TDI Resources (Technical Diving International)

Liability and Release Form

Medical Form

Physician Form

Semi Closed Rebreather Diver

Solo Diver

Air Dilluent CCR Diver

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Advanced Mixed Gas CCR Diver

Cavern Diver

Intro to Cave Diver

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Gas Blender

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Oxygen Service Technician

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Advanced Wreck Diver

Nitrox Diver

Intro to Tech

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Decompression Procedures

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CMAS Resources (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques)

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Children and Youth Diving

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Semi Closed Rebreather Diver

Standards and Procedures

Unerwater Navigation

Trimix Diver

Training and Diving

Underwater Scooter

Cave Diver

Gas Blender and Service Technician

Extended Range Diver

Scientific Diver

PADI Resources (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)

Gas Blender Release

Blender Fill Log

RSTC Medical

Liability Form

Release Form

Release for Nitrox Diving

BSAC Resources (British Sub Aqua Club)

Combined Nitrox Diver

Gas Blender

Advanced Nitrox Diver

Sport Mixed Gas Diver

Extended Range Diver

Advanced Mixed Gas

IANTD Resources (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers)

Normoxic Trimix

Technical Diver

Trimix CCR

Gas Blender

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Liability Form

Advanced Nitrox

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Release Form

Military Diving Resources

U.S Navy Diving Manual

Contaminated Water Diving Manual

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ISC APECS Operation Manual

VR3 Quick Reference Manual

US DIVERS Service and Cleaning Manual

AP Inspiration “Vision” Closed Circuit Rebreather Operation Manual

Sentinel Closed Circuit Rebreather Operation Manual

Sofnolime Reference Guide

Azimuth Closed circuit Rebreather Operation Manual

AP Inspiration “Classic” Closed Circuit Rebreather Operation Manual

Drager “Dolphin” Semi Closed Rebreather Manual

Azimuth Closed Circuit Rebreather Brochure

Drager “Ray” Semi Closed Rebreather Manual

Ap Evolution Operation Manual

Ap Inspiration Operation Manual

Nexus Quick Reference Manual

Suunto D6 Owner Manual

Nexus Closed Circuit Rebreather Operation Manual

Reference Material

Reduced Gradient Bubble Model

Deep Diver Workbook

Physics, Physiology, And Medicine Of Diving

Occupational Diving Cometance

Understanding M-Values

Learners guide to CCR

Texas University Diving Saftey

Confessions of a Mortal Diver

Oxygen Toxicity Calculations

Understanding Deep Stops

Understanding Setpoints For CCR

Cave Divers Are Mortal

Rebreather Blunders And Malfunctions

Boom Scenario

Basic Equipment For Cave Diving

Diving Terms and Explanations

Dive Profile Safety

Diving The Hms Repulse

Diving Incident Report Form

So You Want to Technical Dive

Predive Checklist

In Water Recompression

Depth and Gas

Book Reviews

Rebreather Fundamentals

Dive Medic Resource Manual

Today Big Blue Tech, a technical diving school based on Koh Tao in Thailand celebrates the graduation of Phil Elmer from his TDI Extended Range Course.

Phil arrived on Koh Tao almost a week previously and began with some technical diving fun dives as he was already certified as a TDI Decompression Procedures Diver. After a few trips Phil was ready to start his course. The TDI extended range course certifies the student to 55m and to use a variety of gas mixes and techniques for decompression diving. Phil started off in confined with a skill refresher and an introduction to how we do skills and then we were off deep diving the next day. The course took us to various locations, wrecks and conditions.

The final day was conducted by looking for new wrecks using gps and sonar from fishermen marks on our own boat. After a few sweeps and some dives we came up empty handed but it was great experience for Phil to see how wreck searches are conducted and it was a chance for Big Blue Tech to cross off an area of interest leaving only a few more search areas left.

