Unfortunately it has got the point that is just no longer cost effective to operate as a professional technical diving instructor.

I thought I’d point out the main reasons why I’ve come to this decision:

• Market Rates
  The diving industry in the UK has generally been in a bit of a race to the bottom for a few years now. With far to many opportunities to get cheap training, the general market rate for training has been quite low. Price seems to dominate as the driving factor instead of quality, and I’m no longer prepared to try and compete with the (few, not all) who are prepared to cut corners on training standards and / or health and safety.
• Closure of NDAC
  With the NDAC in Chepstow now closed to the public, there are no inland site where any trimix level diving can be conducted safely (in my opinion) and with good support and facilities. We did manage to function quite happily before the NDAC, but at that time in the UK there were significantly more dive boats available around the coast. Booking, then rebooking due to weather cancellations, was a lot easier than it is now. Fuel, accommodation and food while on the coast are now considerably more expensive. A recent 2 days diving in Portland has cost me over £400 just in those three items alone, before adding boat fees, gases etc.

I’m looking forward to spending more time diving for myself, and would like to thank all my past students for allowing me to join in their journey’s to becoming technical divers. I’ve seen a few colleagues making the same decisions as me already this year and imagine they had similar thoughts.

What would I recommend if you are looking for technical diver training?

• There are a number of IANTD instructors I would recommend, depending on the training requirement. The full list of IANTD UK instructors is at https://www.iantd.uk.com/find.php. If you are after trimix training, an instructor nearer the coast may be a better option.
• Plan ahead. You may need to be booking many month ahead so instructors can coordinate multiple students, boats, accommodation etc.

The post Update on Training 2022 Onwards appeared first on Phil Grigg Technical Diving.

August 2020 Schedule

At the time of writing, diver training is being allowed at some of the inland dive sites, but not all. With that in mind we have tentatively scheduled in the following courses for August. This will depend on the appropriate venue being open for diver training.

IANTD Side Mount Diver

Provisionally Schedule for the 29th and 30th August at Stoney Cove.
Read More

Trimix Training for 2020.

As most of you will have seen, the National Diving & Activity Centre (NDAC) in Chepstow have made the difficult decision not to reopen for the rest of 2020. We can fully understand the rational behind this decision, and wish them all the best for the future.

This has produced consequences for our Trimix Training plans for 2020. For any training program requiring dives deeper than 36m , we would have normally headed to the NDAC.
While there are other inland sites available in the UK where deeper depths are available, none are really viable from a logistics and / or Health & Safety aspect.

That now means if you are looking for Trimix level training, the only realistic option will be to complete this off-shore. Most divers would agree they would much rather be diving a shipwreck than a quarry, even on a course. However it will obviously have budget consequences and divers should plan accordingly.

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During 2019 I’ve been quite busy with a number of other projects (mostly non diving related) so decided to take a step back from training.

Thankfully I’m now back to training again in 2020. Already lined up for 2020 are Advanced Recreational Trimix Diver and Normoxic Diver courses, in both open circuit and closed circuit versions.

So if you are looking for any form of Technical Diver Training in 2020 then get in touch. We will spend a bit of time to ensure we come up with the right training path for your goals, before delivering your training to a standard above what you’d expect. Read more about why we are different on our about page.

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The initial thing you notice about the RedBare is that it’s much smaller than it’s big brother, the RedHead.  Most of this is accomplished by the remove of the large case than encloses the RedHead.  Cylinders are on show and the counterlung is now in a fabric pouch similar to pretty much every other rebreather design.  The counterlung is still back mounted though.  The main part of the rebreather is protected by a small shield and there is a stainless steel foot to ensure it stands up nicely.

The second thing you notice is that it is much lighter than the RedHead and much more compact on your back.  Despite this I was still able to use less lead than I traditionally would do on a RedHead or original Sentinel.  In the water it is also obvious that the unit has a small form factor.

The main difference is the performance in the water.  The RedHead could never be described as a bad unit to breath but the RedBare is a whole new league.   It easily the most pleasant breath and best performing unit that I’ve dived.  Despite the fact I was the third person to try the unit I still managed to get in a head first descent and a couple of gambols (I think everyone outside the Midlands calls it a forward roll!) with no drop in performance.  The unit breathed exceptionally in every attitude I could comfortably get it into.

Of course, the main rebreather body and electronics are identical to the RedHead, meaning you get all the same great features.

The VMS RedBare is now available to order now along with training on the RedBare, RedHead and Original Sentinel models.

Video from the try dives is available to view on Facebook or below

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As the water temperature dropped early in the year I decided to purchase a Kwark Navy undersuit (and accessories) and see if the reviews I’d heard were correct.  Since then I’ve done a number of dives in the undersuit and can say I’m very impressed. As any technical diving instructor will tell you, particularly on CCR Diver courses, a lot of time is spent hanging around demonstrating skills or watching students performing skills rather than actively swimming around.  All of the dives have been in water temperatures as low as 6 deg C and no warmer than 8 deg C.  They were all pretty much over an hour in duration, with most touching closer to 100 mins.

