- Technical Series - Phase I
Sub-Aquatic Sports & Service teaches technical courses to fit our dive environment, mainly the cold deep waters of the Great Lakes. Our program has evolved throughout the years into a practical and efficient series of courses to meet all standards required to earn specific NAUI Technical certifications.
Technical series is divided into two phases that will run you through the different training stages necessary to reach your goals.
Phase I of our Technical Series includes...
NTEC
Helitrox
Decompression Techniques
Even though these classes could be taught separately, each course is necessary for the others to be put into practical use. For that reason, we teach Phase 1 to cover them all.
NTEC (NAUI Technical Equipment Configuration):
NTEC is a “program” not a certification. This is where you’ll learn about tech gear and become proficient in using it. Standard configuration of technical gear is a must. Uniformity of equipment within a dive team leads to safety. For that reason, SASS requires that all divers use the same configuration. Everyone on the team must understand how other diver’s gear is set up and visa versa. In an emergency, this saves time.
Helitrox:
Helitrox is a “No-Deco” course which introduces divers to use light mixes of helium. You must be a Nitrox Diver to take this course. Helitrox depth limits are 150’ of depth; with a mix of 17% helium – 26% oxygen the END depth (Equivalent Narcotic Depth) is approximately 130 feet.
Decompression Techniques:
The Deco Techniques course is exactly what the name implies. It is a certification course that trains you about the theory of decompression, gas redundancy, the use of Nitrox as a decompression gas, and how to plan for emergencies when the surface is no longer a safe place to go.
Phase I can be looked as “Tri-Mix on training wheels”. The end goals are:
- To achieve total comfort level with technical equipment so that it becomes second nature to use.
- Understand how, when and why to decompression diving
- Introduction to Helium based diving with the understanding of Helitrox limitations
You’ll Learn...
the theoretical aspects of decompression techniques
gas properties and how they relate to the human body
dive planning using with various size tanks, mixes, air consumption rates, etc
contingency planning
In the Water, you will...
perfect buoyancy control (an absolute must)
lift bag deployment
practice and apply decompression techniques
practice and apply gas management
practice emergency procedures
Prerequisites:
Requirements:
In the Water, you will...
Prerequisites:
| Class | Min. Age |
Required Dives (Prior to taking this class) | Certification Requirements |
| NTEC | 18 | 25 dives total w/5 on Nitrox | Basic Scuba and Nitrox |
| Helitrox | 18 | 50 dives total w/10 on Nitrox | Master and Nitrox or Deep Equivalent |
| Decompression Techniques | 18 | 75 dives | Above and Helitrox or Equivalent |
Requirements:
| Course | Required Class- Related Dives | Estimated Course Hours | Depth Limits |
| Intro to Tec | 4 | 5 | not to exceed 60’ |
| Helitrox | 4 | 8 | not to exceed 150’ |
| Deco Tec | 6 | 8 | not to exceed 130’* |
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Dates:
Because of the extensive nature of the training, SASS only runs one Phase I class each year. Please call to put your name on a list of potential technical dive students for our next series. (Phone: 269-968-8551)
Schedule:
Phase I consists of 18 hours of lectures and approximately 16 training dives. Lectures may be run during a weekend or during a series of weekday evenings depending on the student’s convenience. It is not unusual for us to have students travel from other states to complete this class so weekend classes are popular. Water work is extensive. Training dive locations include Gull Lake, Lake 16 and Gilboa Quarry. THIS IS ONLY THE START. You must plan on weekend trips to Great Lakes shipwreck for deep dives and/or a Florida destination.
Once this phase is completed and depending on your previous history and experience it allows you to jump into several different helium based gas training programs such as Heliair, Tri-mix I, or Tri-mix II. These levels deal with varying amounts of both Helium and Oxygen, eventually even hypoxic (at the surface) blends of Helium and Oxygen.
Cost:
Call for current rates. Prices fluctuate depending on the training dive locations.
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