mCCR 1 Class - Carlsbad, CA March 2010

[Cave Diver]

So it makes me wonder about the concept of an "all CC team." If you get one person with a KISS, one with an Evolution, one with a Meg, one with a rEvo, and they are all configured in different ways, how do you know where to go for gas or how to fix something in an emergency?

In a scenario like you just described we would handle it by splitting into two teams of two divers. Divers with similar units/experience would be on one team and pre-dive briefing would include a thorough walk through of each others unit. Not much different than explaining a HOG setup to an insta buddy on a dive boat.

 

[Jeff_S]

Hi Jeff,

That was how I figured you would have to go with to maintain your standardized procedure.

To me it would be more efficient to deploy a stage reg. The donor diver has to close his loop, donate and either go back on the loop or use his safe second, too many steps in a bad situation. If the donor diver doesn't close his BOV all the way you now may have two CCR divers with catostrophic failures.

Hi Chris,

I guess the thing that would concern me is swimming up to someone while OOG and seeing multiple bottles that may or may not be on, especially if I knew there were deco bottles on that donor. In the intensity of a real emergency, grabbing a stage reg seems to go against everything I've ever been taught (or taught to students) about protocols around bottle switching.

With the BOV (and my very limited experience) I can now donate the long hose almost as fast as on OC, and we know it's a breathable gas. If someone hands me a stage reg and I haven't gone through a bottle switch procedure, and I have to wait for it to be turned on, or I find that it's off and start to wonder if it's O2 or 50%, the time element can turn critical in a hurry.

That all said, my only RB experience is on the MC90, and I'm as green as can be on rebreathers.

Best,

Jeff

 

[TechBlue]

Hi Jeff,

The big difference comes down to the standardization, we treat CCR as a specific tool and deal with it as such so training is also specific to CCR including bailout procedures which is also why we don't recommend the occasional breather diver. I can see where you are coming from on the OC side and your requirements for mixed teams I believe that is the primary difference I would dive my CCR for all of my technical dives and where practical for recreational diving, from my understanding you (UTD) would be more selective in the use of the breather as the proper tool and prefer to switch between OC and CCR

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Jeff_S]

Hi Jeff,

The big difference comes down to the standardization, we treat CCR as a specific tool and deal with it as such so training is also specific to CCR including bailout procedures which is also why we don't recommend the occasional breather diver. I can see where you are coming from on the OC side and your requirements for mixed teams I believe that is the primary difference I would dive my CCR for all of my technical dives and where practical for recreational diving, from my understanding you (UTD) would be more selective in the use of the breather as the proper tool and prefer to switch between OC and CCR

Cheers,
Chris

Yes, I think that's a reasonable way of describing it. I'm not having an OC yard sale.

 

[TechBlue]

Yes, I think that's a reasonable way of describing it. I'm not having an OC yard sale.

Ah Grasshopper, you need to embrace the darkside to fully understand :cool2: