Scuba Tech Philippines

Do you own a Shearwater computer, a Garmin, a new Suunto, or a different brand that runs Buhlman ZHL-16 w/GF? Are you interested in better understanding how your computer calculates to keep you safe underwater?

BECOME A SHEARWATER POWER USER ebook
by Andy Davis

This groundbreaking ebook is selling fast! As featured in the Dive Talk podcast series.

Only $12 !!

Revolutionize how you use your dive computer for greater safety when diving.
Fully illustrated PDF format

Chapters include:
- What are Gradient Factors?
- The Bühlmann ZHL-16C model
- How do GFhi and GFlo work?
- Using custom gradient factors
- The GF99 and SurGF displays
- Gradient Factors during dives
- Optimizing your safety stops
- GF99 for multilevel diving
- Maximizing off-gassing on ascent

Available from:
https://buymeacoffee.com/andydavistech/e/233171
or PM me directly for PayPal payment.

Sidemount: Principles For Success (eBook)

The complete, fully illustrated, guide for first-time success with your sidemount gear configuration. Everything you need to know for fast optimal results and a sublime sidemount diving experience. Get it right - first time!

251 Pages. Printable PDF format. Fully Illustrated. Only $25

Buy it here: https://buymeacoffee.com/andydavistech/e/111242

Or message me directly for PayPal purchase.

Turk is absolutely right that the PADI Wreck course shouldn't certify for overhead environment:

• It allows the same extent of pe*******on as their cavern course (40m/130ft linear from surface, light zone only, rule of 1/3rds gas) in a comparably risky environment. However, it has a far more meagre skill/protocol syllabus, none of the equipment or gas supply requirements, and doesn't require the instructor to be qualified at a higher level (cavern instructors must be, at least, certified cave divers).

• Recreational wreck and cavern training should be virtually identical, as they have virtually identical risks and require a virtually identical skillset.

• PADI Wreck instructors can self-certify to teach this speciality and are not required to have any formal, valid, wreck pe*******on training. They can literally make it up as they go along. This is a huge liability and dereliction of duty of care by the agency. They simply do not assure that instructors are competent to teach the course.

• Actual wreck pe*******on is optional on the course. If a student hasn't actually pe*****ted a wreck, they cannot be considered competent to pe*****te wrecks. As such, the certification CANNOT be considered valid for pe*******on at face value.

• One solitary, short, (optional!) pe*******on dive is nowhere near enough experience to state that a diver can be anywhere near competent inside a wreck. It's a complex environment with multiple unique risks; it takes substantial time to acclimate and perform effectively.

Having taught wreck diving at recreational and technical levels as my primary focus for over 20 years, including for PADI, I could never accept their certification at face value as proof of competency for wreck pe*******on. There are FAR better and safer courses available to recreational divers; e.g. the RAID and TDI Advanced Wreck courses.

https://youtu.be/rih9LvKbwQ0?si=IR_t6_-zaNgyLcTm

I'm pleased to see that Suunto has finally got their act together and made a computer that runs Bühlmann ZHL-16C w/GF as default; the 'Nautic'. It's taken them over a decade to realize what was making Shearwater computers so popular.

What's more, they've just released a firmware update that enables GF99 and SurGF displays. This is a real game changer for divers and, with a little knowledge, allows for more effective in-water safety management. My book 'Become A Shearwater Power User' explains how.

The price is comparable to the Shearwater Peregrine TX. Now, if only Suunto could hope to match Shearwater's legendary customer service...

Last course of 2025 completed!

Lots of challenging fun with my student Erika doing advanced wreck training on sidemount this week. Today she led a 70 min pe*******on dive of the El Capitan and ran 300ft of line through the wreck. We also simulated mask failure, performed a lost diver search protocol and further refined a quick DSMB deployment on a GF-dictated safety stop. Now for a few days rest!

Student report on doing the Advanced Wreck course with me earlier this year...

scubaboard.com

The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Risk Management in Scuba Diving. My friend Nick has made this into an audio article. What do you think?

Audio Article: The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Risk Judgement in Scuba Diving: By Andy Davis - Off Gassing: A Scuba Podcast Written by Andy DavisOwner of  Scuba Tech Philippines, Andy is a RAID, PADI TecRec, ANDI, BSAC, and SSI-qualified independent technical diving instructor who is best known for his many articles on sidemount and wreck diving and his prolific c...

Disgusting. Significant of the quality rot in the dive industry. Money over safety. "Stop teaching" i.e. be an entertainer, not an educator, because only profits matter. It makes me sick.

The Dive Centre advice I wish I'd given 10 years ago
After 20 years watching dive centres sink or swim across EMEA, I've learned which decisions matter.

The decisions that matter aren't made in business plans.
They're made at sunrise, coffee in hand, staring at the weather.

Here's what separates the survivors from the statistics:

Stop Teaching. Start Creating Memories.

I watched a French dive centre transform by changing one word.
They stopped selling "courses."
Started creating "adventures."

Same Open Water certification.
Different mindset.
28% more business.

Your students don't just remember skills.
They remember more how you made them feel at 18 meters.

Your Best Instructor Shouldn't Be You

Every failing centre I visit has the same problem:
The owner is underwater 6 days a week.

