skills for shallow rebreather diving?

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What is a recommended set of skills needed for "non-technical" rebreather diving (<40 feet)? Basically for photography in shallow reefs, since wildlife gets spooked by bubbles.
 
First question: do you already own a RB and have you had RB training?
 
Nope, just got open water certified. Basically trying to estimate which skills I would need/hours needed, before it makes sense to buy one.
 
What is a recommended set of skills needed for "non-technical" rebreather diving (<40 feet)? Basically for photography in shallow reefs, since wildlife gets spooked by bubbles.
I'm not an RB Diver, but I do know there aren't any shortcuts for <40 ft dives. Hypoxia is deadly at any depth and even more likely in the shallows.
 
What is a recommended set of skills needed for "non-technical" rebreather diving (<40 feet)? Basically for photography in shallow reefs, since wildlife gets spooked by bubbles.
well then strap in for a long and costly road...<TG>
 
You need the same full certification regardless if you plan to dive to 40ft or 130ft. There are no shortcuts.
 
Nope, just got open water certified. Basically trying to estimate which skills I would need/hours needed, before it makes sense to buy one.


Are you asking about regular open circuit skills or RB skills? It just occurred to me you might be asking about how much experience you need just diving before going RB.
 
CCR's are most dangerous at shallow depths because the absolute pressure change is greater for a change in depth. I.e. to get the same pressure change as 0-33ft, you have to go from 33-100ft. This is critical for 2 of the 3 H's with CCR's, Hypoxia and Hyperoxia.

There are Type R *recreational* CCR's that babysit you like the Poseidon Se7en which have lower barriers to entry, but the rest of them are Type T *technical* CCR and for that you need at least a technical level nitrox certification. PADI's does not count.

If you are staying that shallow, you may want to look at SCR's which are a lot less risky. They aren't completely bubble-less, but mostly are. Mares Horizon is really the only one on the market right now.
If you can stay above 20ft, then an O2 rebreather is also a lot less risky, but you have a 20ft depth limit and they are not terribly common.

Now, all of that said. MOST underwater photographers are not on rebreathers. Some do, others use double hose regulators like the Argonaut Kraken to get bubbles behind your head, but the majority use normal regulators. The key is having bang up dive skills. Assuming you are already a skilled surface photographer, which you need to be before you even think about taking a camera underwater, then you truly need top notch buoyancy and propulsion skills to successfully photograph underwater. I would highly recommend getting into a GUE Fundamentals course as soon as possible which will go infinitely farther to improving your photography than trying to get rid of the bubbles
 
What is a recommended set of skills needed for "non-technical" rebreather diving (<40 feet)? Basically for photography in shallow reefs, since wildlife gets spooked by bubbles.
The class and equipment is the same for everyone starting out,

Leaning RB is like learning to dive all over again, there aren't a lot of skills to practice other than fining techniques that transfer

Expect to spend $10-$15k up front/first few months.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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