The Tech fast track

[matt t.]

Being HONEST with your self is the biggest factor in deciding if you're ready for "tech" diving. Are your skills where they need to be? What are your reasons for wanting to go deeper/longer? A good instructor will ask you that question in the first few minutes of your first conversation. A lot of newer divers see the gear and hear the stories and decide, "it can't be that hard"........and it isn't, until something goes wrong. Experience as Bill said, can be a big part of making it out of a bad situation, good training is another. I don't think you can say that a certain # of dives qualifies you to dive doubles, take advanced nitrox/deco, take tri-mix, take a cave class, etc. It really comes down to each diver and their personal skill and comfort level in the water. Finances are another part of the equation. Technical diving isn't something you can do in-expensively. This is another area where the diver needs to be honest with him/herself. Can you afford it? There are certain pieces of gear that you will need to have, and the associated maintenance of the gear (02 cleaning and visuals every year, and hydro's every 5 years on a bunch of tanks, maintenance and service kits for 4-6 regulators) and boat charters to see the "good" wrecks. Typically on a weekend, I'll spend almost as much on breathing gasses as the boat charter fees. If you can't afford to "Do It Right" (pun intended; yeah I know, it's not really a pun ;D) you need to take another look and decide if this is really for you. Just my $.02. It's worth what you payed for it  .