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New trimix divers

The traditional technical diving week that we hold in the beginning of August was a success. The traditional participant of the event was “Krasnoyarsk club of underwater expeditions”, headed by the technical instructor NAUI Vasily Kirichenko. Seven people from Krasnoyarsk used up 97 tanks and double tanks with manifolds in daily diving sessions in Listvyanka within seven days. Such an active approach to diving is very typical to Vasily’s team. You go guys!
Kemerov’s club “Nayada”, headed by Roman Vytovtovym, has visited the great lake Baikal for the second time. A couple years ago Roman completed our course Advanced Nitrox + Decoprocedures+ Extended Range. This time within technical diving week Roman Vytovtov (TDI Decompression Procedures Instructor, TDI Extended Range diver, Master Scuba Diver Trainer PADI ) completed TDI Advanced trimix diver course led by Gennady Misan. During the training he successfully completed dives to 60, 70 and 90 meters. We also practiced the methods of deep diving in cold water, and now Roman can get ready for deep dives in Tuimski Fail. Of course, one should not hurry and repeat all deep dives from the trimix course several times. Each new diving course is always a push for a further development and professional growth of the diver, and the success always depends on the diver himself. It depends on how each diver will dive and perfect the skills and knowledge that were received during the course.
The head of Moscow diving club SDD Sergey Dorofeev (Instructor-trainer NAUI Nitrox, Instructor NAUI-TEC, Instructor CMAS**, NITROX Instructor CMAS) together with his student Lena Zhuravleva (diver NAUI-TEC and TECHNICAL WRECK DIVER NAUI) joined us for a diving safari and completed Trimix courses. Sergey completed course IANTD Trimix Diver, and Lena completed TDI Advanced trimix diver. Their instructor-trainer was Gennady Misan. Some trimix dives were made during safari, and some were made during daily diving in Listvyanka. The dives were made to 55, 60, 70, 80 and 85 meters. Even though Lena has less experience than her teacher, she kept up with Sergey and the last deep dive she made without any questions from her instructor. Both Lena and Sergey had to reconfigure their equipment and now have a completely different outlook on deep trimix diving, they got the understanding that it is a very complicated procedure (particularly in cold water). They will be repeating trimix course dives over and over again. Lena will be shortly heading to Malta, and Sergey to the Red sea, hence the opportunities for practice are coming right up! During the diving safari and daily dives in Listvyanka the visibility was excellent. We dove at Skipper, where along with educational dives we researched a new dive-site, which we talked about earlier. Dives were made at Katorzhanka and “Patrony”. When we dove at Katrozhanka across from us there was “Mir” station going down to 1000 meters with James Cameron aboard. There we went down to 60 and 80 meters. We were hoping for an underwater meeting with “Mir”, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. BaikalTek’s Oleg Alekseenko attended the course together with Moscovites. His mission was Advanced Nitrox + Decoprocedures+ Extended Range TDI. He made dives according to procedures and two deep dives to 45 meters. In short, Oleg’s active initiation into technical diving has begun.

 
Before safari aboard Valery we had a safari on Myth. The participants included Baikatek’s members from Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, technical diver from Moscow Sergey Sviridenkov and a diver from Perm’s club “Three Dimensions” Dmitry Shevtsov. Members from Ulan-Ude completed dry suit course and were pleasantly surprised by the improved diving quality that comes when you dress warmer. Aleksei Bormotov from Irkutsk completed course Advanced Nitrox TDI, starting his journey into technical dicing. The start of the journey was successful and we are expecting the continuation from him. Sergey Sviridnikov made several deep dives and understood that you have to dive at Baikal and dive deep. His next visit will be combined with a trimix course in September.
It must be said that safari-ship Myth started this season renewed. All front cabins were completely reconstructed. A large platform was made for zodiacs, and it also can be used as a cover from sun and rain. Most importantly the diving deck was extended. Now it looks like a dance floor where divers do not get in each other’s way with all their large equipment. Now Myth is the best-equipped vessel of Yaroslavets type for diving at Baikal. It has warm double cabins, common cabin, wide dive-deck, a place to dry off the equipment in the mechanical room, and experienced crew that can help divers in a variety of ways. And of course the cook is nice (meaning she cooks great!). All of these are Myth’s advantages
All the safaris, technical weeks and technical courses did not interfere with daily diving. We had divers from Czech Republic, Poland, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Tomsk and Atchinsk. Summer… The fall is coming upon us and we have plenty of plans. There will be club’s safari, technical and trimix courses in September, photo diving safari (which is half-full) and a trip to Sipadan (almost full as well) in October, polar safari with our friends from St. Petersburg in the beginning of November and with friends from Moscow at the end of the month. We will not be talking about winter yet, as our spirits are still in the summer!