Tech diving - Where to source gear and how to practice

Where should you get your gear from?

Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport, and make no mistake there is no end to the amount of “Vital Life support equipment” every diver needs! (That's what I keep telling my wife) When it comes to investing in your gear there are some really important aspects to consider, and this advice goes right across the board to anyone looking to buy dive gear.

What about buying gear online?

Buying trends in this day and age tend to lean towards online purchasing. It's simple, it's easy and relatively painless. Not to mention really convenient. So what you really need to do beforehand is make sure that that particular piece of gear you have in mind is right for you, and the application you want it for. In my previous article, I spoke about the importance of choosing your Dive Store and Instructor wisely for your tuition. It does not end there. A massive portion of your training comes with choosing the right gear for you.  So you can see the need to make sure the fit is right between you and the dive store keeps on growing.

And as I was saying last time, building a plan for your training and personal interest goals, is vital. Before you buy a single piece of kit, you need to work out what those goals are. That way, for example, the decision to purchase an item of gear will become apparent if you plan to expand into more advanced level diving, like wreck penetration, cave or deep reef diving.

Keeping it local

One thing that has always been obvious is that if you don’t support local business then, that business will be less likely to be sustained and keep its doors open. It’s the things we take for granted, to just pop into your local dive shop for a dive tank fill and pick up a few bits and pieces. So many dive stores have had to shut their doors for good as a result of increasing pressures of international online shopping.
There are online dive gear stores which make very little profit on their dive gear in the hope they will sell large volumes of it to compensate for their low margins in profitability. But let's face it, anyone can look online and find pretty much anything cheaper. We have to look at the bigger picture and look towards a more sustainable future.

Having worked for over 12 years in dive retail myself I have seen changes in gear pricing in New Zealand that reflect more international costings. These days there really is a small difference (if any) with pricing online or in a retail store. So support your local dive store. They rely and depend on your custom.

Striking a balance between training and experience

Probably one of the hardest things to figure out is how to strike a balance between advancing your dive training skills and building much needed dive experience. Having this balance will make you a much more rounded diver. But this is a very individual thing and what will work for some won’t work so well for others.
In my earlier article I spoke about “Essential” and “Personal Interest” skills. Getting these foundational skills set in stone early in your diving career is crucial. So how fast is too fast when progressing up the training ladder?

Mastering a skill

In the dive educational world the word “Mastery” is commonly used. Dive Instructors are taught that in order to be able to move onto the next skill a diver must first achieve “mastery” of a skill.  
To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills, practice integrating them, and know when to apply what they have learned. Common sense suggests that having achieved mastery in a skill one must go out and put those skills into practice. The more these skills are practiced and used in the real world, the more competent and confident the diver becomes.

Sustaining your skills over time

A US Army study followed the learning curve of 38 reservists who were trained in how to disassemble and assemble a machine gun. A control group practiced until they could achieve one error-free performance (30 times). An “over learning” group practiced twice as many times (60 times). A third group practiced until proficiency (30 times), and 4 weeks later, had a “refresher” session where like the over learning group, they did another 30 times.
8 weeks after their initial training session, all three groups were tested on their weapon disassembly/assembly performance. How did they do?
As you can imagine, both the over learning group and refresher groups outperformed the control group at the 8-week mark (by 65% and 57%, respectively). And while their performance at 8 weeks was pretty similar, there were some meaningful differences between the two, which suggests that over learning may have been a more effective approach overall.

The over learning group not only executed the skill flawlessly (mostly) during their extended training time, but they also got faster, cutting 12.74 seconds off their time (189.6 to 152.2 seconds) from their first error-free performance to their last practice attempt of the day. To me, this can easily be related to dive skills; the ability to perform the skill more efficiently and effectively without having to think one’s way through every step is essential.

Over learning is good

It also suggests that over learning leads to gains that last longer than simply practicing up to the “good enough” point. As divers we need to achieve these levels and maintain them. A great example is breathing underwater without your mask and holding your depth. No one likes taking their mask off underwater, but if this skill is not practiced then competency soon diminishes and one day you could get your mask bumped off your face by an overzealous fin stroke from your buddy. This “shock” to the system could cause increased stress and panic leading to a problem underwater.

So on reflection, how do we strike the right balance between mastering critical skills and practicing them? Diving is for fun, right? We do it for recreation. The higher level of skills we learn - be it Advanced wreck penetration, Cave diving, Decompression diving etc - the more we need to be aware of keeping those skillsets at a high level. Our lives depend on it. So, if you have not been diving for a long time, take a few dives in non-hazardous environments and go over your skill circuits to practice, practice and practice. “Try and make your weakness your strongpoint.”

The need to keep our brains working with the challenge of new skills to learn is a wonderful feeling. It's ok to be a “student”. We never stop learning.

In my next column I will start getting into the questions every dive shop or dive instructor should be asking you, and most importantly of all, the questions you need to answer yourself! I will also help you map out some short, medium and long term goals. But bear in mind you all will have different wants and needs in your diving.