Is Open Circuit Trimix dying a slow death?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Does anyone have any sales data CCR units or CCR training? It would be interesting to see how much CCR has benefited from rising Helium prices.

 

[CptTightPants21]

It is very hard to get accurate numbers especially with recent units. I would also say that helium is one factor, but CCR has steadily increased for a lot of reasons including improved safety and freedom of information about units. It would be very difficult to parse out the helium factor from the increased numbers. Sidemount has seen a large uptick, it doesn't mean more people are cave diving or can't reach their valves.

 

[rjack321]

Does anyone have any sales data CCR units or CCR training? It would be interesting to see how much CCR has benefited from rising Helium prices.

totally proprietary so forget getting any sales or training info from anyone

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I never wanted to dive CCR. I had a full plan (starting with the end in mind) when I took my OWC and it did not include CCR at any point. Now that I have gotten closer to the end of the plan and am OC tech certified to 50m, I realized that CCR would be beneficial. I was seeing gas bills from friends doing 70m OC dives and it was ridiculous. That made me want to learn to dive a rebreather. Now I am tech CCR certified to 40m (Mod 1) and working on hours to get my Mod 2.

I believe divers doing 40-50 meter dives may never go CCR but if you begin to plan for dives deeper than 50m , CCR is an option many will consider.

The rising costs of helium is definitely a good thing for CCR manufacturers.

 

[JohnnyC]

None of my local gas suppliers can even get helium outside of their medical customers and long-standing account holders. Literally the hospitals and the shop that makes UH-60 Blackhawk parts are the only ones that can get high purity helium.

I can beg, borrow, and steal remnants out of the "empties" at a local fab shop by bringing my dil bottles, a booster, and a twinset for drive gas. That's really the only way I can get helium locally, and I'd never be able to fill a set of OC twins anymore. Fine with me, my bailout never gets used, but if I had to bailout in anger I'm sure halfway through my deep bottle I would consider just giving up diving altogether instead of trying to refill.

 

[michael-fisch]

Get business cards (maybe including a website) listing your company as a specialty stainless (Hastelloy) welding shop.
You just moved and need new suppliers.
You should make a many bottle order including Argon, industrial O2 and Helium. When they ask why no Acetylene, your response should be "it's too hot and you do less damage to the alloy using propane/oxygen". Try to order a total of at least 12 bottles the first time, that way they will understand that you should be taken seriously. Do not ever show up wearing a diving T-Shirt!

Michael

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

So if you guys were born all over again and getting into Trimix diving, would you even bother OC Trimix? Or, given the price hike in Helium, just jump into CCR?

There used to be the wisdom that you should be a very experienced technical OC diver before you get into CCRs. Given the price of Helium, most people may never be "experienced Trimix divers." Experienced tech divers without Helium yes, but OC Trimix?

 

[JohnnyC]

Get business cards (maybe including a website) listing your company as a specialty stainless (Hastelloy) welding shop.
You just moved and need new suppliers.
You should make a many bottle order including Argon, industrial O2 and Helium. When they ask why no Acetylene, your response should be "it's too hot and you do less damage to the alloy using propane/oxygen". Try to order a total of at least 12 bottles the first time, that way they will understand that you should be taken seriously. Do not ever show up wearing a diving T-Shirt!

Michael

Yeah, you'd think that would work. Except it doesn't. Matheson, Airgas, Praxair, and a couple other small specialty gas suppliers here will not sell helium outside of medical and established account holders.

Believe me, I bought a new engine drive a week ago and asked to put a T of UHP on it as well and they couldn't get it and wouldn't sell it to me even if they had it.

I'm sure there are other places where bullshitting them will work, but it doesn't work here. Besides, there's better gas for nickel alloys than helium.

 

[TrimixToo]

So if you guys were born all over again and getting into Trimix diving, would you even bother OC Trimix? Or, given the price hike in Helium, just jump into CCR?

There used to be the wisdom that you should be a very experienced technical OC diver before you get into CCRs. Given the price of Helium, most people may never be "experienced Trimix divers." Experienced tech divers without Helium yes, but OC Trimix?

No. The timing didn't work for me. At the time I'd have had to go CCR to skip OC trimix, I was not sanguine about the relative safety of CCRs. Were I ten years younger, it would be an easy decision today. Now, it's getting to be a progressively more difficult one. If I had to switch to CCR to continue deep diving at all, I'd likely buy one with all the training needed. But for the nonce, with He still available to me, the price would have to rise a lot to make me jump.

 

[PfcAJ]

So if you guys were born all over again and getting into Trimix diving, would you even bother OC Trimix? Or, given the price hike in Helium, just jump into CCR?

There used to be the wisdom that you should be a very experienced technical OC diver before you get into CCRs. Given the price of Helium, most people may never be "experienced Trimix divers." Experienced tech divers without Helium yes, but OC Trimix?

yes. I always advocate for getting OC experience.

I gained a lot by doing a bunch of OC Trimix diving. Respect for the depth, the quickness of things, the need to be smooth, confidence, and ability to make (what I think are) sound judgement calls.

rebreathers allow you to get away with a lot and can really mask weak skills in a lot of areas.