Crossing over between dive coaching businesses comes up recurrently in diving boards and conversations. For leisure programs stage, shifting between businesses is pretty easy, as the fabric is basically streamlined. However how does it work in relation to crossing over between tech diving coaching businesses? We’re taking a better look.
Selecting the Proper Company
Beginning tech diving coaching is usually extra about discovering the suitable teacher than it’s about selecting a selected company. Nonetheless, it’s price wanting on the company facet additionally. Every coaching company has a considerably completely different philosophy, typically influenced by founders and coaching administrators.
This philosophy might be mirrored of their coaching applications and supplies. So far as supplies go, two areas could make a distinction. The primary level is entry: on-line studying is handy, price efficient and environmentally pleasant, however not each diver finds it simple to be taught this fashion; some individuals could choose books, and a few could choose instructor-led idea lessons. It’s price checking whether or not your chosen course can accommodate your most popular studying model.
The second distinction lies within the timeliness of the fabric: when was it written? Technical diving is evolving quick. There are common updates to greatest practices, not simply underwater, but in addition relating to dive planning, gear specs, and extra. On-line-based supplies can accommodate these modifications much more simply than printed books.
Course Flexibility and Curriculum
Except for the fabric, wanting on the diploma of flexibility inside a course is vital. Some businesses prescribe precisely which abilities divers should carry out throughout every course dive. Others record all abilities required for certification however go away it to the person teacher to determine which abilities to sort out on particular dives. The latter typically permits for a extra tailor-made course that accommodates particular person studying kinds and paces.
Additionally examine how an company’s course development is structured and the way it matches along with your diving objectives. A few of that is evident in course move charts and course descriptions, however it’s most likely one thing it is best to talk about with an teacher.
Many technical diving instructors are affiliated with a number of businesses and subsequently can advise you on which curriculum most closely fits along with your preexisting {qualifications}, expertise, diving objectives, and the setting you might be coaching in. Primarily based on that, you might properly follow one company’s coaching.
Does switching have advantages?
Are there any advantages to switching? Positively. Primarily, you’ll have the chance to match and higher perceive which curriculum and educating model works greatest for you. Typically, crossing over between businesses at a leisure stage is so simple as signing up for a brand new course. Nonetheless, as technical diving curriculums should not as streamlined because the entry stage programs, you might have to take a step sideways to suit into the opposite company’s course move.
For instance, each IANTD’s and TDI’s Superior Nitrox programs qualify divers to make the most of nitrox mixes as much as pure oxygen. Nonetheless, whereas the IANTD model of the course covers conducting restricted decompression stops, TDI’s Superior Nitrox course stays inside no-stop limits. So, coming from IANTD and desirous to proceed throughout the TDI curriculum, divers nonetheless want to finish TDI’s preliminary decompression diving coaching course, Decompression Procedures. Though a lot of the fabric is analogous and the distinction in potential most depth is just a few toes aside, Decompression Procedures permits limitless decompression stops—a serious distinction between the 2.
Crossing Over for Dive Professionals
For dive professionals, crossing over is a extra structured course of. Particulars differ relying on current {qualifications} and educating expertise. The method could vary from a shorter model of an teacher course to a easy administrative change. All relies on the person company’s necessities and the trainer’s current {qualifications} and educating expertise.
Most businesses will acknowledge that educating expertise is effective, even the trainer has been educating completely different curriculum. On the finish of the day, the trainer has nonetheless defined technical diving rules and practices to their college students. A crossover normally entails spending some display screen time studying about an company’s historical past, understanding its educating philosophy, course buildings and—maybe most significantly —educating requirements.
Underwater, a crossover could embody a abilities circuit, typically performed as a peer evaluation slightly than an examination scenario. Because of this the trainer crossing over is being assessed in a extra workshop-like state of affairs. Nonetheless, some crossovers are extra like a shorter model of an teacher coaching course, together with educational and underwater abilities shows. There may be necessities to help on programs.
So, whereas shifting between diver coaching businesses is pretty easy at diver stage, these intending so as to add skilled scores to their {qualifications} will discover extra formal necessities.
