Northeast Scuba instructor Completed my training in Florida

NEDIVER

I just wanted to give a quick synopsis of my training that was just completed in Florida.

I finished training on an Evolution and my Instructor was Tom Huff, Northeast Scuba, Massachusetts. As you can see from this post he has trained some of the best.

I never ventured into my Technical training on Open Circuit for the sheer reason of cost. Since I would have to learn all of my decompression procedures and Tri-mix over again on the rebreather if I learned on OC, I just waited until I was in a position to purchase a unit. For this reason, Advanced Nitrox was incorporated into the CCR course.

I completed the Adv Nitrox course work and exam with all of the OC students that were taking the Adv Nitrox/Deco procedures class.

After completing this, Tom had me come in for 4 days straight, 2-3 hours a day. During this time, we completely took down and rebuilt the unit. I also underwent all of the lecture and classroom time, where I was drilled with questions and scenarios that I had to respond to. I can say that I had no doubt in my mind what was to be expected of me and I had all of my questions answered from an academic standpoint. We also trouble-shooted the unit and Tom had me set it up for success, with a ADV shut-off valve and a quick disconnect fitted to my 40 cuft bail out cylinder.

Training on the unit took place in the Blue Grotto, Williston, FL. And at the Forty Fathoms Grotto, Ocala, Fl. This training at the grottos took place during the last week of Tom’s classes; he had already been down in Florida conducting Intro to Tri-mix, Advanced Nitrox/Deco procedures, and Advanced Tri-mix classes, prior to my training.

We started off the first day of training with “pool session”, 80 min. Followed by two, hour-long dives at the Blue Grotto. I knew from the conversations with Tom before the trip that he would be asking a lot from me, and wanted to make me the best silent diver I could be. With that said, it was no surprise to me that I was task-saturated and was physically and mentally exhausted by the end of the day.

By the second day we were still at the Blue Grotto and conducted three more, hour-long dives. Like most of you, I felt like I was getting the hang of it this day and things seemed to “click”. However, the tasks became more difficult with every dive. I was required to perform all of my drills while maintaining buoyancy and depth. I have to say this was the most beneficial training I have ever done. To Tom’s point, “things go wrong at the worst time; you have to maintain your buoyancy and deal with the problem effectively, at depth”. I have only seen this level of instruction in my days in the Marine Corps. Not the yelling, per se, but the seriousness of making sure that it was done right, thus instilling the discipline that anything short of that will cost lives. After the second day, I was not as mentally tired, and in fact, I was invigorated by the level of personal growth that I had obtained to this point.

The last day we were over in Ocala, at 40 Fathoms Grotto. This truly simulates the visibility that we often see in the Northeast. We did two dives on the last day, one to 130 ft and one to 120ft. Both, one hour long. Again, training was spot on. Tom has an ability to see everything going on at depth and quiz you about it with a drill. All in all, this was the best instruction that I have ever had from any instructor, regardless of discipline. I was looking for real and quality training and not for a C-Card. This is exactly what you get when you train with Tom Huff. He trains you for real-life situations with real-life solutions on how to stay alive, and that is the most important training one can ever receive.

I am always one to compliment good work, and in this case, I applaud exceptional instruction! Thank you, Tom!

__________________
-Tom-

"slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" TM
"Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again, expecting different results" Albert Einstein

jkaterenchuk

Good work. Enjoy diving the new unit safely.

John

Ukon

Congratulations on your certification. Tom is an exceptional instructor. Hopefully we'll see you on the local charters soon, it'll be good to have another Jhead around.
Best of luck
Don Ferrara