TDI Advanced Nitrox and Deco Procedures in TENERIFE

RogerViking

DOING TDI ADVANCED NITROX AND DECOMPRESSION PROCEDURES
WITH DAVID CARSON DIVE 24:7 TENERIFE

For the past two years or so I have been getting to grips with deeper longer diving so the way ahead was getting my certification in advanced nitrox and decompression procedures. I was waiting for a course to come up with my clubs organization, which they run on a regional basis. Needless to say I am still waiting. So I decided since last year, after much deliberation with friends and other Ydrs that there were a few options I could take one was waiting until the regional DO got there act together and do the course with them. I could try a few centres to do this type of course and travel up and down Ireland every other weekend, not guaranteed a dive and forgetting half of what I might learn in between, or I could find an instructor that was well recommended and could teach me the skills which I require. A few names were banded about; but one kept coming up that looked like just the ticket. I was soon in contact with David Carson and we had a great chat on the phone so much so I got a great vibe that finally my struggle might be sorted out. Tickets were bought to Tenerife and the dates were organised. David had the manuals sent to me from TDI UK and they arrived in work in a matter of days, I soon had my head in the books.

During the time it took to go out to Tenerife myself and Paul (Ardhill) took a few dives on the Alistor in Strangford to do a bit of practicing shutdowns etc. For those of you that don’t know what the Alistor is like in early January and February it’s a great training ground for this sort of diving cold dark and cold again, there were numb fingers at the end of each dive.

Soon the day came to head over to Dive 24:7 Tenerife, the only technical and rebreather centre in Tenerife. David and his lovely wife Nicky met me as I came out of the airport, and the change from dull grey winter faces to bright sun kissed smiles was a welcome sight. We loaded the gear into the back of their minibus and made off to their Centre to get the gear sorted out for the weeks diving to come. I think David was looking forward to being back on a twinset for a while since he usually dives a rebreather.
Dave and Nicky have a great set up in there centre lectures are held in the main room upstairs and, they have partial pressure nitrox blending facility and plenty of equipment including twinsets, regs, BCD, wetsuits etc. Changing rooms and compressor downstairs. Best of all is the gear lift straight to the front door. Lifting of gear around the place is kept to a minimum. We got the kit sorted out and ready David really is through with kit no loose ends.
Then it was off to get something to eat and check out the accommodation I was really impressed as they inspect the accommodation themselves prior to people arriving there was all the comforts of home.

It was up at 8 bells the next morning and I was nervous as a cat in a dog pound I didn’t want to let the side down after all the diving during the past few months. David and Nicky would pick me up at about 09:00 hrs and it would be a short hop from where I was staying to the centre. After arriving at the centre and a cup of tea and a chat it was straight in to Adv Nitrox.
David is a great teacher questions answered with no probs and we ran through various profiles and mix’s DCI CNS much more. Then exam time ‘how he ever deciphered my hand writing or spelling is beyond me it’s woeful’ anyway I did ok. I passed the paper work part, only to go straight into Decompression Procedures so another few hours went by and I was handed another exam. Head up me bum by this time but managed to pass this one too. Now that was the easy part now came the dives, first two were due the next day and I was diving in a semi dry for the first time in about two and a half years. And with wearing a twinset and stage, weight was going to be an issue.

Next day we loaded the gear into the minibus and made our way down to the harbour in Las Galletas and transferred it onto their RIB The Celtic Wave, 9 meters long and kept spotless. We headed out and geared up. After a short trip we arrived at the site we rolled in and made our 5m checks, with all ok we continued on. The diving in Tenerife was great I have dived a fair number of places around the world and this is up with one of the best .we saw some groupers and a ray, then it was back to training time an OOA drill and some other scenarios, stage off and recovery of stage we ended the dive with bagging off using your exhaust bubbles. Something I never did before this course and although it wasn’t a great mid water deployment I managed it. Then it was doing the deco stops, and a minute from the last stop to the surface. I really enjoyed the midwinter deployment and it’s a skill that should be practised routinely. We headed off during the SI and got a lovely fry from the restaurant at the harbour they do a killer bacon tostie too. After we were well fed it was time for Dive: 2 we rolled out of the boat again when and did our check at 5m we swam around for a while I was getting better with my buoyancy by now and only had a kilo on the belt I had to calculate my SAC which was 20L per min swimming around after Dave in a big circle I also had to bag off again at the same time always switching to 50% nitrox at 22 meters and maintaining your stops and run times. Easy going on the way to the surface and soon back on the boat with Nicky driving us safely back to the harbour first dives out of the way. Back at the centre we got the kit washed and cylinders filled for the next days diving we went to one of the restaurants that night for a feed and I was then soon tucked up in bed for a early start to the next day. I was being little hard on myself during the day but was feeling better by the end of it.

