A wise old instructor once told me: "you should switch to a rebreather when your level of diving requires that level of technology and extended bottom times." It makes sense, so that's the gauge I'm going with personally.
Minimum training standard to start with a rebreather
- Thread starter victor
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When I did my Prism 2 course last year I already had Normoxic Trimix and Tech Cave, and it was still the hardest course I ever took.
I concur. Rebreathers are expensive to buy and operate plus have a significant hassle factor. I am not denigrating the tool because rebreathers definitely serve a purpose. You just have to make sure that their advantages outweigh their disadvantages for the diving you want to do.
You also have to remember that all rebreather diving is not the same. You might want to eliminate bubbles and extend NDL time to a max of 100' to photograph critters. That’s not the same problem as exploring wrecks deeper than 300'.
kenny kustom
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PfcAJ
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Then you can be a weak OC diver with a rebreather! Capital!
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Someone should do a video...a docu-drama, of a poorly skilled OW diver, in search of the "Magic Carpet Ride"...the Rebreather that would allow him to do the 100 foot deep dives that he get's embarrassed on now, due to 5 minute bottom times before he get's low on air.
Aside from the lure of the Magic Carpet Ride, the video should showcase the difficulty/low liklihood, of the poorly skilled diver to experience a catastrophic malfunction with open circuit, or the issues involved if he fails to monitor his Open circuit system....and then contrast this, with the far more likely catastrophic malfunctions he might expereince with a rebreather, and the potential for this poorly skilled diver to fail to properly monitor the closed or semi closed system.
Aside from the lure of the Magic Carpet Ride, the video should showcase the difficulty/low liklihood, of the poorly skilled diver to experience a catastrophic malfunction with open circuit, or the issues involved if he fails to monitor his Open circuit system....and then contrast this, with the far more likely catastrophic malfunctions he might expereince with a rebreather, and the potential for this poorly skilled diver to fail to properly monitor the closed or semi closed system.
flots am
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kenny kustom
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Don't be so dramatic.
My explorer has a bov, I also carry an external bailout. ( 40 cu ft).
If the unit screws up, I bailout and ascend.
My explorer has a bov, I also carry an external bailout. ( 40 cu ft).
If the unit screws up, I bailout and ascend.
Tigerman
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I don't dive a rebreather, but even I have brains enough to see two things...
1. There is more uses for rebreathers than deep, trimix dives in challenging overhead enviroments.
2. If you're in a place where rebreather is a REAL option, you probably would want deco training as well
Why? Photography and videography for one could have huge benefit of no bubbles, even if you're not going very deep and this is very doable on nitrox rebreathers rather than trimix rebreathers.
Before you get to this being a real option though, you'll have enough experience to be running into NDL limits on a single air AL80 and you'll have good enough bouyancy (or enough experience lying on the reef) to warant having a go at a "new type" of diving. You'll also be in a place where spending an assload on money on equipment and training is "worth it"...
Yeah, sure, theres the occasional douche, but experience wont change you being a douche anyways...
1. There is more uses for rebreathers than deep, trimix dives in challenging overhead enviroments.
2. If you're in a place where rebreather is a REAL option, you probably would want deco training as well
Why? Photography and videography for one could have huge benefit of no bubbles, even if you're not going very deep and this is very doable on nitrox rebreathers rather than trimix rebreathers.
Before you get to this being a real option though, you'll have enough experience to be running into NDL limits on a single air AL80 and you'll have good enough bouyancy (or enough experience lying on the reef) to warant having a go at a "new type" of diving. You'll also be in a place where spending an assload on money on equipment and training is "worth it"...
Yeah, sure, theres the occasional douche, but experience wont change you being a douche anyways...
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the full trimix is BS, the training for mix on OC or CCR is the same as far as the math goes, and a lot of people switch to CCR because the cost of doing the full gamut of mix training on OC almost pays for a used rebreather, and if you're diving mix regularly, say 5-10 dives/year to 100m, then you can easily justify the cost of a CCR.
I would say rescue is a must, AOW is a bs cert and should be mixed back into OW like it was to begin with, that won't happen but that's my opinion, granted I don't actually have AOW either, went Nitrox Diver, Rescue, Technical Cave, but you should really have rescue, obviously have to have some sort of nitrox training for most of them, the Hollis SCR is the exception. That little SCR is actually pretty brilliant and the Poseidon Mk7 is pretty nice for recreational diving as well.
OC experience doesn't really have any bearing on CCR diving, but the skills should be there since bailout is on OC. I think it really needs to be based on the divers mentality and comfort. # of dives doesn't matter, bottom time matters. I would rather have someone that has 100 pool hours and 10 dives, than one who has 5 pool hours for certification and 100 dives that were only 40 minutes long, especially if that student was properly squared away mentally since that is what matters, how can you handle equipment failures on your own because most CCR diving isn't done on the buddy system, you're solo diving with other people in close proximity
I would say rescue is a must, AOW is a bs cert and should be mixed back into OW like it was to begin with, that won't happen but that's my opinion, granted I don't actually have AOW either, went Nitrox Diver, Rescue, Technical Cave, but you should really have rescue, obviously have to have some sort of nitrox training for most of them, the Hollis SCR is the exception. That little SCR is actually pretty brilliant and the Poseidon Mk7 is pretty nice for recreational diving as well.
OC experience doesn't really have any bearing on CCR diving, but the skills should be there since bailout is on OC. I think it really needs to be based on the divers mentality and comfort. # of dives doesn't matter, bottom time matters. I would rather have someone that has 100 pool hours and 10 dives, than one who has 5 pool hours for certification and 100 dives that were only 40 minutes long, especially if that student was properly squared away mentally since that is what matters, how can you handle equipment failures on your own because most CCR diving isn't done on the buddy system, you're solo diving with other people in close proximity
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