Crossing over between dive coaching businesses comes up recurrently in diving boards and conversations. For leisure programs stage, shifting between businesses is pretty simple, as the fabric is essentially streamlined. However how does it work in relation to crossing over between tech diving coaching businesses? We’re taking a more in-depth look.
Selecting the Proper Company
Beginning tech diving coaching is commonly extra about discovering the best teacher than it’s about selecting a particular company. Nevertheless, it’s price trying on the company facet additionally. Every coaching company has a considerably totally different philosophy, typically influenced by founders and coaching administrators.
This philosophy can be mirrored of their coaching packages and supplies. So far as supplies go, two areas could make a distinction. The primary level is entry: on-line studying is handy, value efficient and environmentally pleasant, however not each diver finds it simple to study this manner; some individuals might favor books, and a few might favor instructor-led concept courses. It’s price checking whether or not your chosen course can accommodate your most popular studying type.
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 additionally relating to dive planning, tools specs, and extra. On-line-based supplies can accommodate these modifications way more simply than printed books.
Course Flexibility and Curriculum
Except for the fabric, trying on the diploma of flexibility inside a course is vital. Some businesses prescribe precisely which expertise divers should carry out throughout every course dive. Others checklist all expertise required for certification however depart it to the person teacher to determine which expertise to deal with on particular dives. The latter typically permits for a extra tailor-made course that accommodates particular person studying types and paces.
Additionally examine how an company’s course development is structured and the way it suits along with your diving targets. A few of that is evident in course stream charts and course descriptions, nevertheless it’s in all probability one thing it is best to focus on with an teacher.
Many technical diving instructors are affiliated with a number of businesses and due to this fact can advise you on which curriculum most closely fits along with your preexisting {qualifications}, expertise, diving targets, and the setting you might be coaching in. Based mostly on that, you might properly stick to one company’s coaching.
Does switching have advantages?
Are there any advantages to switching? Positively. Primarily, you’ll have the chance to check and higher perceive which curriculum and educating type works greatest for you. Usually, crossing over between businesses at a leisure stage is so simple as signing up for a brand new course. Nevertheless, as technical diving curriculums aren’t as streamlined because the entry stage programs, you might have to take a step sideways to suit into the opposite company’s course stream.
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. Nevertheless, 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. Regardless that a lot of the fabric is comparable and the distinction in potential most depth is just a few toes aside, Decompression Procedures permits limitless decompression stops—a significant distinction between the 2.
Crossing Over for Dive Professionals
For dive professionals, crossing over is a extra structured course of. Particulars range relying on current {qualifications} and educating expertise. The method might vary from a shorter model of an teacher course to a easy administrative change. All relies on the person company’s necessities and the teacher’s current {qualifications} and educating expertise.
Most businesses will acknowledge that educating expertise is effective, even the teacher has been educating totally different curriculum. On the finish of the day, the teacher has nonetheless defined technical diving ideas and practices to their college students. A crossover normally entails spending some display time studying about an company’s historical past, understanding its educating philosophy, course constructions and—maybe most significantly —educating requirements.
Underwater, a crossover might embody a expertise circuit, typically carried out as a peer evaluate somewhat than an examination state of affairs. Which means that the teacher crossing over is being assessed in a extra workshop-like situation. Nevertheless, some crossovers are extra like a shorter model of an teacher coaching course, together with tutorial and underwater expertise shows. There can also be necessities to help on programs.
So, whereas shifting between diver coaching businesses is pretty simple at diver stage, these intending so as to add skilled rankings to their {qualifications} will discover extra formal necessities.
