The IANTD Essentials for CCR divers

The Essentials of diving have been created using IANTD basics philosophy, including physical, mental, land drills, and in-water skills preparation. This teaching program accessible to all diver level is designed to be used when you "pass the door".
The original Essentials was written in French and introduced to IANTD in 2002. Once accepted, it became part of the IANTD training Standards in 2009, and translated in English. The Essentials manual comes accompanied with a DVD. The program was introduced at DEMA show 2008 in Orlando and was launched at DEMA show 2010 in Las-Vegas.

IANTD Philosophy has been working on diver safety for a long time now, using different methods including mixed gas diving training such as Nitrox and Trimix, equipment preparation and configuration, Rebreathers training. The agency has even developed lectures including mental and physical chapters.
All IANTD diver manuals go that way and the Essentials is a reminder for all.

Essentials Physical Training: is being honest with ourselves so that we can fairly evaluate our physical status. We sometimes may have a tendency to believe that a diver is not a competing athlete. The physical training aspect is often forgotten. Some divers might think that diving is enough activity to stay in shape.
I believe that diving can become a strenuous acitvity and being in shape is an important factor to increase divers safety. 

Essentials Mental Preparation: Physical aspect is easy to evaluate. But what about our mental? We sometimes jump in the water without really listening our "inner voice" (feeling, sensations), we are not always mentally fit for a specific dive when we have something in our mind, we are not in harmony with ourselves. In the Essentials program we use some techniques to become more aware of ourselves, our environment and our buddy. Developing a sense of responsibility towards each other is key.

Essentials Land Drills: helping the divers discover the sense, review some of the techniques practiced in the water, and more importantly learn how to deal when faced with stressful moments which could happen underwater. 

Essentials In-Water Training: in any sport there is people who practice and people who do not. In my opinion we should practice our basics and more advanced skills that we are qualified to on a regular basis. Secret to mastery of a skill is practice!

The IANTD Essentials are not another "Specialty" course, it is a full program that needs to be understood as it is. I encourage everyone to test it and then practice it. 
Should you want to become an Essentials Diver we invite you to check our information online or inquire about the program with your local IANTD Essentials Instructor. 
Should you want to become IANTD Essentials Instructor you have to be qualified at IANTD Advanced Recreational Trimix Instructor level and take the Essentials course. 

Essential manual and DVD now available

Georges Gawinowski
IANTD SE Training Director

A new IANTD Technical and Normoxic Trimix workbook

IANTD started the Technical Diver program almost two decades ago. Tom Mount (IANTD CEO) and Kevin Gurr (ex IANTD UK licensee) developed the workbook made available for the IANTD Technical Diver Instructors who used it as a teaching tool. Today IANTD has updated this workbook as Technical Diver and Normoxic Trimix Diver manual with new instructor slides, a new material review updated by Tom Mount, Kevin Gurr and Georges Gawinowski (IANTD South East US Training Director) and, a new cover.

To my knowledge IAND/IANTD was  the first scuba diving agency to start Technical diver programs in the 1990's. And it was an intensive program. I can remember my first Technical diver course in France; the dives were done on air up to 200 fsw/60 msw using decompression mixes ranging from Nx 32 to pure o2. It took a good week to complete the program.

Next step was to take the Trimix Normoxic diver course for those who wanted to go into Trimix or get rid of the narcosis before it appeared. It took another week to complete that course. Spending time was necessary for us students to understand and get familiar with diving with a new equipment configuration and using Trimix Normoxic 21% o2 and 25% Helium, even though we regularly dove at these depths before (a CMAS *** diver used to be trained to dive at 200 fsw/60 m) depth. We used to call that a "giclette" in France meaning the perfect mix to get to 200 fsw/60 msw depth.

Along with the Technical Diver manual and workbook well adapted, we had another useful tool the Technical Diver Encyclopedia which IANTD updated in 2010 and renamed The Tao of Survival, a 400 pages encyclopedia. After 2010 many new technical diver programs were created.

The new IANTD Instructor, like his peers before him, still has to prepare his lectures following the logic he/she received during the class. Here are briefly listed the 4 steps I use with when I teach my Technical divers and Technical diver Instructor candidates:

• Step 1 

 Prepare the student with some reading of the Tao of Survival encyclopedia.

• Step 2

 Have the student participate in the lectures during which he/she is in possession of the IANTD student's kit, gets introduced with the slides, and decompression tables.

• Step 3 

 Prepare the student for the final exam with the questions on the workbook. Correction and review with the Instructor.

• Step 4

Final exam.

IANTD Essentials Instructor in Luxembourg

Please welcome Sebastien Wilem as a New IANTD Essentials Instructor in Luxembourg.

I am truly happy to have him on board, we dove, practice together and I enjoyed it.

Good Luck and keep the good work!

Georges Gawinowski

IANTD USA SE Training Director

Advanced Wreck Diving

We have been waiting for an Advanced Wreck Manual for a long time, IANTD heard us, and published a new manual.
Even if I really liked the old wreck manual workbook, it was such a nice pedagogical tool for the student, we needed an update.
The content is informative it follows an experience type of education. The manual has been written by Joseph Citelli, Michael Barnette, Peri Blum and, Joseph Dituri. It is more than a course manual, it is a tool that the instructors are going to use to engage discussion, understand new techniques, and learn from other mistakes.

