11-2003 GUE Rec Triox Trip Report: Something may go wrong…

TXGUEDVR · December 2nd, 2005, 04:18 PM

GUE Rec Triox Trip Report: Something may go wrong…

“Something may go wrong” the words that echoed through my head as Mike politely asked for my mask during an air-share drill. Mike Kane (known as MHK on most boards) uttered these words before we submerged on our 3rd dive of the class. They became the mantra for the class.

The Austin, TX DIR group that had not yet gone to the level of Tech 1, Cave 1 decided to bring Mike back into town for the Rec Triox class. To some in the class, this was a precursor to going on to Tech 1 and Cave 1. 2 students are planning on going to Akumal for Cave 1 in January and we all needed to get hammered on before moving up to technical training.

Let me put a few points in to help setup the report. First, this class is about how to dive safely at depths 0-120 and the GUE/DIR methodology used to support this. Triox is only a portion of the class with skills, experience and fitness (DIRs big three) being harped on as the most important aspect of diving in this range. Triox is only one tool used to accomplish safe diving below ~ 80ft. Secondly, practice is the word. We (all who took the class) practiced extensively on our fundamentals in the month leading up to the class. I can’t over emphasize this enough. You need to have your fundamentals stuff together to get the most out of this class (and I suspect any other GUE class). So with that said, we went into this class with our minds open to the knowledge Mike was to bestow upon us.

Mike got in on Thursday night and we took a tour of the University of Texas Aquatics Center (can you say swim test). After our leisurely swim we decided to call it a night and get ready for the weekend.

Day one: We arrived Friday 8:45am at Lake Travis to begin the class. With this format, we dove in the morning, grabbed lunch, and spent the afternoon in the classroom. So we all setup for the morning’s dive while Mike went over the class and objectives for the day’s dives. Since I’m going to get a dry suit soon, I asked Mike to go over this again so it is fresh in my mind. After that, we jumped in for the morning’s festivities. The 1st dive, we went down to a platform at ~ 20ft and Mike ran a line to another platform at ~ 25ft. This allowed us to follow the line as a team with some tactical interruptions (like S-drills, light failures, etc.). This allowed Mike to evaluate us on our Fundamental skills. The 2nd dive was like the 1st with the exception of some simulated valve failures, and shooting a bag demonstration.

Once the dives were complete, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the shop. We received the day one lecture with a review of Fundamentals, and a thorough look at Nitrox, its applications and limitations. One the most compelling realizations we had in this lecture is that we all basically had $600 depth gauges on our wrists. Once we were all filled up with day one’s knowledge, we went to fill our tanks for the next day’s fun. After that, we all went to dinner at one of the visiting GUE instructor’s favorite steakhouses…

Day two: Another great day in Texas’ capital started with a couple more dives with the emphasis on shooting bags, rescuing both a unconscious and toxing diver, valve drills and more assorted (simulated) failures. On every dive of this class, we changed up the buddies to ensure that we all got familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Once in the crystal clear water of Lake Travis, we took our turns demonstrating our (well practiced) valve drills under the watchful eye of our instructor. Once that was done (not to say that we didn’t touch our valves again…) we went on to shooting a bag, and rescuing a toxing diver. We took turns doing rescues from the platform and it was a great experience for all. This is a skill that needs to be practiced often so that it also becomes second nature and is one of the key take a way’s in the class. With that done, we ran a line out to ~40ft and shot a bag. Here we moved on to a deeper rescue and tried an ascent / descent drill. I say tried because we let a few things get to the point of a multiple failure situation. This included simulated valve failures, S-drills (with the knowledge of who’s valves were “failed”) and a few masks being asked for. Once on the surface, it was evident that we needed our game faces on for the 4th dive of the class (2nd of the 2nd day). After getting out, Gatoraid/foodaiding, we got the after-action report from Mike. Basically our teamwork communication needed help and our situational awareness sucked. We should have stopped everything with a hold signal while we got sorted out. Into the water for the last dive of the day, we had a look of determination about us. This dive went much better. We did our descent / ascent drill much better, while ol’ “something may go wrong” reared its ugly head once again. We even had an actual single tank wing failure (turned out to be gunk/sand in the dump valve) and a couple of real light failures on our primary lights, all of which were handled quickly. Once on the surface again, we decided to do a line drill with one of the prospective future cavers running a line. We pared off differently again and went down to run line. Once out about 50ft, an out of air with one team was compounded with a simulated toxing diver on the other team. Once on the surface, we all decided to go back down as a team to retrieve the line and got to see a demonstration on how to reel in with your back up light since pretty much every HID light on the team had failed for real by now..

Day 2 dives completed, we grabbed lunch and went back to the shop for the 2nd lecture. This lecture went into detail on C02 toxicity, Narcosis and Helium use. We also went into detail on Decompression theory. This does not mean that we learned about advanced decompression techniques, but with the base knowledge that all dives are decompression dives, we reviewed the use of recreational decompression including deepstops and how our ascent profile should look. Within this we went into detail on decompression history and the differences in the different algorithms that further illustrated the futility of computers. We talked about mixing techniques and labeling, then went and watched our tanks getting mixed with the golden mix, Triox 30/30 for Day 3’s dives. We enjoyed some famous Texas BBQ for dinner and looked forward to our experience dives the next day.

