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GUE Technical Diver level 3

Purpose
 

 

GUE’s Technical Level 3 (Tech 3) course is the culmination of a series of three courses designed to

establish technical diving excellence and facilitate deep, mixed-gas diving. Emphasis is placed on

aggressive diving profiles, including advanced decompression theory, advanced gas mixture/management,

control over extreme exposures to Oxygen, and proficiency in the use of a DPV for propulsion at depth.

This course is heavily experience-based and deals mostly with the practical implications of deep diving;

divers are expected to be capable technical divers.

 

Prerequisites

 

1. Must meet GUE general course prerequisites as outlined in section 1.6

2. Must be a minimum of twenty-one years of age

3. Must have passed GUE Tech 2 and GUE Cave Level 1

4. Must have a minimum of 300 dives, with at least 200 dives in double cylinders

5. Must have at least fifty dives beyond Tech 2 training

6. Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold

7. Must be able to swim at least 500 yards/365 meters in under fourteen minutes without stopping.

This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.

 

Duration

 

The GUE Tech 3 class is normally conducted over a seven-day period and involves a minimum of forty

hours of instruction. Training consists of at least ten dives, of which six are critical skills/drills and four are

experience dives, as defined by GUE standards.

 

Course Limits

 

1. General training limits as outlined in section 1.4

2. Student-to-instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during in-water training or land drills

 

Course Content

 

The GUE Tech 3 course is normally conducted over a seven-day period, and cumulatively involves a

minimum of forty hours of class-oriented instruction (lecture and in-water) designed to instill divers with

an advanced understanding of mixed-gas diving. Special emphasis will be placed on extended exposures

and their associated considerations (dive planning, gas management, DCS, Oxygen toxicity, DPV

propulsion, and thermal concerns).

Course requirements include a minimum of six critical-skill dives (three days) with training in scooter

diving, multiple stage/deco bottles, navigation, advanced gas management and advanced decompression

strategy; and four Trimix experience dives (four days) with practical implementation of critical skills

during deeper/longer diving.

 

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.

3. Beyond the Daylight Zone: The Fundamentals of Cave Diving. Jarrod Jablonski, Panos Alexakos

and Todd Kincaid, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.

4. The Physiology and Medicine of Diving. Peter Bennett and David Elliott, W. B. Saunders

Company Ltd, London.

 

Academic Topics

 

1. GUE organization

2. Limits of training and course completion requirements

3. Conservation

4. Logistical planning, project support, and operational planning

5. Advanced diving techniques, including scooter diving, use of multiple stage/deco bottles,

navigation, advanced gas management, and advanced decompression strategy

 

Land Drills and Topics

 

1. Spool, reel, and guideline use

2. Dive team order and protocols

3. Scootering protocols

4. Touch contact

5. Advanced navigation skills

 

Required Dive Skills and Drills

 

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

2. Assess and review diving limitations.

3. Skillfully demonstrate gas-failure procedures, including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and

regulator switching (as appropriate).

4. Demonstrate the ability to deploy a lift bag/surface-marker buoy in under two minutes while

hovering stationary. Participants should not vary in depth more than 5 feet/1.5 meters.

5. Demonstrate good touch-contact skills for limited and simulated zero-visibility situations.

6. Demonstrate excellent reel and guideline use.

7. Demonstrate proficiency in gas-sharing while managing multiple stages.

8. Demonstrate safe and efficient operation of a DPV.

9. Demonstrate proficiency in gas-sharing while piloting a DPV.

10. Demonstrate the ability to run/retrieve a guideline while scootering.

11. Demonstrate the ability to tow a diver with a failed DPV.

12. Demonstrate proficiency in DPV power management.

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

14. Demonstrate excellent buoyancy control skills.

15. Demonstrate clean and efficient removal/attachment of multiple stage and/or decompression

bottles while hovering horizontal.

16. Demonstrate an understanding of advanced decompression techniques by: 1) explaining trends in

decompression tables, and 2) explaining how to manage decompression in the event of a lost

decompression gas.

17. Be able to explain how to safely carry out all decompression obligations, assuming the loss of all

back gas.

18. Demonstrate proficiency in navigation, using both a compass and natural navigation.

19. 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 for the use of two first-stages. Divers must also maintain the use

of at least four appropriately marked stage bottles. Stage bottles should include: one Oxygen

cylinder, one cylinder for use at 70 feet/21 meters, one cylinder for use at 120 feet/36 meters, and

one cylinder for use at 190 feet/57 meters.

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.

Four first-stage regulators, one for each stage/decompression cylinder; each one is to supply a

single second-stage and a single 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 / 40 kgs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate

to the cylinder size(s) employed for training.

5. Approved tow behind DPV

6. At least one time/depth-measuring device

7. Survey compass and slate

8. Decompression tables

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

10. At least one cutting device

11. Wet Notes

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

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

14. 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.

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

16. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure

17. At least one surface-marker buoy per diver

18. 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.