Am i approaching this right

[jale]

Marie is right.
Tech c-cards are not a prerequisite for CCR training.
As she says, you are just limited to NDL.
Before I thought that it was better to have a tech background in order to learn CCR but I changed my mind and found out that students with limited or non-existent deco knowledge are better and safer students.

 

[moose_grunt]

What does your local community, dive buddies, or expected dive group use? As a new CCR diver, it's super helpful to have a local instructor or knowledgeable buddies around to help you track down problems, sort out your unit, etc. When something breaks, they may have a spare or something to lend.

Not saying be a sheep and just buy what everyone else has, but I've certainly been in a situation where I've racked my brain for hours, changed every oring I could find, only to have a buddy swing by and say "oh, you forgot to do XYZ, that's why you're failing a neg."

Finally, I personally advise finding an instructor and THEN a unit, rather than limiting your unit choices by instructor. My first unit was one I didn't particularly want, but I knew who I wanted to take a class with and that's what they taught (also helped me get a great deal on a used unit, serviced it, set it up, troubleshoot my problems as they came up over the next couple of years, etc.). I dove the absolute crap out of it before I got a different unit (not surprisingly, NOT the one I thought I wanted at the beginning).

Jim

 

[1c3d1v3r]

Try diving units is totally different for an experienced RB divers than for non-RB divers.
I have try dived Triton, JJ and Revo. Comments about the units were totally different among experienced RB divers and novices. As you gain experience you notice and appreciate different things.

I suggest buying a serviced second hand unit and get training for it. Dive for a year or two and gain experience. Then get your second unit and cross-over training for it.

 

[jale]

Yes I don't know why people are always talking about spending 10K on a new rb!
There are a lot of good second hand units out there.
Scared of having a bad apple? Just ask the seller to come for a dive with you (you on oc of course ) or buy it from your future instructor and do the course with it.
Frankly a lot of good Meg, AP, rEvo and so on can be had for not that much and are good units.
Like cars, just enjoy the new liberty the rb gives you, learn the basics at your pace and later on you can concentrate on "performances". And just as cars, a lot of people (not SBers ) end up being satisfied with the unit they started with.

 

[Minion_Diver]

I completed OC Helitrox in Feb. '21 and knew at some point I wanted to transition over into rebreather diving but thought it was further down the line. Well by April I came across a deal I could not pass up and ended up getting trained in November of '21 on my O2ptima. I thoroughly enjoy diving my breather, yes there is more setup and things like that but honestly I enjoy that aspect of diving a rebreather.

All of the readily available commercial units out there are solid units. One thing to consider is what everyone around you is diving. I have 8 buddies who all dive O2ptimas and that played into my decision. With diving a unit that a lot of people in your area are diving you have a shared knowledge base versus being the lone guy out there having to figure out the different quirks and nuances about your unit that are not taught in the training.

 

[Marie13]

How many instructors actually have rental units?

 

[jale]

How many instructors actually have rental units?

All the instructors I know have different units. Maybe not two of the same model but at least you can dive and train with the unit of your choice if (s)he is an instructor on that unit

 

[kensuf]

To crossover from one unit to another requires some recent experience on the first unit. Typically, that's at least 12 dives within the previous six months. If you don't have ready access to the unit you get certified on, you may need to repeat MOD1 whenever it is that you saved up enough to buy a unit rather than doing a crossover.

Personally, I would skip doing MOD1 at this time and instead complete AN/DP plus gain deco diving experience. While you are saving up money to buy a CCR of your own, do as many try dives on as many different units as you can, so that way when you're ready to take the plunge you do it all at once.

We have a Fathom try dive event scheduled for early November at Blue Grotto. Details are on Facebook under Fathom Dive Systems.

 

[beester]

Marie is right.
Tech c-cards are not a prerequisite for CCR training.
As she says, you are just limited to NDL.
Before I thought that it was better to have a tech background in order to learn CCR but I changed my mind and found out that students with limited or non-existent deco knowledge are better and safer students.

How do you come to that conclusion?

I'm not saying you are wrong, just want to understand the why.

Most ccr divers I know have an OC technical background, and the CCR was an extension on technical diving (reduce gas cost, extend range/depth). With some of my friends and me having Normoxic (or in the past full trimix) was a requirement to be able to take a CCR course (GUE). Background being that if you bail out you need OC experience to solve the issue.

On the other hand you also see OC tech divers taking CCR and then quite fast (maybe too fast) start doing the same (or harder) dives than they did in OC, not understanding that you really need to do babysteps again in the CCR before you start doing anything technical.

Anyway totally off topic... just curious.

@ the OP: Not much to add but:
- Focus on network: It's much easier to and more fun to dive CCR if you have CCR buddies. The easier part being joint training and practice, a joint spareparts pool and buddies who actually know how a rebreather works, the latter because diving in mixed team (oc/rebreather) limits what you can do with the ccr.
- Testing units: Not so sure, probably you would be able to organise some pool tests with different models, but you are a beginner and don't know what it important for you yet.
- 2nd hand: You reduce cost, but increase risk (failure or cost). Only if you really trust the previous owner.
- Local trainer: Get a local instructor. He'll fix point number 1 by introducing you to the network. Next you always have someone to reach out to if you have questions down the line. But make sure he's good!

 

[tbone1004]

I have realized that CCR is in my future. Right now I'm doing OC AP/DP and helitrox. I have just enough GI bill to do a ccr cert so I'm thinking of finding a place that has CCR's for the students without requiring me to purchase the unit.

I have found one so far that teaches the JJ.

My plan is to then get OC experience doing deco dives gas exchanges etc while saving for my own ccr. During this time also looking for try ccr's to figure out which is actually right for me.

In my interviews so far I have had the spirit recommend but that instructor did not have units for students.

So basic question am I approaching this right or am I chasing a unicorn trying to find one's to try and then doing a crossover?

So I sit firmly in the camp of you aren't qualified to evaluate a unit based on a try dive until you have completed Mod1. You need at least a couple hours to have some idea of what's going on before you really can make a decision based on a try dive since most of the units are very particular about how well they are fit to you.
I have said before on here that your approach is a perfectly valid one though I would recommend going at it with this approach.

Find the instructor you want that dives on a unit somewhat palatable to you. For me that was Ted McCoy and was on a borrowed Meg since I had access to one. After interview I found that I liked him as an instructor and he taught on a unit that worked for me. I could have easily done that with a SF2, O2ptima, or several others that he teaches on, but chose the Meg. You could do the same with someone like Edd with the Sidekick/Sidewinder/Liberty or someone like @kensuf for SF2/Fathom/maybe another one I can't remember? Either way, most of them that are serious CCR divers have another unit and you can often rent one from them for the course. I would recommend that you at least make sure the course is on a unit that you THINK you may want to buy and ideally choose an instructor that does the types of diving you intend to do.

Not sure where in New England you are, but you may want to reach out to Heather Knowles, she's legit