Day 3 Experience dives in GUE classes are just that, the instructors are there to evaluate you on an actual dive. No simulated failures are introduced, but that doesn’t mean that you just put gear on and get in the water. You are expected to apply what you’ve learned, plan your dive with the appropriate gas planning techniques, SADDDD and teamwork. We went on 2 dives with conditions limiting our depth to 85ft on both dives. Everything went smoothly with the only issue being our getting out of formation on the ascent on the 2nd dive. I want to add, wow what a difference He and proper techniques makes on these dives.

Back at the shop, we took the test (not easy) and went over our answers to ensure that we understood our mistakes. All in all we had an excellent weekend!

Take a way’s from the class:

This was an awesome recreational class. It works as both a proper kick in the ass advanced recreational class, and a great introduction to the more technical aspects of diving (this is not a proper technical class). One other thing, PRACTICE! Get your team together and practice as much as possible before the class. The key to our success was having things from fundamentals squared away so we could move forward to new things. This is not to say that you might be able to take the class without practice, but I believe that you’ll get much more out of the class if you are solid on fundamentals and team communication. Remember, something may go wrong…

*Clare Gledhill* · December 2nd, 2005, 04:42 PM

Superb report - I've never heard what goes on in a Tri-ox class and your story made fascinating reading. Especially valuable to those who may want to take the class in the future.

Well done - and thanks for posting.

Shiney incoming

rooster · December 2nd, 2005, 05:05 PM

Great write up.

regards

Roy

fraser · December 2nd, 2005, 05:14 PM

"Something may go wrong" - familiar words from my Fundies class with Mike. Good fun though

Nice write up mate.

Fraser.

Divingniknaks · December 2nd, 2005, 08:36 PM

I remember that b*gger Walker saying that on Dive4 DIR-F

Fabulous write up though, thoroughly put me off the whole idea of Rec Triox now :D That's the route I intend to take next year. Kind of a stepping stone to full Tech 1, but get the benefit of mix for (to me ) deeper diving.

I decided on this route knowing that I narc at the 30m mark quite disconcertingly to be honest, so the idea of Rec Triox seemed to give me the right way round that problem.

Thx for the post.

