Most have it in their minds that the craft of technical diving is one of those "Shut up, Jump in and Hang on!" adrenalin activities, which only the wealthy young, macho-types are interested in or can handle.

Yes, being a woman, up there in...lets say­the experienced years, and a grandmother to boot, I may have entertained such thoughts at one time. But after taking classes in just about everything having to do with technical diving, my opinion has modified quite a bit.

I was delighted to find training available at many recreational dive facilities in the Pacific Northwest. IANTD, PADI, NAUI and TDI all have available a variety of programs for curious divers seeking advanced knowledge in the fundamentals of deep and overhead environments.

As I discovered in the realm of technical diving, everyone has their own understanding and beliefs of what defines the skill of "technical diving." Depends on who you talk to I guess. Personally, I would describe it as learning to safely visit places like caves (we have several in the northwest), wrecks and venturing beyond the recreational limits of 130 feet.

Before investigating any further, perhaps one of the most important questions
to ask yourself might be, "Why do it?" Two years ago I asked that question to a trio diving to 100 meters (330-feet) off Gabriola Island where the terrain would be barren and only light from a powerful dive light would illuminate their way.

"Because few have ever done it!" said one of the guys, whose partner was an instructor. "Because I'm curious of what's down there," replied a woman from Austria. For me it is the lure of photographing subjects and critters few have ever seen.

As far as the physical aspects go, expectations are no more than other challenging sports. If you don't watch what you eat and keep fit, you will pay a price until you comply.

If you choose to carry on with this "technical" endeavor you'll want the necessary training. And of course you'll want to adapt your existing gear or invest in the proper tools-of-the-trade. Many recreational dive equipment manufacturers now cater to the semi-serious technical diver by offering beefed-up BCDs and regulators designed for oxygen-enriched air. Companies like OMS, Dive Rite and Halcyon tend to provide a wider range of supplies for the more serious participant including; reels, dual manifolds and extended-range, mixed gas computers.

Wearing an extra 90 pounds of gear (duel
tanks and two stage bottles), I re-check everything with my Tek-partner. As we begin our journey down Agamemnon Wall, the restriction of gravity subsides. A shower of sparkling bubbles from my buddy's exhalation, emerge around me. Using trimix our narcosis level is similar to an air dive at 30 feet. At 165 feet we come across a lone harbour seal playing hide-and-seek. At 170 feet, thriving gorgonian sea fans stretched into a nutrient rich current. We are dwarfed by cloud sponge, probably several hundred years old. I have 20 minutes to expose my roll of film before we begin our ascent.

Back at 120 feet we switched to a Nitrox mix (travel gas) with a series of decompression stops at various depths. At 20 feet we switched to pure oxygen for about 20 minutes.

Aside from the chilly 7C (46F) water temperature and badly having to pee, I found myself searching the marine charts within an hour after the dive for my next site!