TEC BNB – AN IMMERSIVE APPROACH TO TECHNICAL DIVER TRAININGThis summer, my wife and I are opening our home to Tec Students who want to come and advance their diver training in an immersive learning environment that is as intense as it is fun. Below, we answer a Q&A about how the program came to be and what to expect… How did the idea for TecBnB come about? I had a phone call from a perspective student who knew me from a previous position and wanted to get Tec certified with me. They were having trouble finding affordable accommodation in Miami and asked me for recommendations. I recommended he check AirBnB – my wife and I have used it for weekend getaways and road trips for ages and have always had a great experience. After the call, it dawned on me that we have a beautiful spare room with a lovely bed that sits empty for most of the year! Isn’t it a bit like bringing your work home with you? Well, both my wife Karina and I work from home anyway! We share a home office. We have a classroom set up in our dining room – white board and all – our garage is a dedicated dive gear workshop and storage space… we basically live at a dive shop. What will the TecBnB Student experience be like? We want it to be a camp-style experience, but with all the creature comforts of home. We can chat gradient factors over morning coffee and discuss gas selections over BBQ dinners. We use the word ‘immersive’ as a double-entendre because we want the students to live, breath, eat and sleep technical diving in an environment where questions and open discussion are encouraged. Tell us more about the accommodation… Our guest room is almost en suite and features a queen size bed with a cool mattress and really comfy topper. It’s also the coldest and darkest room in the house – perfect for the Miami heat. It’s very private and comfortable. Our open plan living area gives the students lots of study options and we have a spacious patio for outdoor dining and post dive beverages. Scuba gear is stored securely in our garage – an invertible wet locker for dive gear. How is the experience packaged? To give a very brief rundown of a typical course schedule, we start with picking our students up at the airport (unless they’ve chosen to rent a car) and complete a course orientation before the welcome dinner. Day 2 and we’re working on equipment selection and configuration and doing a couple of shallow dives for a skills circuit. The following days are a combination of progressively deeper dives with theory classes, culminating in a farewell BBQ dinner. The last day is surface interval before the flight out, where our Students can choose to explore Everglades National Park or hang out on South Beach or dance the night away in Little Havana. What’s included? We include airport transfers, all the technical diver training classes included in the package, the course materials from TDI, all the theory sessions, practical classes and 8 open water dives. Accommodation is included on a bed, breakfast and dinner basis – and we’re awesome cooks! Ask any of our friends. Lunch is normally taken between/after dives and that’s on the Student, although we do provide snacks and cold beverages. We include tanks, gas and equipment rental as well as all boat fees. What are some of the exclusions? Flights are not part of any packages. Lunches, as mentioned above. We use a variety of top class charter boats as third party operators. Gratuities for the Captains and Crew are not included and are at your discretion. We recommend $10-$20 per trip as a norm, more if the service exceeds your expectations. We have a BYOB policy on alcoholic beverages. Cost of certification (if achieved) is charged separately. Any extras? Some people like to extend their stay and explore South Florida. Additional nights are $75 per night, as long as availability allows. In addition, we are happy to arrange car rental or plan trips to local attractions and can provide quotes accordingly upon request. Extra dives can be arranged! By all means, stay on and practice your newly learned technical skills! These will be at the cost of the operator. What’s the diving like? Absolutely awesome! We have fantastic training sites and are ideally placed to hit either the great wreck diving out of Pompano, just north of Fort Lauderdale, or drop down to Key Largo for some truly world-class sites. We have the Duane, Bibb, Eagle, Spiegel Grove, Lowrance, Hydro Atlantic, Northern Lights and Doc De Mille all within a 45 minute drive to the departure sites. Vis during the summer is consistently 70ft-100ft (20m-30m.) Sea temperatures soar into the mid-80’s F (23-27C.) How can future Students prepare for TecBnB? Don’t come rusty! Get out and get some dives in wherever you’re located. Make sure your dive gear is working well and that you’re in a good condition to dive. We hit the ground running once you get here. Bring a positive attitude and be ready to learn, because a lot of knowledge and skills are going to be coming your way and you need to be ready to receive! Reach out to us in advance with any questions, queries or concerns – we’re happy to assist in any way we can to you’re your South Florida technical diving experience the best it can be. Lastly, bring an appetite – we’re a family of feeders! Sounds great! How do I book?
First, you can look at the package options and decide which is right for you. If you have any questions, please reach out to us via our contact page and we can start your adventure from there!
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AuthorJames Blackman Archives
November 2018
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