You can't grow a business from 30 meters down.

The day you stop being your best instructor is the day your business starts scaling. Work on your business, not in it.

Painful? Yes.
Necessary? Absolutely.

Fish Photos Don't Pay Bills

Your Instagram is gorgeous.
Your bank account isn't.

Stop posting what divers expect.
Start sharing what non-divers dream about.
You are in the transformation business.

The transformation. The fear conquered. The moment someone realises they can breathe underwater.

That's what sells courses.
Not your 137th nudibranch photo.

The 7am Test

Want to know if your business model works?

Answer honestly:
Can you take a week off without checking WhatsApp?

If your operation needs you to function, you don't have a business.
You have a job with wet hair.

Treat Your Gear Like Your Reputation

Because they're the same thing.

That reg you'll "service next month"?
That BCD held together with hope?
That tank that's "probably fine"?

Your students notice.
They talk.
Your reputation drowns quietly.

The Truth About Pricing

You're not too expensive.
You're too similar.

I know centres charging double the local rate.
Booked solid.

Because they don't sell diving.
They sell transformation.

Stop competing on price.
Start competing on experience.

Your Staff Meeting Matters More Than Your Marketing

The best marketing?
A team that believes in what you're building.

They'll sell more courses over coffee than your Facebook ads ever will.

Invest in your people first.
The customers follow.

Finally: The Ocean Doesn't Care About Your Business Plan

But it respects consistency.

Show up every day.
Maintain standards when it's hard.
Choose safety over profit.
Build trust one dive at a time.

Because in this industry, reputation is your only real asset.

Everything else can be replaced.

To every dive centre owner reading this at midnight, still answering emails:

You're not alone.
It does get easier.
But only if you build systems, not dependencies.
I made this mistake at my own dive centre. I learned the hard way.

What's the hardest lesson running a dive centre taught you?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patrick-voorma-3b73a642_diveindustry-divecentermanagement-padi-activity-7358779470528278528-t5JG?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAj02LsB4LRliWx5vR78U1hN7Ie1jbMkmVc

SUMPUK sidemount hardware is now available US-made from Explorer Technology. So much easier to make awesome upgrades to your rig now!

SUMP UK Harness Parts – Now Made in the USA

Explorer Technology LLC is now the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of all SUMP UK parts and components. This partnership allows SUMP UK founder Andrew to focus on diving and designing new gear, while we handle production and fulfillment.

SUMP UK side-mount and back-mount harness components are now manufactured in the USA by Explorer Technology.

Each harness component is:
Laser cut from 0.100” (2.5mm) 304 stainless steel
Tumbled through a 2-stage finishing process to ensure burr-free, rounded edges and a smooth, uniform surface
Designed for durability and performance in the most demanding dive environments
All parts are in stock and ready to ship via our streamlined online store at
https://explorertechnologyllc.com/collections/sump-uk


Contact us at [email protected] — we’re here to help.

Built by divers, for divers. Made in the USA.

Gas Management for Scuba Divers (Metric) eBook

The comprehensive, illustrated, metric guide to advanced gas planning and management for safer scuba diving.

Only $9
60 Pages. Printable PDF format. Fully Illustrated.

Buy it here:
buymeacoffee.com/andydavistech/e/233191

Scuba gas planning is a neglected fundamental competency in mainstream recreational diving training. It is simply the ability to accurately calculate your gas consumption and use that information to determine the limits of your dive compared to the gas supply you will carry when diving.

As a scuba diver, you should know how long you can stay at a planned diving depth; and allocate sufficient gas for your ascent. including a calculated gas reserve to mitigate against foreseeable emergency scenarios; such as air-sharing with a dive buddy.

This ebook describes the complete process and methods of planning safer recreational dives!

eBook Chapters:

Gas Management For Scuba Divers
Why is scuba gas planning important for divers?
Gas Planning in Metric versus Imperial
Metric versus Imperial Benefits
Variation in Air Consumption
Gas Supply Calculation
Cylinder capacity
Diving Gas Management calculating cylinder volume
Calculating cylinder gas volume
Scuba Gas Planning: cylinder pressure and volume
Understanding Depth and Pressure
Depth to ATA calculation
Metric depth to ATA formula
Imperial depth to ATA formula
Surface Air Consumption Calculation
The SAC formula
Accurate SAC rate calculation
Calculating Gas Consumption at Depth
Respiratory Minute Volume
The RMV calculation
Calculating Gas Duration at Depth
Calculating usable versus reserve gas
Common reserve gas pressures in scuba diving
Calculating reserve and usable gas volume
Calculating BAR/min for dive management
Calculating the gas duration on a dive
Gas Planning Table
Calculating ascent gas consumption
Calculating the average ascent depth
Calculating average ascent depth with a safety stop
Calculating a realistic gas reserve volume
What is a Rock Bottom Gas Reserve?
Calculating Rock Bottom Gas Reserves
Example Rock Bottom Gas Reserve calculation
Creating a Rock Bottom Gas Reserve Table
Example Rock Bottom Reserve Table
Accelerated gas consumption in emergencies
Gas Density Limits and Helium Use