December 2nd, 2005, 04:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
TXGUEDVR(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 12	11-2003 GUE Rec Triox Trip Report: Something may go wrong… GUE Rec Triox Trip Report: Something may go wrong… “Something may go wrong” the words that echoed through my head as Mike politely asked for my mask during an air-share drill. Mike Kane (known as MHK on most boards) uttered these words before we submerged on our 3rd dive of the class. They became the mantra for the class. The Austin, TX DIR group that had not yet gone to the level of Tech 1, Cave 1 decided to bring Mike back into town for the Rec Triox class. To some in the class, this was a precursor to going on to Tech 1 and Cave 1. 2 students are planning on going to Akumal for Cave 1 in January and we all needed to get hammered on before moving up to technical training. Let me put a few points in to help setup the report. First, this class is about how to dive safely at depths 0-120 and the GUE/DIR methodology used to support this. Triox is only a portion of the class with skills, experience and fitness (DIRs big three) being harped on as the most important aspect of diving in this range. Triox is only one tool used to accomplish safe diving below ~ 80ft. Secondly, practice is the word. We (all who took the class) practiced extensively on our fundamentals in the month leading up to the class. I can’t over emphasize this enough. You need to have your fundamentals stuff together to get the most out of this class (and I suspect any other GUE class). So with that said, we went into this class with our minds open to the knowledge Mike was to bestow upon us. Mike got in on Thursday night and we took a tour of the University of Texas Aquatics Center (can you say swim test). After our leisurely swim we decided to call it a night and get ready for the weekend. Day one: We arrived Friday 8:45am at Lake Travis to begin the class. With this format, we dove in the morning, grabbed lunch, and spent the afternoon in the classroom. So we all setup for the morning’s dive while Mike went over the class and objectives for the day’s dives. Since I’m going to get a dry suit soon, I asked Mike to go over this again so it is fresh in my mind. After that, we jumped in for the morning’s festivities. The 1st dive, we went down to a platform at ~ 20ft and Mike ran a line to another platform at ~ 25ft. This allowed us to follow the line as a team with some tactical interruptions (like S-drills, light failures, etc.). This allowed Mike to evaluate us on our Fundamental skills. The 2nd dive was like the 1st with the exception of some simulated valve failures, and shooting a bag demonstration. Once the dives were complete, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the shop. We received the day one lecture with a review of Fundamentals, and a thorough look at Nitrox, its applications and limitations. One the most compelling realizations we had in this lecture is that we all basically had $600 depth gauges on our wrists. Once we were all filled up with day one’s knowledge, we went to fill our tanks for the next day’s fun. After that, we all went to dinner at one of the visiting GUE instructor’s favorite steakhouses… Day two: Another great day in Texas’ capital started with a couple more dives with the emphasis on shooting bags, rescuing both a unconscious and toxing diver, valve drills and more assorted (simulated) failures. On every dive of this class, we changed up the buddies to ensure that we all got familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Once in the crystal clear water of Lake Travis, we took our turns demonstrating our (well practiced) valve drills under the watchful eye of our instructor. Once that was done (not to say that we didn’t touch our valves again…) we went on to shooting a bag, and rescuing a toxing diver. We took turns doing rescues from the platform and it was a great experience for all. This is a skill that needs to be practiced often so that it also becomes second nature and is one of the key take a way’s in the class. With that done, we ran a line out to ~40ft and shot a bag. Here we moved on to a deeper rescue and tried an ascent / descent drill. I say tried because we let a few things get to the point of a multiple failure situation. This included simulated valve failures, S-drills (with the knowledge of who’s valves were “failed”) and a few masks being asked for. Once on the surface, it was evident that we needed our game faces on for the 4th dive of the class (2nd of the 2nd day). After getting out, Gatoraid/foodaiding, we got the after-action report from Mike. Basically our teamwork communication needed help and our situational awareness sucked. We should have stopped everything with a hold signal while we got sorted out. Into the water for the last dive of the day, we had a look of determination about us. This dive went much better. We did our descent / ascent drill much better, while ol’ “something may go wrong” reared its ugly head once again. We even had an actual single tank wing failure (turned out to be gunk/sand in the dump valve) and a couple of real light failures on our primary lights, all of which were handled quickly. Once on the surface again, we decided to do a line drill with one of the prospective future cavers running a line. We pared off differently again and went down to run line. Once out about 50ft, an out of air with one team was compounded with a simulated toxing diver on the other team. Once on the surface, we all decided to go back down as a team to retrieve the line and got to see a demonstration on how to reel in with your back up light since pretty much every HID light on the team had failed for real by now.. Day 2 dives completed, we grabbed lunch and went back to the shop for the 2nd lecture. This lecture went into detail on C02 toxicity, Narcosis and Helium use. We also went into detail on Decompression theory. This does not mean that we learned about advanced decompression techniques, but with the base knowledge that all dives are decompression dives, we reviewed the use of recreational decompression including deepstops and how our ascent profile should look. Within this we went into detail on decompression history and the differences in the different algorithms that further illustrated the futility of computers. We talked about mixing techniques and labeling, then went and watched our tanks getting mixed with the golden mix, Triox 30/30 for Day 3’s dives. We enjoyed some famous Texas BBQ for dinner and looked forward to our experience dives the next day. Day 3 Experience dives in GUE classes are just that, the instructors are there to evaluate you on an actual dive. No simulated failures are introduced, but that doesn’t mean that you just put gear on and get in the water. You are expected to apply what you’ve learned, plan your dive with the appropriate gas planning techniques, SADDDD and teamwork. We went on 2 dives with conditions limiting our depth to 85ft on both dives. Everything went smoothly with the only issue being our getting out of formation on the ascent on the 2nd dive. I want to add, wow what a difference He and proper techniques makes on these dives. Back at the shop, we took the test (not easy) and went over our answers to ensure that we understood our mistakes. All in all we had an excellent weekend! Take a way’s from the class: This was an awesome recreational class. It works as both a proper kick in the ass advanced recreational class, and a great introduction to the more technical aspects of diving (this is not a proper technical class). One other thing, PRACTICE! Get your team together and practice as much as possible before the class. The key to our success was having things from fundamentals squared away so we could move forward to new things. This is not to say that you might be able to take the class without practice, but I believe that you’ll get much more out of the class if you are solid on fundamentals and team communication. Remember, something may go wrong…

December 2nd, 2005, 04:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
Clare Gledhill(Offline) GUE Instructor Site Admin Pacman Champion! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,541	Superb report - I've never heard what goes on in a Tri-ox class and your story made fascinating reading. Especially valuable to those who may want to take the class in the future. Well done - and thanks for posting. Shiney incoming __________________ Clare . "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions....Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." Interested in DIR dive training? Always happy to chat/answer questions so get in touch via PM or visit www.dirdiver.co.uk

December 2nd, 2005, 05:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
fraser(Offline) "I'm only late on your timescale" Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 463	"Something may go wrong" - familiar words from my Fundies class with Mike. Good fun though Nice write up mate. Fraser. __________________ Damn it feels good to be a gangsta

December 2nd, 2005, 08:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
Divingniknaks(Offline) Resident purveyor of shiney kit.... Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Midlands UK Posts: 1,038	I remember that b*gger Walker saying that on Dive4 DIR-F Fabulous write up though, thoroughly put me off the whole idea of Rec Triox now :D That's the route I intend to take next year. Kind of a stepping stone to full Tech 1, but get the benefit of mix for (to me ) deeper diving. I decided on this route knowing that I narc at the 30m mark quite disconcertingly to be honest, so the idea of Rec Triox seemed to give me the right way round that problem. Thx for the post. __________________ Phill ----------------------------- Salvo Lights, DirZone Gear , Frog Wings Dive ? http://www.divingniknaks.com

December 2nd, 2005, 05:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
rooster(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 61	Great write up. regards Roy