First open water dives with rebreather...
- Thread starter Aaron Harmon
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happy-diver
Skindiver Just feelin it
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Magnificent!
The scubaboring system of don't offend anyone by teaching them something system
My first time on an o2 rebreather, in the ocean, I dialed myself in with no bc in one dive
No instructor to mess me up with what they had been told to teach always works for me
Ok the ocean was calm that day
LiteWeight
Contributor
Maybe I'm more inexperienced than some of the individuals giving you great advice, but I had over 500 OC dives when I took trimix. Then rebreather MOD 1 on a Prism2. And I was a beginner again. My buoyancy was crap. The only thing that 'fixed' me was hours underwater. I did 3 hour dives, you don't dive count anymore. It's hours. To be honest I'm still not any good on a rebreather after 30 hrs. I would rather a set of 104's.
Edit: I wanted a dive buddy for rebreathers, I could not find a dive partner to buddy with me on rebreathers. I made that decision that I couldn't have dive buddies on rebreathers, so I gave it up. But please don't let that stop you from making your decision, i Lived in South Louisiana so no help there.
Edit: I wanted a dive buddy for rebreathers, I could not find a dive partner to buddy with me on rebreathers. I made that decision that I couldn't have dive buddies on rebreathers, so I gave it up. But please don't let that stop you from making your decision, i Lived in South Louisiana so no help there.
And you count ascents. They're the hard bit to learn and master!
LiteWeight
Contributor
Yes, please. In my experience you need to have the opportunity to get lots of hours underwater. It is truly amazing, I've dove 3 hr dives in Grand Cayman to the shelf from the shore. But if you don't practice, youre a liability. So I quit. All my friends quit diving rebreathers.
OP
Aaron Harmon
Contributor
Day two in open water was night and day difference. Everything seamed to click.
The buoyancy was the issue and that was closely related to being over-weighted and not having my kit fully dialed in in terms of adjustment/fit. I was also diving a new drysuit in cold water so the learning curve was steeper.
Understanding PO2 and the rebreather theory was not a problem.
The units computer and controls are also pretty straightforward.
Had I been in a rash guard and 80 degree water, and properly weighted, my first day would not have been nearly as bad.
Thanks to all of you offering encouragement.
The buoyancy was the issue and that was closely related to being over-weighted and not having my kit fully dialed in in terms of adjustment/fit. I was also diving a new drysuit in cold water so the learning curve was steeper.
Understanding PO2 and the rebreather theory was not a problem.
The units computer and controls are also pretty straightforward.
Had I been in a rash guard and 80 degree water, and properly weighted, my first day would not have been nearly as bad.
Thanks to all of you offering encouragement.
I think there is an adjustment from being used to using our lungs to make adjustment and having that all go out the window. Instead there's the loop volume that needs to be managed. Any "setback" in buoyancy may be a molehill, but feels like a mountain.
I'll find out for myself soon enough.
I'll find out for myself soon enough.
OP
Aaron Harmon
Contributor
If you can, dive in warm water with the unit only. Adding exposure gear (drysuit) adds to the general complexity as you have 3 air spaces to manage instead of 2 and coming from OC where you typically only have one airspace to manage, learning 2 or 3 makes things much tougher.
Aaron
OP
Aaron Harmon
Contributor
Yes and adjusting for gas compression in your breathable air during descent, is altogether new. You go from being able to breath pretty well to not at all pretty quickly unless you are compensating with the manual add. I am not using an ADV during training. It can be unnerving to not have access to breathable air without intervention. Not panic inducing, at least not for me, but a little scary nonetheless, especially the first time.
That may be possible as we'll be training at my family's beach house along the Hood Canal at the part that gets warm in summer (there is a thermocline at about 7 meters). I cam start with a 5 mil amd swap out for a 7 or my dry suit. I'll talk to my instructor about it.
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