Discover the new Manual
During REACT 2012 organized by Cave Excursions, we displayed some IANTD materials and I was happy to see the new book for the first time. First impression, I knew the manual was coming and was happy to have a glimpse at it when we had our office next to  IANTD HQ in Miami.
I was waiting for the chapters about "what can go wrong and how to correct mistakes when they happen?" These chapters have been written by people practicing wreck diving all the time and it is a rich teaching approach for the students.

I discovered also a new way of deploying a lift bag with the help of a buddy, I will practice that some time.

I became a cave diver more than a wreck diver by choice, but when I dove in Marseille France in the mid 90s I was intensively wreck diving so I know that mistakes can happen and diving natural sunken wrecks can be a hazardous activity. These dives are still in my heart even though today I live in Cave country and teach cave diving. I will be using the IANTD Advanced Wreck Manual as a new tool with my students on my next Rebreather Advanced Wreck course.

The manual is available on our website.

Georges Gawinowski
IANTD Regional Training Director

CCR cave and Technical cave diving

CCR Cave diver and Technical Cave diver are similar diver programs. CCR Cave involves the use of a rebreather whereas Technical Cave diver program is done on open circuit. Even though they look different the concept and preparation of these programs are really close. Let me explain...

These programs are made for people who wish to extend their cave exploration experience. With the basics being already "assimilated" with a lot of practice and experience, it is a natural route to continue the cave diving learning experience.

It should be in fact pretty "easy" for the student to be certified. As Instructors we can state that the student is ready when he/she decides to go towards advanced diving.

Some surprises may come along the way.

When we teach these more technical levels some students have not enough practice of the rebreather emergency skills, and/or no practice of the cave awareness during past cave exploration dives and, as an instructor we must review all of these basics before the course.

However, good surprises come along also when the students have been practicing a lot, they have understood that cave diving demands mental, physical and technical preparation, with a good technique and a good attitude.

I had good surprises these past months and I thank my students for the job they did. 

Georges Gawinowski

IANTD Regional Training Director

New IANTD Essentials Instructors in Asia

WDT dive is welcoming our new IANTD Essentials Instructors in Asia.
Please welcome:

Tan Xiaolong in China.

Li Huaitsangi Huaitsang in Taiwan

David Sam Collett in Philippines

Good Job and Good luck

Georges Gawinowski

IANTD Essentials Instructor Trainer

(On the picture Left to right, Li Huaitsangi, Georges Gawinowski, Tom Mount, Li Huaitsangi).

Cave divers and Essentials Divers from China

WDT Dive had the privilege and honor to teach IANTD Technical divers from The National Museum of China.
After 10 days of intense teaching, we are proud to announce 100% accomplishment with our Essentials divers class and cave diver program. The candidates showed a great skills, professionalism, with a remarkable attitude, even when facing stress and getting tired after long days.

I was happy to work with my fellow and respected instructors Tom Mount, John Jones, Jim Wyatt, Maxim Kuznetsov. I also would like to thank the great staff at Cave Country Diving who helped with fills. It was great to assist Tom Mount again!

In the pictures:

Tom Mount, John Jones, Jim Wyatt, Max Kuznetsov and Georges Gawinowski greeting our new certified divers.

CCR Trimix course

We have just finished a CCR trimix diver and Instructor course. After 7 days, 450 minutes in water training for our CCR trimix diver candidate and 550 minutes for our CCR trimix Instructor cross-over. WDT Dive would like to congratulate our new IANTD CCR Trimix Instructor in Las Vegas. Steve Schafer from Lake Mead Technical Divers has been a Trimix IT with IANTD for a long time already.
Congratulations also to our new CCR trimix diver James Killion from K Productionz who is an experienced O/C Trimix diver and Cave diver. James has developed good skills but most importantly a great attitude about training.
We never stop learning and every step guides us to new discovers everytime.
Great job guys! Looking forward to diving with you again.

Georges Gawinowski 

IANTD US South East Training Director

NSS/CDS Workshop 2012

The NSS/CDS workshop 2012 will be held this year in Live Oak, Florida.
This is good news for us since it is the home now of our WDT Dive facility and we will be there. WDT Dive is a NSS/CDS Facility. We teach most of the NSS/CDS training programs including Cavern diver, Apprentice Cave diver, Cave diver, CCR Cave diver and we supply NSS/CDS material.

See you there!
Safe cave dives

"you dive like you train"
Georges Gawinowski
NSS/CDS CCR cave Instructor

Gear Configuration

"Everything old is new again" Quote of the Essentials Manual by Georges Gawinowski.

One of my buddies gave me an old IANTD Technical diving configuration video from the 90s. That video was coming with the old Technical Diver Encyclopedia which was superb!

Tom Mount was presenting the basics of his technical diver gear configuration, clean, dependable, redundant, streamline, and understandable. That was good! This is realistic, everything made sense.
Billy Deans was showing his wreck diver configuration with a lot of back-up equipment for the type of diving he was doing, Lamar Hires was already showing his Sidemount configuration!! Larry Green talked about stage tanks and Jarrod Jablonski was demonstrating Hogarthian configuration.

This is simply beautiful! I share this DVD with all my Technical divers students. I think it is very important to be reminded and let people know about this tool. Thanks to you gentlemen, nowadays we have nice, dependable, redundant equipment configurations.

Georges Gawinowski
IANTD USA SE Training Director