Roadmap from "new diver" to rebreather

[ShagMan]

Hi all,

I'm a pretty basic, but avid diver, and my long-term goal, so to speak, is to start piloting a rebreather in two years or so. I'm mostly looking for longer dives, I have a really high SAC that is really hurting my bottom times on deeper dives, and I really don't look forward to having to lug around 120lbs of gear on my back to help me on deeper (but still OW-depth) dives. I have no interest in pushing boundaries but I would like to dive to the 150ish range or thereabouts (I am a hour from the Oriskany).

My info is in my profile, but to put it shortly, I've got 50 dives under my belt in the year I've been diving, and have OW/AOW/EAN/Cavern certs... I do mostly spring diving and shore diving because they're more reliable than boat dives, and I get a little boatsick to boot.

I know the knee-jerk reaction from the group here is going to be "get more dives under your belt" and I agree with that, but what types of training do I need to work on, what types of dives should I be trying out? Should I be doing more nitrox dives and practicing charts? Should I go TDI technical, or proceed to cave diving? Do I just need to dive more?

Thanks for your response to a newb.

 

[PacketSniffer]

Hi all,

I'm a pretty basic, but avid diver, and my long-term goal, so to speak, is to start piloting a rebreather in two years or so. I'm mostly looking for longer dives, I have a really high SAC that is really hurting my bottom times on deeper dives, and I really don't look forward to having to lug around 120lbs of gear on my back to help me on deeper (but still OW-depth) dives. I have no interest in pushing boundaries but I would like to dive to the 150ish range or thereabouts (I am a hour from the Oriskany).

My info is in my profile, but to put it shortly, I've got 50 dives under my belt in the year I've been diving, and have OW/AOW/EAN/Cavern certs... I do mostly spring diving and shore diving because they're more reliable than boat dives, and I get a little boatsick to boot.

I know the knee-jerk reaction from the group here is going to be "get more dives under your belt" and I agree with that, but what types of training do I need to work on, what types of dives should I be trying out? Should I be doing more nitrox dives and practicing charts? Should I go TDI technical, or proceed to cave diving? Do I just need to dive more?

Thanks for your response to a newb.

1) Get buoyancy and trim to a respected level. CCR will throw it off a bit when you get on that horse.
2) Just keep diving. Keep reading. Keep learning.
3) Start reading about how rebreathers work. You can never know enough about these devices. There are a few devils in the details (like in most things) to be mindful of.
4) Read my reply to someone else that was interested in heading towards rebreathers.
5) Get trained by an old salt who primarily dives rebreathers.

Edit: To add more about your last paragraph. You should decide what types of diving interest you. That should be the driver in what you should be practicing/working towards. The best types of dives to help any diver is...... a variety of diving. That's what makes up experience.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[leapfrog]

You have Nitrox which is a prerequisite. I suggest you become a Rescue Diver before training on Rebreathers to get autorescue skills. Then go on to SCRs like the Dolphin Atlantis. From here you could move on to CCRs.

 

[Hyper-limits]

Then go on to SCRs like the Dolphin Atlantis. From here you could move on to CCRs.

Disagree on the SCR, go straight to a CCR.

Al

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

You will need at least Advanced Nitrox, not just Nitrox, for CCR prerequisite (though this may depend on the agency).

 

[leapfrog]

Disagree on the SCR, go straight to a CCR.

Al

Actually, you're right but he wanted a road map! So I tried to give him a few places to see before he arrived! I think Rescue holds though, don't you? With CCR he should find an Instructor who is big on safety.

 

[Jill Heinerth]

Hi Josh,

You are on the right track. At this point, I would suggest ensuring that no more than half of your dives are training dives. Learning under the supervision of an instructor is excellent, but the dives where you alone are completely responsible for your own well being is where the growth begins. Work on anything that helps buoyancy and stretches your task load a little. Concentrate on the smallest skills performed well, maintaining horizontal trim and buoyancy. Work towards taking Advanced Nitrox or equivalent and then get completely familiar with the concept of partial pressures and be able to calculate those on the fly at any depth. Start getting used to carrying an extra bottle and handling well for pass offs and quick use of the second stage.

Finally, enjoy the journey through diving as you increase your skills and awareness, rather than focusing on the eventual goal of rebreather diving.

Have fun!

Jill Heinerth

 

[Jill Heinerth]

Ah and yes to all of the above... rescue skills are an excellent and important part of training and awareness.
Jill

 

[ShagMan]

Thanks for all the replies guys, that helps!

 

[jkaterenchuk]

Josh

You mention your SAC rate is very high and it seems you think using a CCR will allow you to do some deeper and longer dives regardless of your SAC being high. This thought might not be entirely correct. As a CCR diver you need to carry a seperate OC bailout tank that will allow you to return safely to the surface when the CCR has a failure or you become uncomfortable with something regarding its operation. So your SAC and the size of the bailout tank may also be a limiting factor.

Since you have not give any specific information on your SAC rate you will need to be the judge as to how much a problem it might be. If you have confirmed that it is very high compared to normal then you might want to work on finding out the cause and if some things can be done to improve it and then you might look at focusing on those improvements.

Some thoughts for consideration....correct weighting, correct trim, appropriate exposure protection, streamlined, comfort level underwater, level of physical fitness.

John