Tech 1 was a demanding class, but upon completion I felt prepared to start diving at the T1 level. Since then, I dive T1 profiles frequently and continue to work on skill development. My local community of GUE divers is active and has been very supportive. It has allowed me to continue to develop my capacity with the input of more experienced divers. Without good training that other GUE divers trust, I would not have had access to these opportunities.
It was one of the most rewarding courses I've ever taken. It was challenging and fun at the same time. I enjoyed the way we were briefed for every dive and how land drills were preparing you for the day in the water. It was really great how building on Fundamental skills we were introduced to new skills step by step, incrementally, day by day, dive by dive. I think it pays to come well prepared for the class. I think my teammate and I were ready for it and that made class to go fairly smoothly (or as smoothly as to be expected). The last day of experience dive to 51m (170ft) dive, finishing deco and getting a handshake from the instructor and fist bump from a teammate at 6m felt fantastic! Since then I've logged some Tech 1 dives with different teammates, and it feels good to know that your teammate has the same training and all the same skill set, and is always on the same page with you. We have a great GUE Technical community in Southern California and some really cool dives at the tech depth. The course was well worth the effort.
The training was excellent, instruction was very clear and concise. Two students, one trainer and one assistant trainer - so the ratio was optimal. Practical scenarios were very challenging but fun, which made for a steep learning curve, quickly refining my diving skillset. The high quality and professionalism of the training meant the final deep trimix dives were a highly enjoyable and reasonably stress free event.
Increased confidence and capacity - while the completion of the course opens the door to slightly more challenging diving, it also has an immediate impact on the recreational diving that I've been doing. Immensely satisfying course that challenged me, but also built on the skills laid out in Fundies. Most importantly, the completion of Tech 1 has taken me a step closer to my dream of diving the HMS Repulse! There is so much more diving and places to explore.