Recreational 3

Description

UTD Recreational 3 is the most advanced recreational course (without decompression). Prepare divers for deeper recreational diving using proper equipment, dive techniques and standard helium (standard gas) breathing mixtures including the Helitrox 25/25.

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What you’ll learn

During this course the students will be able to use single or double tanks and will learn to deal with potential failures, to rescue an injured diver, to use Nitrox and Helitrox to increase bottom time. They will learn to use helium to reduce narcosis and post-dive “nitrogen stress”. Decompression techniques and related software will also be addressed.

Duration

UTD Recreational 3 usually takes place over four days, and includes a minimum of 48 hours of lessons including theory, exercises in the pool or in confined water and open water dives.

When you buy a UTD course, you pay for training not for a “plastic reward for participation”. We will give you the ability to look at your strengths and weaknesses, and during the class, we can expand on your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. Some students might need more coaching or just more time to master certain aspects of the course. You can always do so by seeking out more training outside the curriculum and the time constraints of the standard course layout.

How it’s done

UTD Recreational 3  is divided into four modules: Rescue & Emergencies Procedures (rescue and emergency), Guideline Mini (critical skills and guideline management), Surveying and Recovery (search and recovery of objects) and Helitrox (use of helium-based mixtures) . The course includes exercises in the pool or in confined water and open water dives up to 39 meters using Helitrox 25/25 as breathing gas.

In-water exercises

The exercises in the water are videotaped so that the students can visually check their behavior. Dives with decompression and in obstructed environments (caves or wrecks) are excluded.

What to expect

This is the most advanced level recreational course (therefore without decompression obligations), which teaches you to dive in teams and “for objectives”, how to look for and recover objects, line a route, rescue an injured person, dive with standard UTD mixes including ‘Helitrox 25/25. The use of helium allows you to experience live how the mixtures containing this gas are of great help in diving beyond 30 metres.

Requirements

• Minimum age 18 years.
• Be in possession of the UTD Recreational 2 certification (Advanced Diver) or equivalent
• Hold a UTD Nitrox certification or equivalent
• Have made at least 50 dives
• Be able to swim at least 15 meters while holding your breath
• Know how to swim at least 275 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping

Required configuration:

• Single cylinder backmount (rear) or sidemount (lateral) configuration
• Primary regulator with 150 or 210cm long hose and secondary regulator with elastic under the neck
• BCD (buoyancy compensator) with rear bag, harness and plate
• depth gauge and Timer or a diving computer
• Mask and fins
• A cutting tool
• A spool with 30 meters of line
• A closed circuit inflatable marker (Surface Marker Buoy)
• Wetsuit suitable for the diving environment

Note: at Argentario Divers you will find all the equipment you will need for the course. Contact your UTD instructor before purchasing equipment.

Optional extensions

• Sidemount (if the course was carried out in Backmount configuration)
• Backmount (if the course was carried out in Sidemount configuration)
• Dry suit

Included: some extra-course materials, equipment rental, certification and dives.

Not included: teaching material  to be purchased on the UTD website and Nitrox and Trimix fills.