Technical Diving

Interview With Andrea Murdock Alpini: The Difference Is in How You React

Andrea Murdock Alpini exploring the interior of the Alvah wreck in the Strait of Messina, Calabria, Italy

His story, as compelling as it is, reads like a film script. His work takes him to unusual and remote places. His passion, combined with technical expertise, experience and research, has made him a renowned underwater explorer and documentarian. Andrea Murdock Alpini talks to Alessandra Squarta about his undersea discoveries and endeavours.

Ten Commandments of Tech Diving Ops, Part II

Cave diver. Photo by Andrey Bizyukin.
Cave diver. Photo by Andrey Bizyukin.

In part one of this series, which appeared in issue #103, I suggested a few commandments to consider in order to ensure, as far as possible, that your technical dives are safe and successful. These were: First commandment: Prepare paperwork; Second commandment: Nominate a supervisor; Third commandment: Deploy safety divers. In this sequel, I deliver a few more tablets of stone.

Buddy Dive Adds Extra Week to Bonaire TeK!

Buddy Dive TeK is adding an extra week to Bonaire TeK! 

Bonaire Tek is THE tec diving event on Bonaire, attracting tec divers from all over the world and manufacturers of the best gear in the industry. 

This year, Bonaire TeK takes place from September 28 – October 5, 2024. Because of the huge success of the event, Buddy Dive TeK is adding an extra CCR week to Bonaire TeK! 

Ten Commandments of Tech Diving Ops, Part I

An excellent strategy to guard against complacency and protect you and your dive team from becoming too casual about your diving is to establish set operational procedures for all your technical dives.

Today, technical diving is well into its fourth decade. We now have better tools, technology and systems than we did in the past and we know far more about which methods, decompression strategies and gear configurations work well and which do not.

Navy Experimental Diving Unit
Navy Reserve Navy Diver Seaman Jesse Kole, assigned to Naval Experimental Diving Unit, does an inspection dive of the interior of the wreck of the former Russian submarine Juliett 484.

US Navy is working on dive suit that prevents decompression

The Navy Experimental Diving Unit tested the Deep Sea Expeditionary with No Decompression (DSEND) Suit underwater last February.

The Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS) used by the Navy at the moment is cumbersome, unmaneuverable, and requires relatively large sea craft for deployment. With this new project, it will be improved in a number of ways, including the rotary joint design that it now uses.

Wild Diving in the Komati Springs of South Africa

Exploring a side tunnel on the third level of the mine
Exploring a side tunnel on the third level of the mine at Komati Springs

If you have ever wondered how dark the earth was before humans discovered fire, then spend some time in the forest. The night arrives shortly after 6 p.m. and the sun rises around 5 a.m. In this period of time, you may feel enveloped by the darkness in this part of South Africa. Andrea Murdock Alpini shares his adventure diving the Komati Springs.

Turning Tek

Once considered an extreme activity reserved only for a fringe set of explorers and adventurers, technical diving has grown in popularity since the ‘90s and has become mainstream. However, technical diving is not for everyone. Aside from an advanced skill set, it also requires a certain mindset. How do you know if you have got it? Simon Pridmore offers insights into what makes a good technical diver.