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Technical and Cave Diving CoursesTechnical and Cave Diving are very advanced forms of diving that involve special training, equipment, and techniques. For those with the willingness to learn and the commitment to acquire the best training and gear available, these forms of diving can open up a whole new world for the advance diver to explore. Technical Diving involves dives to hundreds of feet breathing special blends of oxygen, helium, and nitrogen known as trimix. These types of dives require the diver to perform decompression before ascending to the surface in order to slowly expel the inert gasses that accumulate in the body. If decompression is not performed correctly, bubbles of inert gas can form in the diver's body causing Decompression Sickness (DCS), more commonly known as The Bends. Cave Diving involves entering submerged caves. One of the hazards in caves is the fine silt that settles on the bottom. If this silt is disturbed by a diver untrained in special silt-avoidance techniques, it can rise into the water column and reduce the visibility to zero rendering the diver blind. Swimming in a silt-out is like swimming in milk; no matter how bright one's diving light is, nothing, not even the diver's gauges, will be visible. Course List and PricesI love diving and love teaching diving. While dive shops and most instructors are set up to crank out students as quickly as possible to maximize profits, my goals are different. My primary source of income is not teaching (I'm an electrical engineer); I teach because I truly love this stuff, and I get enormous satisfaction out of passing my knowledge and experience onto others. When you take a class from me, you'll find that, unlike most shop instructors, I take the time to get to know each student on a personal level, and I make the class seem more like hanging-out with a friend than like formal instruction. My classes progress at your pace and are easy-going and fun. Nevertheless, my classroom sessions use progressive, up-to-date teaching techniques. Boat sessions are on modern, comfortable dive boats custom rigged for divers and with professional and attentive crews. The open-water sessions take place on many of the wide assortment of shipwrecks off Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Miami, and the Florida Keys. Cave diving sessions take place in north Florida near Gainesville. I teach mainly Technical, Trimix, and Cave diving but will sometimes teach other classes as well such as Basic Nitrox and Gas Blender. I don't have a fixed class schedule and don't do this for a living. I do it for fun, so things go at my schedule, not my students. If you're cool with this, call or email and we'll set something up. I can give you credit for some of your previous diving experience and training which can help reduce the number of dives we'd have to do together to complete your certification. Talk to me, and we'll work something out. Note that in SCUBA as in life, you get what you pay for. The prices I charge for a class are a fair and reasonable exchange for my time, knowledge and experience. They provide a lot of value for the money compared to stores that offer rock-bottom prices to get you into the store so they can sell you gear. Their goal is to close a sale; my goal is to make you a safe and competent diver. By the way, before you buy any gear, check with me so you don't end up buying a bunch of stuff you'll have to sell (or throw out) later; I don't sell or make any commissions on gear so you know I'll steer you right. Check out my FAQ, and if you still have any questions or if you're ready to take a class, Email me or call me at 954-444-4091. If I don't pick up, it's probably because I'm out diving... leave a message, and I'll call you right back. -Mike |