As reported on the Big Blue Diving blog:
“Meanwhile in the deeply technical world of Deep Tech diving, ‘Canada’ (James Thornton-Allan) & his tattooed team of black hooded twin tank techie boys have been taking Navakid off for a jolly with a fish finder & a depth reader to see if they can find somewhere deep & dark to go diving. Ideally chancing upon a wreck would be a fine thing, but we’ll suffice with a ridge or a wall or a series of pinnacles. As long as its deep & its dark & its technical & it involves carrying around lots of tanks & a gimps hat it doesn’t really matter!”

Tonight the celebration will continue with a party at “Moov” which will be their last for the season.

Below are pictures from his course:

Today Big Blue Tech completed a TDI Decompression Procedures course for Andy Holdaway, Panos Iosifoglou, and Steve Jeffs under the instruction of James Thornton-Allan. Additionally the course was joined by Nathaniel Weiss who is perfecting his skills under supervision of Technical Divemaster Christos Kardana

The TDI Decompression Procedures course, which was combined with TDI Advanced Nitrox, covers a variety of unqiue skills and training to allow the diver to complete decompression dives up to 45m using a variety of oxygen based gas mixes.

The course began with advanced buoyancy skills, equipment orientation, gas planning, task loading and handling advanced mixes of nitrox.

Today the students completed 2 accelerated decompression dives at Chumphon Pinnacle dive site in Koh Tao Thailand. The goal of all dives was to not touch the ground at any point or make contact with any object using their newly honed buoyancy skills. It was also essential to deploy a lift bag on every dive, the lift bag and reel can often lead to problems with loosing depth control or entanglement.

The students final dive exposed them to a 24 minute stop at 4.5m. Although they had already cleared their schedule according to their Suunto Vytec DS gas switching computer (provided as standard on all courses) it was essential for the students to build up tolerance to hanging in water in a controlled manner.

Tomorrow begins the start of the TDI Extended Range course which will begin with advanced oxygen handling, simulated in-water recompression procedures (full face mask), decompression buddy breathing and a variety of unique skills found only in the TDI syllabus. The TDI Extended Range course will then hit the road for Khao Sok where the students will complete their TDI Cavern Course and finish the deep dives on the sunken village in the middle of the national park. This option for training is only open to the most comfortable technical student due to it’s remote and challenging environment.

All images copyright Christos Kardana - Big Blue Tech

September 11th

A US Marine Officer, former US Airforce Engineer and a Private Security Consultant joined Big Blue Tech today for some decompression diving. All three men hail from New York and came to Big Blue Tech for different reasons but all dived together this morning.

Mike Borneo, US Marine Captain joined Big Blue Tech to get his TDI Advanced Nitrox but quickly moved on to complete his TDI Decompression Procedures course as well. Mike is on cultural attachment to the US Embassy in Thailand before his next deployment overseas in the new year.

Steve Papapanos, former US Airforce Engineer is travelling through thailand and came to Big Blue Tech for the same reasons as Mike and will continue his travells through the rest of Asia.

Nathaniel Weiss, Business Consultant for Private Security Companies overseas joined Big Blue Tech for his TDI Extended Range course and Khao Sok Expedition at the end of the month but came out today to receive a Technical Refresher before going straight into the course. Nathaniel will join 3 others later this month to start his extended range.

The course was conducted over 4 days and exposed the divers to accelerated decompression to 45m. The divers learned complex dive planning, equipment configuration and new diving techniques to allow them to dive deeper and longer than before.

The students enjoyed the diving so much the signed up for some additional experience dives right after the course. It was a great pleasure hanging out with these lads since we’re very much an ex military school and wish them all the luck in the future.

This Course examines theory, methods and procedures of planned stage decompression diving. The objective of the course is to train divers how to plan and conduct standard staged decompression dives not exceeding a maximum depth of 150 fsw / 45 msw. During the course students will look at the most common equipment requirements, gear set-ups, decompression techniques and dive planning. Students are able to use EAN and Oxygen for decompression provided the gas mix is within their current certification level.

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