What a fantastic way to start the new year, yesterday we wrapped up a Tec 50 and Tec Deep class with the additional fun factor of exploring new sites. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, we headed out of Quepos Marina to boldly go once again, breaking barriers in Costa Rica and exploring some new places along the way. We have been running this technical dive center for a few years now in Costa Rica and are currently the only center in Costa Rica that offers such a large variety of technical dive courses including an opportunity to dive with different configurations including backmount and sidemount. We have a whole new selection of technical dive set ups into the shop. Thank you Dive Rite for our fabulous manifolds they were soooooo much fun to play with.
So we started with Tec 40 back before xmas, and then took a brief hiatus over christmas, with all of our fun clients coming in and out. I will be honest and say that to complete all 3 tec courses. Tec 40, 45 and Tec 50 aka Tec Deep is a very skill intensive program, fun all the way, but hard work so to spread it out over a couple of weeks has been much easier and more fun. It also gave us the chance to try different equipment configurations, from single tank and pony bottles at the beginning of the course to doubles with isolator manifolds during Tec 45 and Tec 50.
Around the Quepos area we have some deep diving spots, enabling us to compete training locally, and yesterday, to finish off we headed to a new spot called "Mcguiness rock". It was one of those jack schooling days were the descent down, and the whole first 10 minutes of the dive we were hanging out with big crevally jacks. Running our deco profile that we had planned we started our ascent from 145ft after 15 minutes and then spend our last 2 stops, watching the sun go down from beneath the water. Pretty nice, hanging off of your liftbag, watching the sun through the surface.
A brief downtime and on to the PADI IDC next week where I have 7 budding divemasters training to become PADI scuba instructors. All good fun. The next PADI tec course will start on the 10th February. It will be another full program from Tec 40 through to 50, so if anyone else wants to dip their toe into the dark side, come see me!!!