Recreational Trimix Course

[Chuck_Northrup]

Hello again everyone, it has been a while:

This is a message I had not anticipated needing to write for a month or so, but it seems that the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Going Under Dive Center will now be offering the Enriched Air Trimix (EA3) or Recreational Trimix Course.

This course is designed as a recreational course (MOD 132fsw) with the use of enriched air/helium mixtures. I do not want to get too in-depth on the specifics. That is primarily course material, but upon graduation students will be able to use trimix mixtures with 28-40% O2 content and an equivalent narcotic depth of no greater than 70fsw. The use of 30/30 will be encouraged. Basic Nitrox and Advanced Diver are required, and Deep Diver certification is encouraged. This course can be taught in conjunction with Nitrox and Deep Diver with the addition of more classroom time and additional dives.

There is more information available on our website , and for those of you who have seen the earlier section it has been updated as of yesterday. In order to support our EA3 divers we will also have pre-mix 30/30 on tap. We will be offering certification through two agencies IANTD and TDI.

The first class I will be offering will be either the second or third week in August. Sorry it will be so late in the season, but a busy schedule and the newness of the program necessitate a bit more time. For those of you wondering where the course came from, I can tell you that it was generated from the bottom up. Consumers in the industry have demanded it and the agencies are finally endorsing it.

We at GUDC have been mulling over the program for a while, and just before Our World Under Water I pitched the idea to TDI headquarters. They were interested, but needed an outline before they could make any decisions. While working on my outline Ron took a trip with Tom Mount and found out that IANTD already had an approved outline, so we decided to run with it. Approval for my TDI outline was just received yesterday, which is the primary reason I have withheld posting anything.

The first few classes we run will receive both certifications. This will help lend credibility to the program and also eliminate the “we do not accept so-and-so’s certification” attitude still prevalent in some dive shops across the country. Those of you interested in additional information can call me at 763-424-8717 or email me at Chuck@goingunder.net

I now officially open the floodgates of slander and opposition to the course, but what do you expect from a stroke who teaches people how to dive with death machines? All I ask, as usual, is that all hate mail is delivered in person.

Safe Diving,

Chuck Northrup
Going Under Dive Center

[chrisw]

no flames here. just a question

I am a "recreational" air diver and dont plan on diving deeper than 100 ffw.

what would diving trimix do for me?

[Freedive WI]

Great job Chuck!

It's about time. What are you going to be charging for the class and what are you charging for premix??

I can't wait to see more details.

Jon

[Chuck_Northrup]

First of all, I would like to update some information on the EA3 course. The first class will be held Wednesday August 13th; dives will take place August 16-17th. Again I encourage anyone with specific questions, or a desire for more information to contact me directly.

Jon, thanks for your support. You can find the class information on our website under the Classes---Specialty Classes----Recreational Trimix category. For gas fills go to Equipment---Air and Gas Fills. We have done our best to keep the cost to a minimum but there is no way around the high price of helium. That has a nice poetic ring to it .

Chris, if you do not plan on diving below 100fsw do you need a helium mix? I can not answer that question for you. In my belief system a diver has to take responsibility for their own actions. What gear you use, what gas you dive, and what profiles you follow are not really for me to judge. Once a diver is certified as long as they are comfortable with their choices and accept responsibility for their decisions that is all you can ask.

The main reason Recreational Trimix has stayed out of the mainstream for so long is that many experienced technical divers and those in the industry believe that helium has no place on dives shallower than 130fsw. They are the biggest dissenters from the Recreational Trimix course. This begs the question of whether or not helium would be measurably beneficial in this range. Helium will primarily assist with reducing narcosis, some people like narcosis, it is a matter of your comfort level in dealing with it. Since it is a lighter gas it will also improve ease of breathing and reduce CO2 retention. Obviously the increased O2 content of EA3 mixes will have advantages as well. These are just a few obvious examples. To learn the rest, take the course.

Safe Diving,

Chuck Northrup
Going Under Dive Center

[tcjtn0]

Chuck: Thank you for the nice explanation of things!!! It clears a few things up for us...

Jean

[DRE]

??