Day 4 dive 3: I meet up with Nicky and David at the usual place outside the apartment I was staying at which might I add had a wonderful view over the sea. After picking me up we made our way to the centre. The same story again loaded up the mini bus and made our way down to the boat. After reaching the dive site and getting into the water I had more things to do share air and do a shutdown. Also had to remove mask and deploy backup mask, then back to the dive and enjoy it a bit before time for the accent.
The second dive of the day came soon after more bacon tosties that Nicky and myself were enjoying post dive 3.
Dive 4: after doing our checks again a 5m we went on our dive, which opened out to revel beautiful coral arches. We swam through stopping to look at a memorial to Cousteau and saw some trumpet fish. I had to do another shutdown midwater no problem and we continued on looking at all the marvellous life, after bagging off we did a bit of OOA deco gas sharing on the line and were soon dry again

Day 5 Dive: 5 this was the biggie we went on our dive the plan was to dive to 35meters for 5 minutes and come up to 30meters for 10 minutes before starting the accent we arrived at the bottom of the anchor line at 30 meters and Dave went to put some air in the bag to make it easier to lift later this took about 3 minutes and Dave signalled lets start off going deeper see if we could still get 35 ‘I think he was trying to get me to break the plan but I was having none of it’ and signalled lets level off for the remaining 10 minutes as we would still be on the dive plan so we had a nice time at 30 we saw an angel shark and a few morays. On the boat after David said I did right and always stick to the plan something I will always remember to do never let someone else put you at risk.
Dive: 6 The last dive of the course was on the rays dive where there was a wreck that’s is well populated by a variety of species and other divers looking on at us with wonder ‘who are these brilliantly trimmed gracious twinset diver’ I can only imagine that’s what they were asking themselves. This was a great dive morays fish and loads of stingrays. One of which decided to follow us around on our dive brushing up against you for a pet. Very memorable we came up again and Nicky was probably chuckling away to herself on the boat at the size of the grin on my face.”Did you enjoy that guys?” she asked, did we ever. Back to the harbour and we moored the boat on the pontoons alongside some other ribs, that looked a little worse for wear .you can always tell a good operation on how they look after there boat. When we got back to the centre David told me congratulations and that I had passed the course he also reminded me about the perils of becoming complacent, stick to the plan, and never break the deco remember everyday is a learning day.
The next day we were diving the wreck of EL Meridian. So we started to get our kit together David would be on the rebreather and I would be on the twinset with deco stage.

Day 6 Dive: 7
Nicky drove us out again to where the wreck was located not many of the local dive operators will go to this site ‘saying its too far’ she has a great eye for spotting the transits one which only years of experience brings after we did our checks and after David prebreathed his unit we were ready to dive the wreck of EL Meridian, a WWII minesweeper. Once we got into the water it was the same drill as the other dives from the days before ,5 meter bubble check and continued on down the line to find it sitting right on top of the wreck, and what a wreck sitting upright on the bottom in 30 metres the crows nest pointing proudly towards the surface and a real wreckers dream. As we went around her a large Atlantic ray decided to swim past a meter in front of us. what a beautiful animal .We swam around again me practicing my frog kick, before having a look inside there’s still some brass left on her and right under the bow was a 4 foot porthole glass and all still intact. A lovely sight, memorising to see and I hope she stays that way for many days to come a “beauty of a wreck”. But all to soon we had to come back to the surface. We clambered back on board and hulled anchor. I already was tasting the bacon tosties back at the marina restaurant. And after them and a hefty surface interval and a few coffees we were ready to go back out for my last dive of the week.
Dive: 8 Yellow mountain not far from the harbour at Las Galletas and our plan was basically lets go looking for angel sharks and have a nice shallow pleasant dive. Diving earlier in the week we had had an encounter with an angel shark and they are lovely to see either at rest or swimming gracefully in the water they can go like the clappers when the need arises unfortunately we didn’t get to see any on this dive or the turtle that David said was there in previous dives. I was still quite happy though with all the morays and fish life that was there. I can see why they have there dive centre in this part of the world, warm water and good diving. It was sad to have to come up from this dive knowing it was my last. Well until I return.

David was very professional in his instruction and running of the course I would recommend to anybody looking to do this course or just looking to go diving to give himself or Nicky a call. They made me part of the family out there.
The only Downside to the whole trip was having to come home.


http://www.dive24-7tenerife.com/
a few thanks :
David and Nicky Carson
Stephen Macmullan
ARDHILL (thanks for all the cold fingers)

seadeuce

Thanks for that report. Well written and enticing!

Will discuss it with you at length in August



Seadeuce