Technical diving with oc versus ccr gas requirements

[tbone1004]

I really don't like the CCR training mindset of "stay on the loop as long as you can" when BO is almost always a better idea. I get that there are dives where carrying sufficient BO is problematic but that shouldn't be the standard that all training devolves to. I get the SCR thing, thats useful for sure, but some of the rest of it (feathering O2 etc etc) really just seems to be adding workload and possible failure modes that don't seem necessary to me.

I feel that too many divers use that training and mindset to rationalise carrying insufficient BO and that's worrying.

remember that many of us are coming from cave diving. I won't bother with it on an open water dive, but in a cave, it's VERY useful. You still carry enough bailout to get you out, you have to, but it just gives you that many more tools to increase the safety buffer. The biggest thing is the ability to wait out a siltout, or take your sweet old time through restrictions and what not.

 

[rjack321]

On a related note, is anyone using steel bailout and deco in SM in salt water.

I have used a steel 85 or 95 (=200bar 12L or 14L) a few times in salt and freshwater with my deep gas in it. Was mostly as a practice exercise as I'm not too keen on carrying 2x Al80s of deep mix vs 1 lp85 or lp95. Sidemounted with copious amounts of helium (x/55%+ helium) I really didnt notice either one being different than my normal AL80 on the left. I dont have very many 75+m dives around here that are even plausible so its not something I have done more than 2 or 3 times to try it out. I have always used a BOV and a separate (stuffed) long hose on my sidemounted deep gas.

 

[rjack321]

BTW an lp85 with 10/70 in it practically floats, its way way more buoyant than an al80. It rides vertically, valve down and might as well be empty. I have to put lead on them to ride mostly level.

 

[PfcAJ]

BTW an lp85 with 10/70 in it practically floats, its way way more buoyant than an al80. It rides vertically, valve down and might as well be empty. I have to put lead on them to ride mostly level.

Si.

I have weight blocks added to my RB80 racks because of this.

 

[RainPilot]

remember that many of us are coming from cave diving. I won't bother with it on an open water dive, but in a cave, it's VERY useful. You still carry enough bailout to get you out, you have to, but it just gives you that many more tools to increase the safety buffer. The biggest thing is the ability to wait out a siltout, or take your sweet old time through restrictions and what not.

I get that overhead diving requires a different planning/contingency mindset than OW diving. However it seems that there’s too much “this is how we dive in caves so everyone should do it this way” that permeates the standards in most agencies. Most of the time it’s probably good but sometimes I think it’s actively bad. The overemphasis on staying on the loop for even basic CCR tech courses meant for OW divers is IMO one of those cases.

 

[rjack321]

I get that overhead diving requires a different planning/contingency mindset than OW diving. However it seems that there’s too much “this is how we dive in caves so everyone should do it this way” that permeates the standards in most agencies. Most of the time it’s probably good but sometimes I think it’s actively bad. The overemphasis on staying on the loop for even basic CCR tech courses meant for OW divers is IMO one of those cases.

Same for SCR.
SCR is beyond useless with hypoxic BO on a 270ft wreck dive.

 

[JonG1]

I've been using a 12l steel of 18/50 for a while, fresh and salt and it is floaty.

I can't see any reason not to use steel in the sea obviously subject to the usual weighting v lift considerations.

 

[LFMarm]

Hello:

Soliciting input on a question.

it seems that to do a deep dive say 100 m on ccr would require a diver to carry much of the same oc gasses as an oc diver or even more in the event of a bailout. That could mean possibly cylinders with a bottom gas, a travel gas, and two deco gases for example. You wouldn’t have to carry as much bailout bottom gas since you would ascent directly. Of course, those cylinders would not be needed to be used unless a bailout was required.

Am I understanding this correctly?

I guess this is where a BO CCR comes into play.

 

[grantctobin]

I guess this is where a BO CCR comes into play.

There’s very, very few people in need of a BO CCR, especially in OW and shallower than 100M.

 

[LFMarm]

There’s very, very few people in need of a BO CCR, especially in OW and shallower than 100M.

I am one of them — I much prefer that to diving with 4xAl80 tanks.