PADI's TecRec Courses

Ok, Im a little bias about the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
Ive seen some of the stuff and their course prerequisites, and tend to disagree a lot.
But the new line of Padi's diving courses for me, is a cause for concern.
Now at the moment, Im not a technical or cave diver, but intend to be.
But looking at the new technical diving courses is really unnerving me.
Looking at the prerequisities, they seem to be very casual, and downplaying the risk of this form of diving.
Diving, is deadly.
No buts about it.
Whilst it is safer now, its still takes its lives every year without fail.
Many of these lives in my opinion, was due to inefficient training, which I will address in a later blog.
The open water environment from 0-30 metres, in a minimum decompression setting can be a dangerous place to be, but millions of dives each year show that it is safe enough and that it is quite forgiving.
If the proverbial hits the fan, most of the time, one can merely share gas until another source of gas-preferably the surface can be reached.
But below these limits and in an overhead environment, conditions change rapidly.
All of sudden dive time increases dramatically, as does decompression obligation, and often in the ocean, so can currents, and weather conditions.
Hence this requires very sound and safe diving practices. There really is no room for error, and divers need to know their limitations and stick to them, gradually building up experience and holding themselves to a very high standard of all things diving.
As a favourite diving author of mine quotes, "few divers know their limitations, and when they do, they are about to die".
Clearly not something you want to discover during a dive.
Now my first problem is with the prerequisites.
For many of the PADI TecRec courses, less than 100 dives is needed to commence the course, in fact a few require less than 30 dives!
To me, a diver would be lucky if they knew enough by 75 dives and be proficient enough to be exposed to what should be an extreme form of training. Personally, at least 100 dives should be sought out, and at least 25 dives in a hogarthian configured technical rig with 7 foot donation hose.
Instead, this is not required as it is 'taught' in the course.
I think this is a grave mistake for PADI and sounds more like a ploy to involve more people in technical diving. There are many people, who for various reasons in recreational diving (0-30 metres) that should either not be diving or be limited due to medical conditions, attitude, etc.
To advertise technical diving as something that is for 'most' people, may be disastrous. I have no issue with the promotion of the sport, as it is good, but the possibility of having divers in a position where they should never be in, eg: below 40 metres and be uncomfortable, is likely to cause a different type of publicity.
I have seen h=far too many divers who were certified cos they paid for the course. This should never occur, but it is always happening. In technical training, certification MUST be earned and all standards met to the highest possible standard. Furthermore, even those that have passed really should be given advice on how to improve. In this form of diving, it is crucial to always improve skills, as crucial as it is to breath oxygen to support life.
Another concern is that air is being promoted and being taught to be dived to 50 metres. I am iffy on diving to 40 metres on air (I have a self imposed limit of 30 metres), and think that a trimix or heliox mixture should be used below 30 metres to reduce the effects of inert-gas narcosis.
Whilst many may blow this issue off, it is one thing to be slightly narced at 30 metres in a minimum decompression situation, but a completely different kettle of fish when narced with 50 metres of water and a decompression penalty between you and the surface. Errors abound, and if not caught, has resulted in fatalities.
The seeming ease of performing these courses, and the short nature of them is food for thought.
Having read the course reports on it, they dont appear as intense as other technical training courses around, which is cause for concern.
It really is essential to be pushed and pushed in a technical course. You want to reach the course and certification limitations on the course if possible so that when diving later, nothing that is unexpected can shock you.
The seeming lack of instructor experinece is cause for concern as well. I personally would expect that the instructor have been certified and be experienced well beyond the course limitations, so that should a student be very good, they can advance their skills further. Also so the team is safer. Its a comfort to know that the instructor is a highly competent technical diver, not just a minimum deco diver.
In the end, I guess only time will tell. I have nothing personal against PADI, I just believe that their seeming attitude towards technical diving is dangerous and that it should be very tough.
Technical courses should be difficult, for the reward when you finish and are certified is greater and lets face it, you get to see more unspoilt things than others. Visit what few people do, and experience what few people do. Many of these issues are not endemic to PADI, but to all the diving industry, but as they are releasing these new courses, it is hoped that perhaps the industry will closely scrutinize itself. But it wont happen, as many think it is excellent and their are no real issues. Some of these issues will be addressed later.

Welcome

Allright, basically this is my diving blog.
Here, Ill post stuff on diving and anything else to do with getting wet, including rants, opinions and the like on developments in our world.
I may enrage you, may thought provoke.
Excellent.
I have some very clear views on the what should and should not be going on in the diving world.
So, check it out, the site reports, dive reports, the orgasmic dives.
Welcome,
For those about to dive, I salute you.
For those who'll sit there and watch, enjoy.
:P