Extending the Maltese Technical Community - Instructors Become Students Again

Its never too late to stop learning, as our latest set of students prove - they're already instructors and well experienced in the dives of Malta - but they've taken on the new challenge of learning to go deeper, longer and safer.

Sadly, its well known on the island that many divers visit depths past 40m without proper training and equipment. Its something that we don't tolerate here, and our instructor friends from around the island don't do it, of course, but with growing numbers of enquiries into these deeper sites, centres everywhere want to start showing people how to do it properly, which means enabling their staff to do it!

Techwise steps in, offering especially tailored courses to fit round the hectic schedule of those working in the diving industry - which translates to night classes and spreading the course dives over time to allow instructors to use their days off to learn more. We're flexible and just happy to get as many people diving safely as possible. We love that these instructors want to set a good example to their students and clients - everybody wins!

Wild Weekends with the Lock/Fearn Franchise

More returning friends are lighting up the Techwise shop once more. Gareth and Howard slipped over for a sneaky weekend of awesome technical diving on the best wrecks of Malta. The Polynsien, The Southwald and the Stubborn graced the menu - proving that even on a long weekend you can really get some depth and see some sights!

Poor guys, they go home and only today our two Italian technical friends spotted TWO Mola Mola Sunfish off the side of the Polynesien. Jammy!

Its unbelievable how fast the season is passing - blink and you're already into next week and a new set of tecchie divers! Soon it will be Autumn already and time for a return visit from Mr Collard, one of our favourite rebreather boys!

Can't wait guys, come on back any time!

Reccie - Techie its all the same now!!

Our newest family member - the Poseidon recreational rebreather! These lovely little fellas are making their way to Divewise as we type... and it could mean a whole new era for diving...

OK, so it's recreational - but look at this shiny new kit!
B E A Uuuutiful!

You don't have to be a technical diver to try this fantastic new bit of kit - you don't even have to be a diver! With the recreational rebreather you can BEGIN your diving adventure on a rebreather.

The difference between this shiny little number and conventional open circuit SCUBA is that when you breathe out on SCUBA, your exhalation is lost into the ocean - rebreathers recycle your breathe, adding just the right balance of Oxygen to let you breathe it again - less waste, less air carried - more time in the water!

Sounds good eh? We're ridiculously excited to bust them out of their boxes the minute they arrive and start getting to know them inside out - we'll keep you posted about all the neat features and benefits - our dives on them and when you too can book on to ... what shall we call it DRD? - Discover Rebreather Diving!

Gozo the Great - Technical Diving on the Honey isle!

Back from another awesome day out on the waves - today Techwise was over on Gozo getting deep and dirty - really getting inside of the 2 wrecks of the Cominoland and the Karwela. Down the stairways, through the body of these great machines - nothing can top it - and all under the careful watch of a top-notch tec instructor and dive guide.

Of course you need to be fully qualified and skilled up to perform such feats under a bit of depth - but all those courses are available from Techwise too - TDI, IANTD, SSI TEK XR and DSAT - Lots of capitals and acronyms - and lots of lovely learning to be done.

Meanwhile, Richard is slavering over the Helo 2 and considering a nice little pre pre pre Christmas treat! Love it!

Ah, but its late now and there's gases to be mixed... so off we pop, into the night... ready for more fun tomorrow.

Getting Back into the Tec way

This week we had a Divemaster and Technical qualified customer roll up to our doors - he was well supplied with certs, but it had been a while since he'd been diving, even in a recreational sense. Originally he only wanted to dive recreational, but after seeing the places that our tec divers were going out to - the bug suddenly bit once again!

So how do you get back into the Tec way after a bit of a break? Luckily for us, we're flexible, even up to the last minute - originally booked for a recreational , our customer was able to dip in on the reef with some other tec trainees and bust out a skill circuit or two. This is really essential - to get back in to complicated manoeuvres and specialized skills within the safety of the house reef and a great group of friends and instructors - there to help should you struggle.

From then on its just edging your limits back up to your previous standards - start night and easy with a shore dive at Gozo maybe - take in the Inland sea as you simulate deco-stops on your way up from the reef. Then when you're ready for something meatier - check out the Blenhiem Bomber or the Stubborn, and finally whip-cream topping your week with a jolly on the Poly! Well - we'll see - he has a wife on holiday with him after all!

