Expedition Diving
Exploration diving and improving technique, are the main ambitions and end results for divers undertaking Tech Training.
Nearly all the skills and procedures that are taught at every training level are the product of ‘real’ experiences over the past years from Instructors who were involved at the formative stages of Technical Training.

In the modern day there are hundreds of Tech Instructors, all who have the ability to teach every level of course but do not have any real Technical Exploration behind them. Does this matter? When I undertook my training I was fortunate enough to be involved with exploration diving before I became an Instructor. In the mid-90’s you couldn't’t enroll on a Tech Instructor course, you had to be selected, unfortunately this does not happen today with the exception of the Megalodon Rebreather. As a trainee Instructor there were only a handful of Instructor Trainers available with the major difference being that they were explorer divers as well.

Rich Stevenson examines a navigation lamp on the Britannic expedition 120m depth click to enlarge photo ©Leigh Bishop

This meant that what I was taught as a trainee Instructor backed up what I had experienced as an explorer which is something I strongly believe is under valued and missing today.

Some divers place no value in how much experience their Instructor has and whilst we all have choice, I believe that poorly learned survival skills are the first to be lost in an emergency situation.

I have been teaching Tech Diving for 12 years without incident, which is a fact that I attribute to my previous experiences in Exploration. I have seen it go wrong and unfortunately been called to recovered the bodies of others who have got it wrong which as I say completely backs up what I believe in.

Which is that divers should seek out an Instructor with a 100% safety record, who has been as active in exploration diving as well as teaching. If you put price before quality of training you will truly get what you pay for in the long run.

Please don’t be blinded by how many plastic cards the Instructor has in their wallet. Look and dig a little deeper and don’t be afraid to ask them to prove their history in your sport as it’s your time and money that deserves to be well spent.

Here is a potted history of the diving I have been fortunate enough to be involved with: click here