi closed rebreather or a closed circuit rebreather a tech diver? Let us try to find a definition for technical diving that will be universally understandable. People in ancient Greece already had a general term for technics, which actually meant to achieve a certain goal, using the most effective and economical tools. But it also means engaging our human potential with the help of special methods or aptitudes in a specialized area. To put it simply, technical diving ranks somewhere between sport diving and professional diving. Sport diving can be practised by everyone, no matter if you are fat or skinny, rich or poor. A few years ago the entry rules for the youngest beginners were lightened, there is the so-called "bubble maker". Age of admission is 8 years. The oldest active diver was, without a doubt, Leni Riefenstahl who started in an age of 96 years.

The rules are also clear: everyone who fulfills the necessary health requirements can perform this sport. To insure that everyone who fulfills the requirements to practice this sport, it has to be made secure and controllable. There are certain safety concepts: Never dive by yourself, obey depth limits (for beginners 18 meters, advanced up to maximum of 40 meters), no dives that require decompression, do not breath bottles to "empty", etc. Normally we use compressed air for diving, the equipment is inexpensive and easy to care for and maintain, you can obtain air almost everywhere.

For professional divers the rules are totally different, they have no relation to sport diving any more. The equipment is chosen specifically for each job order. Diving when there is no visibility or poor visibility conditions, diving with a helmet, diving using a variety of gases, diving that requires decompression, diving in off-shore areas (oil platform), diving in nuclear power plants, all of these fall into the range of the professional diver. The expense of special gases, special equipment, support, decompression chambers and safety systems and for medical care are enormous.

Technical diving lies somewhere in between. Here the material expenditure can also be great; at times technical divers perform services (for instance diving in caves), that are difficult to perform even for professional divers. The limits of sport diving are exceeded, new or additional rules apply. Sensible training is an absolut requirement. Meticulous planing of the dives that are to be completed and the execution according to plan should be self evident. Configuration of the equipment, management of the gas and continous checking of the equipment are the mark of technical diving. To name a few examples: The oxygen partial pressure should not exeed 1.4 bar, and you should not accumulate more than 100 CNS% (control value for poisoning of the central nervous system with oxygen). At least 1/3 (rule of third) of the gas you bring along will be budgeted as emergency reserve.

« NITROX

« MIXED GASES

« SOLODIVING

Backup is rule number one (all of your equipment has to be there two-fold, at least), that is: knife, depth gauger, time measuring instrument, computer, diving plan! lung regulator etc. Don't dive beyond your training capibilities. Consider loss of body heat. Make certain the lead rope reaches into freewater at penetration of caves and wrecks. Of course, this list is not complete.

Technical Diving is not a new method of American organizations to make even more money! Technical Divers are not Rambos, nor machos, who like high risk adventure. Only stupid and ignorant divers hurl themselves with a 10 l cylinder of compressed air to a depth of 80 meters or more, their slogan seems to be: "As long as nothing goes wrong, everything is fine"! The tech diver plans his/her dive for the maximum depth that he/she plans to reach and chooses the appropriate breathing gases and the equipment. With this we have completed the circle and come back to the question: "Basically, what is technical diving"? The answer should not be too difficult by now:

"Technical Diving goes way beyond your classical sport diving"!

Axel Horn
ANDI-IT # 83