# Advanced certifications



## No Excuses (Apr 7, 2012)

Is there a specific order you have to follow for more advanced certifications? I got open water certified in 2008, and now I am looking into getting certified for nitrox. Do I need to do the advanced open water class first? And eventually, whenever I can save up a few grand, I would like to get certified for trimix or even rebreather (if I ever have more money than I know what to do with). I guess what I am asking is if there are prerequisites for any of these classes. And just out of curiosity, how much do the 4 classes I mentioned cost?


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## FelixH (Sep 28, 2007)

You can do Nitrox after OW, in fact, I'd recommend you do Nitrox next, then Advanced as soon as you can after that.
Nitrox and advanced are cheap... probably about the same as your OW cert... I don't remember the costs, it's been a while.
Getting into trimix is $$$. All the extra gear you have to buy to get into planned deco diving will hit the wallet hard.


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## Warhammer (Jun 24, 2010)

The logical next step would be Nitrox, then Advanced, afterward i would recommend Rescue, after that you could go the tec route or the professional route (Dive Master or Instructor). The tec route would be an Intro to Technical Diving or Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures wich are usually combined then Extended Range or Trimix paired up or seperate. When you go the tec route you need to have specialized gear which is not cheap, the training expense can go through the roof as well. Just my two cents


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

I completed tech a little over a year ago. It is not cheap at all. You will have to go through advanced nitrox and stage deco to get to trimix. The good news is you will have almost all the gear you need for trimix after an/dp. My advice if you are sure you want to go trimix... buy trimix capable computers from the start. Do some research into tech diving before you commit. I love it, but it ain't cheap. Helium prices for trimix will make you choke on your wheaties. 

Go nitrox, then advanced ow, then rescue. I recommend every diver to go atleast that far.


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

The top secret lowest cost way to go is....:whistling:

Make friends with one or more dive instructors. There are lots of them out there. Trade your extra stuff and/or labor for scuba classes.

Whack 'um


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## El Kabong (May 9, 2012)

you don't need a helium-capable computer to do trimix dives, you just need a bottom timer. lean trimix decompression schedules are almost identical to air/nitrox schedules (ascent rates and deeper stops are important though). You need to practice diving tables for tech dives anyway, so don't worry about a tech or trimix computer until you have the classes under your belt. You'll be running a trimix decompression schedule and using your bottom timer to complete these dives during classes. You'll need to cut tables, and contingency tables for every technical dive you complete. The reason for this is that if your computer craps out during a dive, you'll need to know what depths to stop at and for how long.

You can go ahead and spend $1,000 on a shiny new trimix computer, or you can take the $1,000 class and actually do the dives on tables, which again, you'll need to have down pat anyway. 

Going rate is: 

$1,000 for Adv. Nitrox/Decompression Procedures
$1,000 for Normoxic Trimix
$1,000 - $1,200 for Technical Trimix

and add around $500-$600 per class for boat fees and breathing gasses. You can take these classes in the springs, but that means travel, or Intro to Cave (to get deep enough in a cave to meet course standards)

Cavern $300
Intro To Cave $300-$400

At minimum you'll need H-valves, backmount doubles, or sidemount doubles. Most instructors can supply you with a AL40 for decompression gas, If you want your own, you'll need a AL40 O2 cleaned, with an O2-clean 1st stage, 2nd stage and pressure gauge. You'll also need a good reel, and at least one lift bag, but most instructors supply these for class, so take the class first, and figure out which reel style works best for you.


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

That's why we dive 2 computers. But to each his own. In training for an/dp we followed our plan, but also watched the computer to learn its' safety factors. We dove strict profiles and did not deviate. However, we learned our computers at the same time. Worked great for me.


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## El Kabong (May 9, 2012)

I agree with two computers, but there's no way I'll have two trimix computers unless someone buys one for me 

I also agree it's important to know how your computer deals with decompression obligations. My Oceanics want me to go to 10ft no mater what, which isn't something I agree with. My Dive Rite is a true decompression computer, and it lays out more reasonable stops, but I can't depend on it to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time, which is true of any computer.

But what happens when one computer tells you one thing, and the other computer tells you something else? Unless one is dead, or radically off base, you won't be able to figure out which one is correct. You could choose the most conservative of the two, and perhaps be safe... Maybe? On no-decompression dives, this isn't a big deal, ascend no faster than your smallest bubbles, and maybe do a full 5-minute safety stop, and you're done. On decompression dives, you're playing with higher stakes, and those decompression tables are the ace up your sleeve. You've already calculated your stops, and your O2 exposure for the dive, so you have a real good idea what's expected of you before you start up the line.


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

No need to go any further into "what ifs"... they go both ways.


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