Extended range.

[Stu Sheridan]

Hi all, not posted here before but know many of you from different fora. Please be gentle with me cos' I'm not good with flames.

I've been thinking of doing the BSAC ER course. I want to round out some of my skills (Deco proc's etc) and be certified to do the kind of accellerated deco I'm already doing.
I have considered both TDI and IANTD courses in the same vein so now I think i'ts time to canvass some opinions from those of you out there who have already done the course.

So, did you enjoy it, find it useful, feel your diving had been improved?

The opposite?

Also like to hear from anyone who may be able to compare the same type of course from different training agencys.
I'm not really interested in using 100% o2, purely due to my own reasons and not agency related, but theat wouldn't preclude me from doing a course which allowed it and limiting myself to 80/90%.

Anyway, enough waffle, what do you reckon?

Stu.

[Matt]

Hi Stu

I've been thinking of doing the BSAC ER course. I want to round out some of my skills (Deco proc's etc) and be certified to do the kind of accellerated deco I'm already doing.

Top marks for honesty. If you are making accelerated deco dives then get trained now.

The Basic and Advanced Nx courses are intended to make your no-stop and deco diving safer. Basic Nx teaches a way to avoid decompression, Advanced teaches a way to make deco dives safer. ERD is fundamentally different. The courses teach the skills needed to extend traditional limits by balancing risk factors. The ERD courses also include lots of practical work; to assess if you have the skills required and to teach you to assess your own abillities. If something goes wrong during an ERD dive and you fail to sort it out, you will get hurt very badly.

I have considered both TDI and IANTD courses in the same vein so now I think i'ts time to canvass some opinions from those of you out there who have already done the course.

For the record I have completed various IANTD and ITDA courses up to Advanced Trimix.

So, did you enjoy it, find it useful, feel your diving had been improved?

Of the dozens of courses I have completed, two have fundamentaly changed how I go diving; BSAC Dive Leader and IANTD Technical Nitrox Diver. The latter was by far the most demanding and rewarding, harder than even the Trimix courses. Far from making me a better diver overnight, the IANTD course highlighted my weak areas and provided the tools for me to go off and improve my own diving and treat refinement as a continual process.

Do not assume that you will enjoy every aspect of the course. Part of what your learning is to find the limits of your comfort zone, so you can assess when your moving beyond it. As a result a good ERD course will demand you complete skills which you may be uncomfortable with. The longer term result for me is that I now enjoy all my diving far more.

The opposite?

Also like to hear from anyone who may be able to compare the same type of course from different training agencys.

Most ERD divers would advise that the instructor is more important than the agency. I would recommend finding an instructor who is not only teaching the techniques but regularly using them.

I'm not really interested in using 100% o2, purely due to my own reasons and not agency related, but theat wouldn't preclude me from doing a course which allowed it and limiting myself to 80/90%.

The BSAC ERD course was launched shortly before I took my IANTD course. I can only tell you why I did not take BSACs ERD.
1. The choice of instructors was limited
2. Some trimix instuctors refuse to recognise the BSAC qualification.

Hope that helps. Whichever course you take, good luck with it.

[Vic]

> Of the dozens of courses I have completed, two have
> fundamentaly changed how I go diving; BSAC Dive Leader and
> IANTD Technical Nitrox Diver. The latter was by far the most
> demanding and rewarding

I'll second that. I did the same course (with a different instructor). Very hard work, but extremely rewarding...

Vic.

[Stu Sheridan]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I've already done BSAC advanced Nitrox, and Dive Leader.
There's a place in north wales that I know of that does IANTD Tech Nitrox courses:

<a href="http://www.aksdiving.co.uk/index2.html" >http://www.aksdiving.co.uk/index2.html</a>

I'll check out some other providers and try to find out which instructor(s) are doing the BSAC course then post back to see if there's anyone knows/dives with them.

Thanks again, Stu.

[matt duke]

The BSAC ERD course is excellent, but as always with diving, it is the instructor who is paramount to you, the student, getting the most out of the course.

I can reccomend two instructors for you to contact:

North: Graeme Bruce.
<a href="http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/green/va65/index/instructors.html" >http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/green/va65/index/instructors.html</a>

South: Jack Ingle.
<a href="http://www.deepwreckdiver.co.uk/" >http://www.deepwreckdiver.co.uk/</a>


Both are qualified to teach a number of different agencies courses, both will give you an outstanding BS-AC ERD course.

Cheers

Matt Duke
Bergen, Norway

[neil masson]

I am an AD & Inspiration diver with TDI Advanced Trimix quals & I can honestly say the BSAC ERD course I did a few years back was the best & most rewarding course I ever did, I learned more on that course than any other course I have ever done, but I reckon it was down to the instructor, Graeme Bruce, top bloke who makes you earn the qualification. It made me a much better diver practically & mentally, it made the step up to trimix a walk in the park.

The BSAC ERD course is excellent, but as always with diving, it is the instructor who is paramount to you, the student, getting the most out of the course.

I can reccomend two instructors for you to contact:

North: Graeme Bruce.
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/green/va65/index/instructors.html

South: Jack Ingle.
http://www.deepwreckdiver.co.uk/


Both are qualified to teach a number of different agencies courses, both will give you an outstanding BS-AC ERD course.

Cheers

Matt Duke
Bergen, Norway