Technical Diver Level 3
Course Outcomes
GUE’s Technical Diver 3 course is designed as a mastery level course with an emphasis on aggressive diving profiles. Among its course outcomes are: knowledge of advanced decompression theory, knowledge of advanced gas mixture/management, control over extreme exposures to oxygen, and proficiency in the use of a DPV for propulsion at depth.Prerequisites
Applicants for a Tech 3 course must:
- Submit a completed registration form, a medical history, and a liability release to GUE Headquarters.
- Be physically and mentally fit.
- Hold insurance that will cover diving emergencies such as hyperbaric treatment, e.g. DAN Master-level insurance or equivalent.
- Be a nonsmoker.
- Obtain a physician’s prior written authorization for the use of prescription drugs, except for birth control, or for any prior medical condition that may pose a risk while diving.
- Be a minimum of 21 years of age.
- Must have earned GUE Tech Level 2, GUE Cave Level 1, Documentation Diver and DPV certifications.
- Must have at least 75 dives beyond Tech 2 certification.
Course Content
The Tech 3 course is normally conducted over seven days; it requires eight dives and a minimum of 30 hours of instruction, encompassing classroom, land drills, and in-water work.
Tech 3 Specific Training Standards
- Student-to-instructor ratio is not to exceed 6:1 during land drill or surface exercises; ratios cannot exceed 3:1 during any in-water training.
Training Materials
GUE training materials and recommended reading as determined by the course study packet received via online download after GUE course registration.
Academic Topics
- Introduction: GUE organization and course overview (objectives, limits, expectations)
- Conservation
- Logistical planning, project support, and operational planning
- Advanced diving techniques, including: scooter diving, use of multiple stage and decompression cylinders, navigation, advanced gas management, and advanced decompression strategy
- Spool, reel, and guideline use
- Dive team order and protocols
- DPV protocols
- Touch contact
- Advanced navigation skills
Required Dive Skills and Drills
- Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving techniques; this would include pre-dive preparations, inwater activity, and post-dive assessment.
- Demonstrate awareness of team member location and concern for safety, responding quickly to visual indications and dive partner needs.
- Demonstrate a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.
- Demonstrate proficiency in underwater communication.
- Demonstrate basic proficiency managing a GUE equipment configuration.
- Demonstrate safe ascent and descent procedures.
- Must be able to swim at least 500 yards/450 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.
- Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold while submerged.
- Recognize, assess, and review diving limitations.
- Skillfully demonstrate gas failure procedures, including valve manipulation, gas sharing, and regulator switching, as appropriate.
- Demonstrate the ability to deploy a lift bag/surface marker buoy in less than 2 minutes while hovering stationary. Participants should not vary in depth more than 3 feet/1 meter.
- Demonstrate good touch-contact skills for limited and simulated zero visibility situations.
- Demonstrate excellent reel and guideline use.
- Demonstrate proficiency in gas sharing while managing multiple stages.
- Demonstrate safe and efficient operation of a DPV.
- Demonstrate proficiency in gas sharing while piloting a DPV.
- Demonstrate the ability to run/retrieve a guideline while using a DPV.
- Demonstrate the ability to tow a diver with a failed DPV.
- Demonstrate proficiency in DPV power management.
- Demonstrate the effective deployment of a reserve light in less than 30 seconds.
- Demonstrate excellent buoyancy control skills.
- Demonstrate clean and efficient removal/attachment of multiple stage and/or decompression cylinders while hovering horizontal.
- 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.
- Be able to explain how to safely carry out all decompression obligations, assuming the loss of all back gas.
- Demonstrate proficiency in navigation, using both a compass and natural navigation.
- 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.
Equipment Requirements
GUE base configuration as outlined in Appendix A, plus:
- GUE double tank configuration
- Three decompression cylinders
- Two bottom gas cylinders
- Approved DPV
- Small argon regulator and bottle where appropriate
- One primary reel per team
Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements and appropriateness of any selected equipment.