Closed Circuit Rebreather

[DIVESeekers Jason]

Thanks for the tips.

Should I go with IANTD or are there other options?

Thinking about the Poseidon Discovery Mk6 any thoughts?

Hi scuga,

I wouldn't be so focused on the agency but more focused on what CCR Instructor will be the best for you. People learn in different ways.

I would interview all of your potential Instructors over the phone and then try to arrange to hook up with them on a dive to see how they are as a diver (organized, gear config, overall skills in the water etc..) and then make your decision.

As far as deciding on which CCR to go with, try to arrange for a try dive so you can see what works best for you.

My number is (908) 359-1250, you can also reach me via e-mail jasonf@tscscuba.com
You have an open invitation to our shop in Hillsborough NJ to learn abourt CCR's and go for a try dive any time you want. I promise you, it will be well worth the trip.


Cheers

 

[mania]

As others stated already - first get some real experience with OC. This knowledge is neccesary for CCR. Starting with bailout through several techniques of swimming, up to deco theories. So first get to the OC level of at least Advanced Nitrox and then you can switch to CCR. At least this is what I did.
OTH some of the things you will learn while diving OC you will have to learn from the scratch, because on CCR they are different.
Give yourself quite a bit of time before moving into this heavy "no bubbles" machine

 

[RJP]

What do I need to be able to dive a CCR?

A compelling reason to do so would be the first thing you'll need.

 

[Meng_Tze]

I have 4 laughable OW cert dives. What do I need to be able to dive a CCR?

You will need a CCR, some money and time. Then most importantly a CCR instructor willing to teach and sign off the cert. That in itself depends on some other things.

 

[Cave Diver]

How many dives did you have before your first RB dive?

IANTD will train and certify a diver on CCR with NO previous OW experience:

IANTD Open Water Closed Circuit Rebreather Diver Course

A few excerpts from the course description (emphasis mine):

Purpose

This Program is designed to train competent divers in the safer use and technology of basic CCR diving with no decompression, up to 1.2 PO2 and to depths up to 70 fsw (21 msw). This course may be used as an entry-level course to SCUBA diving if combined with the OW program in which case OC dives will be substituted with CCR dives. The diver can dive to a maximum depth of 100 fsw (30 msw) if they are guided or supervised dive by a rebreather supervisor or instructor. The training requirements here in are IANTD minimums. Other manufacturer’s requirements MAY APPLY for specific rebreathers so consult manufacturers literature prior to teaching.

<snip>

Water Skills Development - Open Water Training must include the following skills:

Complete all in water skills for OW diver if not already qualified as a diver
Pre-dive checks including a pre-breathe.
Switch to low set point for descent and monitor the PO2 to ensure it remains within the planned PO2 range
Switch to planned set point once the diver is at the planned dive depth or set point change depth

 

[RJP]

IANTD will train and certify a diver on CCR with NO previous OW experience:

Interesting. Know any instructors that offer this course? (After all it literally is "the instructor, not the agency" that trains and certifies the diver.)

How many OC dives - and of what kind - do you think someone should have before starting RB?

What other training and experience?

 

[TSandM]

I think it's actually an interesting question, how much diving experience one should have before tackling a rebreather. Buoyancy control in a rebreather is quite different from OC, and even such things as mask clearing are done under different constraints. You could make a very cogent argument that people would do better starting off with a CCR, if that's what they intend to dive.

Except for two things. One's already been brought up, which is that the bailout from CCR is to OC, so you have to be comfortable enough on OC to be able to manage it nicely in a high stress situation. It's not good to bail out (already something's gone very wrong) and end up with a system you don't know how to use or don't feel comfortable with.

The other thing is task-loading. I've been DMCing for OW dives for the last week, with students in dry suits. I can tell you that it's a LOT for them to handle -- remembering to vent the suit, remembering how to handle the bubble in the suit, and managing the alien act of diving is too much for some of them. Adding the task-loading of a CCR would make OW dives VERY interesting, I would think.

I did a try dive on a Meg-type rebreather last fall, and I found managing my buoyancy and trim AND monitoring the heads-up display AND remembering to purge the loop before changing mix AND remembering I couldn't clear my mask the way I normally do it was a lot for me. And I've had training where closing a post while deploying a backup light with no mask on in perfect trim and without changing depth more than a couple of inches is an EXPECTED level of performance.

Although I'm sure you build a lot of the wrong responses by spending time on OC, it's my minimally informed position that you ought to do it anyway.

 

[wedivebc]

Fair enough. And I've already told the OP I would try to be constructive. Towards that end...

Now can you tell us how many dives you had before your first RB dive?

How many OC dives - and what kind - do you think someone should have before going RB?

What other training and experience?

I had about 600 dives on OC and I was also an OC trimix instructor. I also built my own first rebreather.
I believe there will soon come a time when a RB suitable for the casual recreational diver will hit the market. I also believe there are people who would be suitable candidates for training on such a rebreather right from basic OW.
I expect I will be teaching basic OW divers on RBs before this year is out. This is not for everyone but like I said, the right candidate who has the desire, and motivation, not to mention the self discipline to carefully follow training and procedure will be able to safely dive a CCR right from the start.

 

[Cave Diver]

Interesting. Know any instructors that offer this course? (After all it literally is "the instructor, not the agency" that trains and certifies the diver.)

How many OC dives - and of what kind - do you think someone should have before starting RB?

What other training and experience?

No, I can't say I personally know any instructors teaching this, but I didn't inquire either since I was already experienced when I took my course.

*I* think that having a bit of tech experience with gas switching is valuable in the event of a bailout to open circuit. However, for the type of diving I do, my bailout requirements may be different from someone else's. I sometimes carry multiple AL80's with bailout and those are often mixed gas, including trimix.

A shallow water photographer might get by with onboard bailout accessed via a bailout valve and make the whole switching regs routine a non-issue.

20+ years ago it was almost unheard for a diver to start off with a dive computer, or even an octo or a BCD. Now every new diver starts off with them. As things evolve and become more mainstream, I think we'll see more of a move towards people getting early training on stuff that we commonly look at as "tech" now. Just like the "its not the agency, its the instructor" it also can be said "it's not the class, it's the student."

 

[wedivebc]

... AND remembering to purge the loop before changing mix AND remembering ...

Just curious, why were you changing mixes on a try-dive? Diluent swaps are usually reserved for adv trimix dives.