Caribe Diving, technical diving, equipment, oxygen, nitrogen, overhead

Pursuing the drive to explore the depths, divers had to find a method for doing it
safely and repeatedly. Hence the methodologies of Technical Diving was born,
although the term "Technical Diving" was only applied much later.

In essence it involves diving into an environment where there is no direct access to
the surface. The obstacle can be physical, like a cave or shipwreck, or it can be a
virtual barrier like a mandatory decompression stop.

Diving deeper than Recreational Diving demands five major considerations:

You need more gas, because you are staying down longer, you need to breathe
underwater for much longer, plus the pressure is greater hence the volume of gas you
breathe is greater. If you want to carry more gas, you need different equipment.
Different environments demand different equipment.

If you have done a course in Enriched Air Nitrox you will remember that air has +/-
21% oxygen. The deeper you dive, the higher the ambient pressure and the partial
pressure of the 21% oxygen will increase. The accepted maximum limit for Oxygen
Partial Pressure is 1.5 for Technical Diving and 1.4 for Recreational Diving. Thus the
maximum depth you can dive with 21% oxygen would be around 60m (200ft). If you
want to dive deeper than 60m (200ft) you need a different gas with less than 21%
oxygen.

Air consists of +/- 21% Oxygen and +/- 79% Nitrogen. As you dive deeper the ambient
pressure increases and accordingly the partial pressure of Nitrogen also increases.
Once the partial pressure for Nitrogen reaches around 3.5 most people start to feel
Nitrogen Narcosis. A feeling of euphoria similar to drinking too much alcohol. Although
narcosis is not dangerous in itself, but like alcohol, it does impair one's ability to
function. Thus if you want to dive deeper than +/- 35m (120ft) it is a good idea to
have a different gas mixture that will reduce narcosis.

Whether you are diving in a cave, shipwreck or just a deep or long dive demanding a
mandatory decompression schedule, the bottom line is that you can't ascend directly
to the surface. Your decompression obligation is calculated and planned prior to the
dive, then discipline demands that the diver dives according to his plan.

Technical dives are often much longer and exposure to the water causes your body to
loose more heat than during a recreational dive. If a technical dive is done to deeper
depths where the water temperature is often colder than at the shallower depths,
heat loss can be much quicker. Proper exposure protection is a major part of safe
diving.

All the theory and skills training tend to revolve around these factors. Safety
procedures how to use your equipment, what to do in unforeseen situations, working
in buddy teams etc, all have at it's core, know your equipment, manage your gas,
manage and plan your decompression obligation, limit your oxygen exposure and limit
your narcosis.

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