Where to start?

[J-Vo]

@vash4884
We have a pretty good core group of technical divers that congregate in Santa Rosa about once/month to keep up skills, dive, and socialize. We span the spectrum from just learning skills to deep CCR Cave Trimix divers. Feel free to PM me if you would like more info.

 

[Marie13]

I’ll reiterate that which CCR your buddies/local community dives should play a part in which unit you decide on. Having folks to help with troubleshooting, parts, and spares is invaluable, as well as the endless questions you may have when starting out. My buddies have been invaluable in this regard.

 

[Marie13]

You’ll also find differing opinions among instructors whether divers need to have any tech certs before they can go rebreather. Some do, some don’t.

 

[rddvet]

What have you seen that was bad? I'm just wanting to learn

It’s just the whole damn thing. They’re fan bois of certain people. Much cringing. I laugh my way through their stuff.

I dive a Kiss Spirit, but I made my decision before I even knew about DT (I buddy with people who dive them).

What Marie said. Those guys are tools, that love to spout off things that they hear from the guys they fanboy over without questioning validity. Besides that there are a ton of other behind the scenes reasons to avoid those guys, but I won't add that here.
Just take dive talk as entertainment only. They sometimes have good points, but it can be hard for a new person to differentiate truth vs bs. Personally for me it's impossible to get through more than 3 minutes of their bs.

 

[rddvet]

I have almost 75 dives under my belt

IMO you don't have enough experience to warrant a ccr. They are very cool in open water when the fish don't run away, but they also increase your risk/headaches exponentially. Only you can determine whether that risk/headache is worth the investment.
Obviously I know nothing of your diving other than the number of dives. But at your level I will argue most people can't even dive in trim or control their buoyancy perfectly. The rebreather is like learning to dive all over again and it will be exponentially harder if you're not 100% squared away. There is an argument that learning ccr at your level is beneficial because you don't have bad habits to break. But I believe someone learning ccr so early in their diving actually doesn't have enough experience to know what they'll want out of a rebreather, don't have enough knowledge to know what to look for in a unit, and likely needs more comfort in the water in order to deal with any emergency that comes up. Obviously this is a blanket statement, but I think it is fairly accurate for the average person with 75 dives. Your diving and your diving path will likely change alot over the next 100 dives. I say get those under your belt, add more complexities like a deco class or doubles, then reconsider the path to ccr and if you will truly benefit from one.

 

[Rollin Bonz]

IMO you don't have enough experience to warrant a ccr. They are very cool in open water when the fish don't run away, but they also increase your risk/headaches exponentially. Only you can determine whether that risk/headache is worth the investment.
Obviously I know nothing of your diving other than the number of dives. But at your level I will argue most people can't even dive in trim or control their buoyancy perfectly. The rebreather is like learning to dive all over again and it will be exponentially harder if you're not 100% squared away. There is an argument that learning ccr at your level is beneficial because you don't have bad habits to break. But I believe someone learning ccr so early in their diving actually doesn't have enough experience to know what they'll want out of a rebreather, don't have enough knowledge to know what to look for in a unit, and likely needs more comfort in the water in order to deal with any emergency that comes up. Obviously this is a blanket statement, but I think it is fairly accurate for the average person with 75 dives. Your diving and your diving path will likely change alot over the next 100 dives. I say get those under your belt, add more complexities like a deco class or doubles, then reconsider the path to ccr and if you will truly benefit from one.

THIS!

And eloquently stated @rddvet

I was waiting for some typical SB "tough love" that hasn't yet come, but I like your response even better.

 

[rddvet]

THIS!

And eloquently stated @rddvet

I was waiting for some typical SB "tough love" that hasn't yet come, but I like your response even better.

Thanks. Being eloquent isn't my strong suit. I'll take it

 

[formernuke]

I spent at least 20 hours on the phone with owners and instructors including Woody and Doug Eversol to pick the unit that seemed to fit me best.

For a unit with Shearwater electronics expect including tanks and training to spend between 15-20k depending on which one you choose.

 

[Underwater Tourist]

Read through older threads on SB in the rebreather forum, there is a lot of good info including discussion of diff rebreathers, dos and donts, what to consider when buying one etc.

I don't have a ccr, but I found old SB threads super helpful

I can't recommend enough digging thru older stuff here