Prerequisites

1. Must meet GUE general course prerequisites as outlined in section 1.6
2. Must be a minimum of eighteen years of age
3. Must have passed GUE Fundamentals using the equipment outlined in section 2.1.2.10, and have demonstrated competence in skill and drills listed in 2.1.2.9 at a grade of 4 or above
4. Must have a minimum of 100 dives beyond open-water qualification
5. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold
6. Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/275 meters in under fourteen minutes without stopping (This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection)7. Students participating in a Tech class conducted in a cave must be at least GUE Level 2 Cave divers

 Duration

The Tech 1 class is normally conducted over a five-day period. It involves a minimum of forty hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work.

 Course Limits

1. General training limits as outlined in section 1.4
2. Student-to-instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during any in-water training
3. Maximum depth 160 feet (+/- 10 feet)/48 meters (+/- 3 meters)
4. No overhead diving except by active GUE Cave 2 Level instructors while teaching in the cave environment.

 Course Content

The GUE Tech 1 course is normally conducted over a five-day period, and cumulatively involves aminimum of forty hours of instruction designed to provide a working knowledge of enriched air diving,normoxic and hyperoxic Trimix and decompression mixtures, including history, physics, physiology, tables, and operational considerations.

Course requirements include ten hours of academics and eight dives, six of which will be critical-skill dives and two will be experience dives. Initial dives will be conducted in shallow water to test diver ability and to fill in any deficits in skill levels. The last two dives are to be Trimix dives at depth for experience.

 Required Training Materials

1. Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
2. Getting Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.

 Academic Topics

1. Physics

2. Pressure and gas-law review

3. Equations relevant for planning, mixing, and using enriched air

4. Physiology

5. Hypoxia

6. Hyperoxia

7. Oxygen toxicity

8. CNS

9. Pulmonary toxicity

10. Tracking multilevel, multi-dive, and multi-day exposures

11. Inert gas narcosis

12. Inert gas absorption and elimination

13. Carbon dioxide toxicity

14. Carbon monoxide toxicity

15. Hyperthermia

16. Hypothermia

17. Decompression illness

18. Accelerated and general decompression strategies

19. Decompression practices on air, enriched air, and Oxygen

20. Generic tables, computers, and custom tables

21. Introduction to normoxic and hyperoxic Trimix

22. Advantages over deep air

23. Equipment considerations (DIR emphasis)

24. Stage bottles

25. Doubles

26. Decompression stage bottles

27. BC/harness

28. Regulators, depth gauges, pressure gauges, and hose routing

29. Manifolds

30. Surface-marker buoys and spools (for deco platforms)

31. Computers and bottom timers

32. Exposure suit appropriate for the environment

33. Dive planning

34. Operational planning

35. Support

36. Teams

37. Team planning

38. Gas matching

39. Oxygen limits

40. Nitrogen limits

41. Emergency procedures

42. Omitted decompression procedures

43. Miscellaneous issues, including limited deco gas, out of gas, team separation, etc.

44. Procedures

45. Bottom and deco gas

46. Normal operations

47. Procedures for failure, loss, or inadequate supply

48. Gas mixing

49. Analyzing and labeling gas supplies

50. Line following

Land Drills and Topics

1. Reel and guideline use

2. Dive team order and protocols

3. Touch contact

4. Manifold operation and failures

5. Use of safety spools and reels

6. Basic navigation skills

7. Pre-dive drills

Required Dive Skills and Drills

1.  All skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills, section 1.5.

2.  Procedures for gas failures, including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and regulator switching as appropriate.

3.  Surface-marker buoy deployment.

4.  Use of touch contact for limited and simulated zero-visibility situations.

5.  Reel and guideline use.

6.  Demonstrate familiarity with required course equipment.

7.  Gas-sharing scenarios, to include a prolonged gas-sharing event.

8.  Demonstrate the effective deployment of a reserve light in under thirty seconds.

9.  Comfortably demonstrate at least three propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate

      and/or silty environments; one of these kicks must include the backward kick.

10. Demonstrate effective valve management by switching regulators, shutting down a valve in under

      fifteen seconds and returning the valve to the open position again in under fifteen seconds.

11. Demonstrate reasonable proficiency with a single decompression bottle.

12. Demonstrate proficiency with effective decompression techniques, including depth and time

       management.

13. Demonstrate a comfortable demeanor while sharing gas without a mask.

14. Demonstrate dive-rescue techniques, including effective management of unconscious diver.

       Differences between the management of unconscious and toxing diver should be noted.

15. Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim, i.e. approximate reference maximum of 20 degrees off

       horizontal while remaining within 3 feet/1 meter of a target depth. Frequency of buoyancy

       variation as well as general diver control remain important evaluation criteria.

Equipment Requirements

Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment:

1. Tanks/Cylinders: Students are required to use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual-outlet

     isolator manifold, which allows the use of two first-stages. Divers must also have access to one

     deco tank/cylinder of 50-percent Nitrox.

2. Regulators: Two first-stages, each supplying a single second-stage. One of the second-stages must

     be on a 7-foot/2-meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide

     inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).

     One first-stage regulator for shallow decompression gas, supplying a single second-stage and

     pressure gauge.

3. Backplate System: A rigid and flat platform of metal construction with minimal padding, held to a

     diver by one continuous piece of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the

     plate and should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap attached to the

     lower end of this platform and looped through the waistband would prevent the system from riding

     up a diver’s back. A knife should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing

    should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip, the second should be placed

    in line with a diver’s right collarbone, the third should be placed in line with the diver’s left

    collarbone, the fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while scootering or

    towing/stowing gear. The harness below the diver’s arms should have small restrictive bands to

    allow for the placement of reserve lights. The system should retain a minimalist approach, with no

    unnecessary components.

4. Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver’s buoyancy compensation device should be backmounted

    and minimalist in nature. It should come free of extraneous strings, tabs, or other

    material. There should be no restrictive bands or “bungee” of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell.

    In addition, diver lift should not exceed 80 lbs / 40kgs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate

    to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.

5. At least one time/depth-measuring device

6. Decompression tables

7. Mask and fins: Mask should be low-volume; fins should be rigid, non-split

8. At least one cutting device

9. Wet Notes

10. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver

11. One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters of line

12. One primary light: A primary light should be minimalist in design; its power source should consist

    of a rechargeable battery pack residing in a canister powering an external light head via a light

    cord. Primary lights should produce the equivalent output of 50-watt halogen/10-watt HID lighting

    or greater.

13. Two reserve lights: Reserve lights should be non-rechargeable, with a minimum of protrusions

       and a single attachment at its rear. The light should be activated by twisting the front bezel toward

       the body, deactivated by turning it away from the body.

14. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure

15. At least one surface-marker buoy per diver

16. Diver’s breathing Helium mixtures and utilizing a dry suit must have a separate (from the back

       gas) dry suit inflation source, such as an argon/air bottle. Divers may not inflate the dry suit from

      the back gas.

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify

equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE’s equipment requirement

remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives. Participants are responsible for

providing all equipment or for making provisions to secure all necessary equipment before the start of the

course. In general, it is better for the student to learn while using his or her own equipment. However,

students should exercise caution before purchasing new equipment to avoid acquiring substandard

equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases. Information about

recommended equipment can be obtained from the equipment considerations section of GUE’s Web site.