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Normox Course (Danish) | Adv. Nitrox Course (Norwegian) | CCR Intro Dive (Danish) | OC Trimix Course (English)
Story from a
OC Trimix Course
By
Niklas Adielson
IANTD Trimix
course, Lysekil, Sweden, Nov-04
After a lot of thoughts and research Stilianos and I decided to contact
JJ-Technique in Denmark to get help organizing a full trimix course. At
first we discussed taking the course in Athens where Stilianos had his
initial encounter with IANTD, while taking his Adv. Nitrox certification. I
(Nicolas) on the other hand took my Adv. Nitrox course
with a local IANTD
instructor in Gothenburg. Since the initial separate training
Stilianos and I
participated in the technical
training together on the west coast of
Sweden.
Getting a hold of a qualified IANTD Trimix instructor in Sweden proved to be
a difficult mission, there are at least one on the east coast, but the
course fees are …. The number of Normoxic Instructors that are active in
Sweden is higher but we figured why go half way for twice the price.
We soon realized that the most economical solution would be to hire an
instructor from JJ-Technique in Denmark. The fact that the founder of
JJ’s, Jan is on the IANTD’s board of advisors gave us confidence that the
course would be according to standards and a rewarding challenge.
Within hours from
emailing JJ we received reply. We did not need a lot of correspondence
before Stilianos and I came to the same conclusion, this is a highly
professional dive team and that is what the kind of instructor that we are
looking for. Finding room in the calendars that was suitable for all parties
took a bit of work but we agreed that the middle of November would work.
Since time was an issue we agreed upon compressing the course to a more
intense tempo, 4 full days
(and nights) instead of the usual five.
Day 1
We checked in at the dive resort
in Lysekil
were we would be staying for the next couple of nights. After a brief introduction of
ourselves (at this point we were suddenly renamed to Sti and Nik) and our
instructor Thomas Larsen, it was time to hit the theory. Thomas
conducted a slideshow presentation in “Scandihoovian”
(clarified in English when needed). Despite the amount of topics time flew
by and all the sudden it was time for dinner, followed by theory exam.
Day 2
Since all tanks were premixed and analyzed getting in the water for the
first dive at Släggö in the south harbor was not a problem.
There was a “slight
wind” comming from the sea so the decision was mutual, we would dive on the
inside, by the deck facing the port instead of the outside as previously
planed. Like
on all initial dives of a course whether it is an
PADI open water course or a
professional or technical course, the initial dive usually means obstacles.
Despite the damage to our self confidence it was nothing that could not/would
be taken care of prior to dive no 2. Needless to say, second time around
everything worked a whole lot better!
Day 3
According to rumors my roommates had sleeping problems due to noise, but
they did not present any confirming evidence so I decided to ignore the
accusations.
We loaded up the cars and left
for Ormestad, which has a very nice wall in the only proper “fjord” in
Sweden. According to the naval carts of the area, the bottom is at a depth
of 98 meters just outside the boatyard. The first dive went on smoothly and
on the second dive we
took on a “cue card festival”. On demand we showed that we
could handle a series of different problems that we “encountered”.
Day 4
Final dive at Ormestad!! 2
degrees centigrade in the air, frost on the ground ….
what were we doing? We
are used to answering our own students that at least we were getting paid to
dive in this cold, all the sudden we were students paying someone else to
take us in the water.
After a slow descent in to the
cold dark unknown constantly making sure that we were not loosing reference
or each other, we reached our target depth. Stilianos and I have dived at
this site for many years but never at this depth. It was a totally different
wall and a really nice dive.
From
nowhere Thomas silently pops up with a cue card in his hand, explaining that
we have some minor problems to simulate AGAIN. The Inspiration that Thomas
is using is perfect for this kind of situation, you can’t hear him and
unless he has his light turned on you can’t see him either, although you can
sense his presence.
Post dive briefing
…..
The question that will not stop bouncing in my head: Did we pass? The
largest difference in between IANTD and the other commercial training
organizations (PADI, DSAT, NAUI, GUE, TDI, ANDI) in Sweden is the fact that
“you pay for Training and Earn the qualification”.
We got some pointers and reminders for the future and then FINALLY the word
that we have been waiting for: We both pass and are now qualified IANTD
Trimix divers!
Summary:
We got everything that we expected during the course and then
some! It's
no question that unlike many instructors Thomas does not only dive
during “work” but also for the pure joy of diving. He is as professional, as
sympathetic and easy to get along with. When the time comes to take an
Inspiration course there is no doubt of whom we are contacting for training.
It is without any doubt
that we recommend everyone that are looking for technical dive training to
contact
JJ-Technique.
Note: “Sti” Stilianos and “Nik” Niklas are both highly active
PADI IDC Staff instructor in Gothenburg, Sweden, and are now going to enjoy
trimix diving as well. |
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