The story behind the design
More tanks. Fewer excuses.
If your entire opinion of technical diving came from someone shouting that it is unsafe, close the tab. Tech does not make the ocean harmless. It simply makes the diver far less casual about gas, planning, redundancy and the inconvenient possibility that something might actually fail.
It was never really about going deeper or staying longer. It is about becoming self-reliant enough to be useful, disciplined enough to turn the dive and trusted enough that someone else will follow your plan. Looking annoyingly cool with too many cylinders is merely a side effect.
Choose the instructor, not just the centre or certification logo. We learned from several, but Frontier Tech Divers deserves a special mention. We would dive with Rick Kirkham any day. He does not teach you to drag five trimix cylinders into the water and follow obediently. He teaches you to trust, earn trust and become useful when the dive stops being cooperative.
We have also crossed paths with excellent teams at Koh Tao Divers, Bali Dive Trek and Evolution Diving Resort. Different places, different systems, same conclusion: the instructor matters.
Technical training finally gives you a reason to understand all those functions on your dive computer. Some people still call it a dive watch. We are trying not to judge. We are failing.
The octopus is aspirational. Eight arms, four cylinders and somehow still better organised than most of us.
Go deeper if the mission requires it. At least look organised.
*The photograph behind this story was captured by @scubaman11 of Oceans and Africa, who gifted us this excellent image after we had the privilege of diving together.
Diving involves risk. Read the disclaimer.