Kwark Navy Undersuit

First Impressions

When you first see the Kwark Navy undersuits they look thin.  However you quickly realise when handling them that the material is quite dense and heavyweight.  You also notice how stretchy it is too.  This was emphasised when I first tried the suit on.  Initially expecting it to slide on like an old Thinsulate undersuit I was surprised by how I had to squeeze my legs into it.    By the time I had it around my waist I was convinced I’d ordered the wrong size and it was never going to fit. The fit is correct though, the suit stretches and is a purposely designed to be a tight fit remaining in contact with as much of your body as possible.  Despite it being a dense feeling material, the tight fit and stretchiness of the material means it is one of the comfiest undersuits I have warm.  There is no restriction of movement at all, as the material stretches in every angle as you move around.  Even fully outstretching your arm doesn’t result in the sleeve ridding up your arm.  Everything stays where is should be.

Diving The Kwark Navy Undersuit

I chose to go for a complete set undersuits, including the Navy one piece suit, the Navy vest, socks and under-gloves.  Warmth wise I found the suit warmer than my previous combination, which was a layer of Fourth Element Drybase, followed by an Xerotherm vest and a set of Xerotherm Arctics (I kept the layer of Drybase under the Kwark suit).  The Navy undersuit on it’s own felt warmer, but the big difference is the significant improvement in movement.  I also dropped 0.5kg of lead.  Adding the Navy vest made a significant increase in warmth with only a 0.5kg weight increase compared to my Fourth Element suits.  I’m more than happy with that difference for the warmth.  Even the socks and gloves proved better than my existing choices.

I’ve now clocked up quite a few dives in the Kwark undersuit and have yet to find anything bad to say about it, apart from it’s not very flattering when I’m wearing it!

I should note I purchased the undersuits, I’m still using them and all divers were under an Otter Britannic Drysuit.

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 http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr1073.pdf

If you are planning your bailout on your normal (and probably optimistic) breathing rate of 15 to 20 litres per minute then the suggestions from the report that a hard working (or panicked) diver could be breathing as much as 50 to 75 litres per minute might make for some hard reading and maths. Obviously planning a full bailout on 75 l/min is not really practical, and as the paper states would not be maintainable for any duration of time.

My own personal bailout planning assumes a high initial breathing rate (usually in the region of 40 l/min) that will eventually settle down closer to normal as I work through the ascent and deco stops.

The post Breathing Rates in Emergency Situations & Bailouts appeared first on Phil Grigg Technical Diving.

I was recently shown an incident report where a diver appeared to have lost conciousness on or near the surface.  While I’m not going to speculate about the reason why (the report was, as usual, vague on details) one of the potentials listed was the choice of diluent.

Why 10/52?

One of the main reasons 10/52 is a popular choice for rebreather divers is that it has the number 10 in it.  That might sound a bit odd, so for those of you who aren’t rebreather and / or trimix divers I can explain….  One of the principle skills a rebreather diver uses in fault finding and / or problem solving underwater is to flush a known gas mix into the rebreather to replace the gas they are currently breathing.  To be able to do this, it’s handy to know the partial pressure of the gas that is to be flushed in.  As I’m sure you can all recall, this is calculated by multiplying the fraction of oxygen in the gas by the pressure at your current depth.  If the fraction of oxygen is 0.10, the it makes the calculation very easy to perform at any point during the dive.  The PO2 of the gas at 55m say would be 0.65.

10/52 is also what is known as a HeliAir.  It require no additional oxygen during the blending process, just helium and air.  This can make the blending process a bit simpler.

So It Sounds Like a Good Gas to Use?

Phil Diving a Sentinel with Multiple Stages

In simple terms,  it does.  But it’s not always the best gas to use.  In the above example the PO2 at depth of 0.65 is well below the 1.00 limit we usually aim for.  The final mix being breathed would be around 20/46 making it feel like diving to less than 20m on air narcosis wise.  The big problem with this mix though isn’t on the bottom, it’s nearer the surface.  Sat on the boat deck, the PO2 of this gas is 0.10. Dangerously low.  In fact is doesn’t start to make it from dangerously low to just low until gone 4m.  This means that the diluent can’t be breathed directly till below 4m.  Any Bailout Valves can not be used / tested and great care must be taken when using an Automatic Diluent Valves.  A large quantity of oxygen must be added to bring the PO2 up to the typical low set point of 0.70 in these shallow areas, and any addition of diluent is going to cause a dramatic drop in PO2 within the breathing loop.

What Else Could We Use?

Using the same 55m dive, my choice of diluent would be 14/44.  The PO2 of the diluent is still less than 1.00 and the end mix being breathed would be around 20/40, which still gives an equivalent narcotic depth of just over 20m this time.  There are also off the shelf deco tables available for 14/44 and for 19/40 (which would be an ideal bail out gas).  The plus side of using 14/44 is that should I need to add diluent to the loop on surface (say swimming to the shot) I can do so with much more safety.

So Should We Stop Using 10/52?

No, probably not.  But what more divers should start doing is think about their choice of diluent rather than just reaching straight for the 10/52.  It’s not always the best gas available.  Even if you can’t be bothered to work out the best mix (you really should be!), most dive planning software will do it for you now.