This array of diving makes Malta JUST the island to tempt teccies back in after a stay away... and luckily for them Techwise is JUST the centre to get them back into the swing of things safely!

Tying up your Technical on a bit of Tickle

Ok hands up, I've been neglected the blog a little! You just can't believe how busy we are! We have Richard right through from Deep course into Tec levels all the way to Tec Deep, and even finished his course with a trickle of tickle in his tank - as per the new standards and course arrangements can allow! Now he's onto his IANTD Normoxic Trimix! Talk about a voracious appetite for learning!

Felix is visiting for some skills circuits and is being joined by Marco who is having a bit of a technical scuba review, just busting out some drills on the reef. So we can look forward to a week of excellent technical dives to get those two into the swing of things!

We've also become part of yet another training association - widening the range of course we can offer to our customers. Our new friends at SS Teck XR will be featuring more and more on Techwise website in the future as we start to offer their courses along side those of TDI, IANTD, DSAT & Paul Toomer Rebreather Training.

Respect the Tec! - Customer Service in the Technical Diving World

Today we are off to Gozo with some Technical divers from the Netherlands, who walked in on the recommendation of another customer.  We'll be having a nice long dive off the Blue Hole of Gozo, possibly followed by a little pootle on the wreck of the Cominoland.

Its been a really busy summer for Techwise so far.  Lots of bookings for holiday makers and locals alike.  I think its also a sign of the growth of the Technical Diving community that we are now welcoming walk in customers for Technical diving. A quick check dive of drills and equipment on the house reef, and we are ready to go! 

In the past it was so selective and niche a market that customers had to really research to find technical services for their needs. Now with expansion of technical diving businesses - you can shop around on holiday - with many centres within walking distance of each other - all offering technical diving. 

This is fantastic for the sport.  The scarcity of this service once meant that if business owners were tempted to be awkward, lazy or give bad service, customers were likely still to put up with such problems because there was no other place to go. Now they have choices, all business are being kept on their toes in the customer service department - and also evolving to realise that there is no such thing as a 'typical' techie - receiving females, young, old, large build and small - and everything in between!

At Techwise, we have always felt that great service is of utmost importance - whether your customer can vote with their feet or not! We like to think that's why we receive so many bookings - and even more tellingly - repeat bookings!

To all of our customers - thanks for making our work so easy - we love diving with you! To all our customers not yet known - come on down, you'll find a ready welcome!

Diving the Southwold, Polynesian and... the Britannic???

Techwise is a flurry with divers this week. As I sit and type, I'm up keeping our gas blender 'sanity-company' while we work magic with the molecules late into the night. Demmand is so high for technical gas fills and rentals that a bit of midnight mixer panel mischief is actually neccessary!

Its great to see the rising interest in Technical Diving in Malta and around the world. Frow what we see here, it is spanning generations and genders too! Only today we certified yet another female Tec diver on the first rung of her IANTD ladder. Meanhile, reporter-photographers Gareth and Howard are checking out the Southwold, with the Polynesien lined up for tomorrow - using their technical skills not just to go deep for deepsake, but to spend time getting great shots and helping to show the world what's down there.

Of course, we've got plenty worth reporting coming up too! Paul Toomer, out rebreather expert has been invited to make a dive on the legendary Britannic! Eons of planning preparation go into a project such as this (and it is a project, a mission and much bigger than a simple dive) so we'll be keeping you up to date with progress as we hear all about - so will you!

The Rebreathers Return!

The infamous Paul Toomer is back on Maltese shores and beginning a new rebreather course today with a fresh faced student.

There are many reasons why people use rebreathers, with a system that cleans your exhaled air and makes it breathable for another use - only small amounts of gas can be made to last for hours. This is a real plus when you're diving deep and expect to be hanging around in deco for quite some time.

There's also the more gentile benefit that in closed circuit, no bubbles are produced. This means that you are less offensive to the sensibilities of underwater organisms that might shy away from open circuit divers.

Whatever the reason you decide to go Closed Circuit, it's a heavy investment in time, equipment and education, so make sure to take your time in preparing for this transition. Then, when you're all set - give us a call and get the best training in town!