Skipping open circuit and going straight to CCR

[takez0]

This is my first post here. I've learned a ton on this board and I'm grateful for the insights you all provide.

I'm getting into technical diving and I'd like to jump straight into a CCR. Does the group see any benefit or hindrance in skipping open circuit tech training costs and equipment costs and going straight into a CCR? CCR's are obviously an investment. I'd rather not spend money on a new BCD, manifold, tanks, etc., that would only be used specifically for dual-tank open circuit, considering I know where I want to end up already. Let me know your thoughts or if you think this is missed training opportunity.

 

[gordonscuba]

CCR divers must have been non-CCR divers at some stage
Did you actually believe , “that a rebreather is a nice self-contained little unit that is just a better version of, and a replacement for, any use of a scuba bottle. Like a super-tank that will eventually replace a tank once people get used to the idea.

Before I had seen a rebreather, I probably imagined it as being way simpler than it is. I probably should have just said that, but was being tongue-in-cheek in my fanciful characterization.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Before I had seen a rebreather, I probably imagined it as being way simpler than it is. I probably should have just said that, but was being tongue-in-cheek in my fanciful characterization.

An ARO IS very simple, indeed.
And here in Italy people, for at east 25 years, started diving with a CCR, and never switched to OC.
They simply used the simpler and less expensive ARO, because a twin tank with manifold, reserve, dual valves and two complete regulators was costing more than twice than an ARO, and was considered necessary only for coral hunters diving very deep.
It is true that you do not master a CCR, despite a simple one, in just 4 days. Typically the first ARO courses were lasting 2 weeks.
And the prerequisite was to be already a good "skin diver": effectively, for a free diver used to reach 10-15 m max holding breath, the switch to an ARO was relatively simple, avoiding the need to resurface continuously, and allowing to reach the same depths (mostly for spear hunting).

 

[gordonscuba]

An ARO IS very simple, indeed.
And here in Italy people, for at east 25 years, started diving with a CCR, and never switched to OC.
They simply used the simpler and less expensive ARO, because a twin tank with manifold, reserve, dual valves and two complete regulators was costing more than twice than an ARO, and was considered necessary only for coral hunters diving very deep.
It is true that you do not master a CCR, despite a simple one, in just 4 days. Typically the first ARO courses were lasting 2 weeks.
And the prerequisite was to be already a good "skin diver": effectively, for a free diver used to reach 10-15 m max holding breath, the switch to an ARO was relatively simple, avoiding the need to resurface continuously, and allowing to reach the same depths (mostly for spear hunting).

I admit that I don't know very much about the ARO, so correct me if I'm wrong, but it's an Oxygen rebreather, right? So at 15m the loop PO2 is 2.5 ATA? Were there seizures?

 

[rjack321]

Why not just teach CCR at the open water level?

LOL
Because OW students have a hard enough time managing the buoyancy of one expanding and contracting gas bubble without having to worry about if the gas they are breathing is going to kill them.

Would you have OW students doing gas switches and safety stops on 100% o2? Or diving hyperoxic mixes in their AOW that they started after having a whopping 8 dives under their weightbelts. Heck no.

Seriously every OW student I have seen and worked with has their eyes glued on their depth gauge. There's ZERO bandwidth available for anything else. Knowing their ppO2 is way beyond what they can manage.

 

[crofrog]

LOL
Because OW students have a hard enough time managing the buoyancy of one expanding and contracting gas bubble without having to worry about if the gas they are breathing is going to kill them.

Would you have OW students doing gas switches and safety stops on 100% o2? Or diving hyperoxic mixes in their AOW that they started after having a whopping 8 dives under their weightbelts. Heck no.

Seriously every OW student I have seen and worked with has their eyes glued on their depth gauge. There's ZERO bandwidth available for anything else. Knowing their ppO2 is way beyond what they can manage.

I know it sounds ridiculous but no one needs oc tech training and they might as well just get a bailout breather to start with so might as well start at ow

 

[formernuke]

I know it sounds ridiculous but no one needs oc tech training and they might as well just get a bailout breather to start with so might as well start at ow

Do you dive CCR?

 

[OTF]

in hindsight i should have skipped both OC and CCR, gone straight to submersibles

 

[formernuke]

in hindsight i should have skipped both OC and CCR, gone straight to submersibles

You can say I did that, couldn't see anything though.

 

[Nick_Radov]

You can say I did that, couldn't see anything though.

Couldn't you just look through the screen door?

 

[formernuke]

Couldn't you just look through the screen door?

It was broke.