But What if The Dive is Cancelled?

I can say there is at least one reported incident involving a diver using 10/52 on a dive that didn’t require it (see DISMS Incident Report).  If the dive get’s cancelled and you end up doing a different depth, think about getting your diluent re-blended.  Ditching half the contents and topping the remainder off with air gives a diluent that is now safe to breath on the surface.  Even a whole 3litre cylinder of 10/52 is only around £10 in cost, hardly a bank breaker.

Just remember, the best mix for the dive isn’t always going to be the one you already have in your cylinder!

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It’s Not Training!

Technical diving coaching sessions are not training, they are coaching.  This means you won’t get a certification at the end of it, although I will sign your log book to show proof of what you have done.  If you are after training, even on a one to one level, then you need to complete a training course and / or qualification.

So If It’s Not Training, What Is It?

Performing a Gas Sharing Exercise (Screen Grab)

A coaching session is there to help you along with your technical diving.  It provides a chance to ask questions and perform skills under the watchful eye of an instructor and get some valid feedback (with video where ever possible) once done.

One of the main reasons divers book individual coaching sessions is because they haven’t dived for a while, or haven’t dived at a technical level for a while.  Technical diving skills (and all other diving skills for that matter) should be practised regularly.  The more you practice, the easier you will be able to perform the skills without delays or mistakes.  Remember, it’s the poorly learned survival skills that are lost first.  In these cases, the coaching session is customised to match the divers current level, or the skills that they want to practise.

Practising Shut Downs (Shutting down a cylinder valve because of a faulty regulator)

Another reason for booking some technical diving  individual coaching sessions might be that you are thinking about completing a course and want to make sure you are at the right level and ready to progress.  In this case, we will normally conduct a couple of dives at your highest current level to check that you are ready.  You don’t have to be an expert to complete the next course, but you should be able to dive happily (and safely) at your current level.

You may also have recently purchased some new kit and want some advice on putting it together and using it properly? The great thing about individual coaching sessions are that they are individual, tailored to what you want to get out of them.

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There are 6 steps that you should complete before using your new reel or spool.  These become even more important if you plan to deploy SMBs with your new purchase.

1. Reel off the full length of the line
2. Change the line for pink (optional)
3. Measure the line (especially if you have changed it in the above step)
4. Wet the line (soak it, not just dampen it)
5. Reel it back on to the new reel or spool.
6. If necessary, remove some excess line

Lay it out neatly and it will go back on easier!

Reel off the full length

We are going to do a number of things to the line, and for them to work properly we need to have the line laid out.  I attached clips to two lumps of lead at either end of the street and ran the line in between these.  The neater you keep it, the easier the job will be when you come to reel it up.

Change the line

I like to use pink line on all my main reels and spools.  The pink has much greater visibility underwater, and really pops out.  Yellow also works quite well, but there is no reason why you can’t stick to white.

Measure the line

The reel that I was using is a Dive Rite Primary Reel which came with 400ft of line.  I always like to check that there really is the advertised amount of line on a reel.  As I was changing the line anyway, I also wanted to know how much line I was putting back on the reel.  In this case, it was 107m, roughly 13m short of what was original on the reel.

Wet the line

Line will expand when wet.  When your line was first put on your reel it was nice and dry, and reeled on very neatly.  If you were to jump in with it now, the line would expand and may not deploy off the spool easily or safely.  This is especially important during SMB deployments.  Soaking the line first then reeling it on means it is already expanded and should be less likely to snag or stick during use.

Reel it back on

As simply as it sounds, but the line under reasonable tension and try to do it neatly.

If necessary, remove some excess line

Now that your line is wet and has expanded, you may find it doesn’t all fit back on the reel or spool.  If necessary, remove a few meters.  Remember to account for the fact that when you are reeling it up underwater you may not always do a neat a job as on dry land.  I fitted 107m to a reel that should be able to hold 120m (mostly because I had 107m of pink line spare).

A Bonus Step 7? Practice!

Your new reel or spool is now ready for it’s first use.  If you’ve changed from a different design and / or are unfamiliar with that style or model then don’t forget to practice in a controlled environment first.  On entry level technical courses, I usually see a 25% failure rate when it comes to the first SMB deployment of the course, so make sure you’re comfortable with your choice of reel and well practised in it’s use.

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As an instructor I don’t always get chance to capture lots of video and pictures, but I’ve put a quick clip together of my week.

If you see yourself in the video and want a copy of the original footage of your dive then get in touch and I’ll happy send a copy over.

Those who were lucky enough to dive with me enjoyed a whole host of sessions and workshops, such as

• Side Mount Try Dives
• Side Mount Skills Sessions
• Inspiration Try Dives
• Propulsion Techniques
• CCR Survivable Failures Workshop (those where you can stay on the loop)
• CCR Skills Reviews

On top of all the instructors and training sessions, many of the leading manufacturers were present to provide a whole host of shiny toys to tryout. We even got a private tour of nearby Wookey Hole Caves.

Dates for TEKCamp 2015 have already been released so you get in now to secures place. Contact Vobster Quay for more details

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