|
The Dirst DSAT
Tec Deep Diver course...
... in Finland
by Matti Anttila
PADI MI, DSAT TDI#73568
"Water was ice cold, darkness surrounded us...
At the depth of 43 meters my instructor took his slate,
and showed it to me. It said: "Multiple your phone
number by two!" Uh-oh... I hardly could do that! Now I
know what effects the nitrogen narcosis causes..."
[Student, DSAT Tec Deep Diver course]
|
|
|
T he rumours about technical diving offered by PADI were high before the DEMA 2001 show.
Actually they had started well earlier, and people were really interested about the new program. After DEMA the program was public,
and the courses could begin. The problem was to find the instructors...
|
The starting point
Technical diving in Finland is even more demanding than in several other
places because of our arctic conditions and muddy waters. Actually the whole concept of scuba diving is pretty demanding here for the same reasons.
We have about 25,000 divers, and the number of certified technical divers of any organisations is less than one hundred, even though public interest
seems to be towards technical diving. So the main problem is not to find the students, but also the instructors and dive masters. After some while we
had a group of eleven students, two dive masters and two instructors. The course could really start...
Welcome to the DSAT Tec Deep Diver course
|
T he so-called zero-module was held in February 2001 at the PADI office.
If you take a group of ordinary Open Water Diver students, and show them the scuba gears, you'll get a fuss. But that won't be anything compared with
this! We took our technical rigs and some deco cylinders etc. stuff for a demonstration, and it did make a nice contact! It's funny, that a group of
experienced PADI instructors are more eager to touch and play with new gear, than a group of novices just starting a new hobby. It's called motivation,
and that's one small, but important part of tech diving. However, the welcome part of this kind of diving course is not so friendly anymore. It's not
repellent either, but it's realistic. This is no more recreational diving, but this is tech diving. But we are not doing things more unsafe, on the
contrary. Technical diving is diving in environment, that could be hazardous without the equipment and techniques that we teach to use.
|
|
|
After this introduction to the course, we had all students still with us, gladly. Unfortunately the group was narrowed to four students
instead of eleven, due the problem of long schedule of the course.
The course
|
|
DSAT Tec Deep Diver course is divided to three parts: theory, practical application and
diving sessions. There are total of six theory modules and two exams. In addition, there are also eight practical applications covering topics
from gear rigging to dive planning. Three first dives can be conducted in pool, and in my opinion that's a good choice. The water is so cold,
especially early in spring that it's good idea to get familiarised with one's gear in pool-like conditions. The pool sessions cover almost all the
basic skills, which are done also in the open water. Generally speaking, the three first dives are practising of some new equipment, such as double
cylinders, long house routing, deco cylinders and lift bag handling in decompression stops.
|
Open water diving
|
Open water environment differs of course from confined water training. Water is colder,
visibility is poorer and the environment is rougher. The first dives in open water were conducted in old open mine, which was great for our
purposes. Visibility was poor, about two meters until we reached a depth of 15 meters. Then water became clear and we had a great visibility,
even 10-15 meters, which is even outstanding in our muddy waters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Generally, the skills were quite easy to the students. All the students were PADI instructors, so they had been diving a lot. One of the hardest things
was to cope with all three manifold valve shutdowns in 45 seconds. This skill was easy to the most limber students, but still divers with drysuit,
drygloves and thick under garment need to practise more than the divers in tropical waters. Deco and stage cylinder staging was easy, but it's important
to have aluminium cylinders instead of steel ones. The difference is huge when carrying two steel stage cylinders instead of aluminium cylinders.
One skill is still worth to mention; long hose air sharing without a mask! Depth was 20 meters, almost dark and water temperature was 3°C, so the
feeling when you get cold water to your face is stunning. But it's all practise and it's good.
|
|
The course was carried over mostly in fresh water, but the last three dives were conducted in Kasnäs, which is in the West Coast of Finland.
The reason was mainly, that we couldn't achieve enough depth in inland lakes or old mines without going to the mining tunnels, and since this course
is not intended to contain overhead environments, we had to go to the sea.
|
|
|
|
|
The motivation for going tec?
|
Finland is not Caribbean, nor it is Thailand. We don't have
beautiful corals or colourful fishes, but we do have wrecks! The Baltic Sea covers literally thousands of wrecks varying from fisherman boats to German
warships. Our cold and low-oxygen sea preserves old ship wrecks well, but some times they are just too deep to dive within recreational methods.
And this is the point, when technical divers go, and others won't. Of course we do have mining tunnels and some other reasons to dive tech too, but
wrecks are one big highlight of Finland. At the beginning of July 2001, Finland got first four DSAT Tec Deep Divers. Instructional team congratulates
them!
|
|
|
Matti Anttila
PADI MI, DSAT TDI #73568
E-mail: matti@antti.la
|
