Question TDI CCR AIR DILUENT DIVER COURSE cost

[johnydive]

$2,200 for both courses includes O2 fills, bailout fills and sorb?

No per course!

 

[DiveTucson]

As many have mentioned most tech instruction has moved to a daily rate plus the cost of consumables (gas and absorbent) and diving related expenses (boat fees, entrance fees, rentals, etc.) The day rate may vary from instructor but I would say $275-350 is what I see as "normal" for high level tech instruction.

Now look at MOD1 as this could actually be considered 3 different courses in the TDI universe. I know there are other MOD1 versions but I am speaking to what I know and teach. Which course you can start at with your MOD1 really depends on what you background is.

- Air Dil No Deco 100' limit and no deco. The course is on average 5 days.

- Air Dil Deco 130' limit with deco and only air dil. The course is on average 5-6 days. (I personally don't teach this course as I believe you should be adding Helium in a CCR after 100' due to a host of benefits.

- Helitrox CCR - 150' limit with helitrox as dil. This course is on average 6 days.

I have had a lot of students lately that come meeting the minimum requirements for Helitrox and leave with an Air Dil No Deco cert as their skills are not what they think they are when they start the course. This is not an insult to them just the truth. You can get yourself in a lot of trouble on a rebreather at 150' with a decompression obligation and you need to be able to deal with it underwater. I am also very upfront with my students at this level the the Helitrox CCR course is a pretty big jump for a newer CCR diver.

If you start off with just Air Dil No Deco you can upgrade to the other levels and the upgrade will take typically 2-3 days once you have some more diving at the Air Dil level under you belt and have logged the required hours and dives on the unit of your choice.

Here is my caveat in a way:

Understand that quality instruction will have a cost associated with it. This means that it will require an investment in both your energy and money. While price is a relevant consideration, it should not be your primary focus as poor instruction will cost you far more in the long-run.

As you consider options for where you will pursue training, I would encourage you to search for an instructor that has invested in getting themselves to, and beyond, the level of diving you are striving for. Look at their training, their experience, their hours of personal skill development and their ability to connect with you to help you learn and develop as a technical diver. Find out who trained them, if they are doing fun dives at the level they are teaching and more. The answers to these questions will help you select the right instructor for your needs.

Saving $200-500 on a CCR MOD1 course to get the best deal is not how I would want to get started in CCR technical diving. There are some absolutely amazing instructors out there and there are some that I don't know how they are even certified CCR divers much less instructors. Ask questions and pick your instructor wisely.

-Ben

 

[Germie]

There is a big difference between prices in Europe and in the US or Mexico. Here it is between 1000 and 1200 euro for the mod1 (air diluent with deco). TDI or IANTD and sometimes IART.
Also cave diving courses are here less exepensive than in Mexico. And it is not that the courses here are bad. So if you pay 300 per day, maybe also look for the price of a ticket to come to Europe and do a course here.
I will never pay 300 for a day, I simply had and have not the money for that. If I will ask 300 for a day training, nobody will do a course with me anymore. And if I had to pay such prices, I would have been self trained.
So prices are really depending on region.

 

[Wibble]

The course costs are only a fraction of the whole rebreather costs. Obviously there's the large capital outlay for the unit purchase. After that there's the training costs but you must also factor in A LOT OF PRACTICE. This means spending a lot of dives to practice your skills and master the thing. Many of these dives will be spent doing all the course skills and some bailouts.

Rebreathers aren't cheap. But they are wonderful to dive and give great flexibility and can enormously extend your diving.

The principle thing is you must find an instructor that works for you. Someone with a lot more knowledge than they're teaching you. Someone who will give you a hard time on the course to ram home the skills. Good trainers cost good money.

It is odd that European trainers are definitely cheaper than in the US. Their quality is very good too.

 

[jadairiii]

Because that is the first course in switching to rebreather diving.

Old school "logic". Like Agencies making divers dive deep air before allowing them to use trimix. I guess adding helium would way over tax a first time RB diver...........

 

[DiveTucson]

Old school "logic". Like Agencies making divers dive deep air before allowing them to use trimix. I guess adding helium would way over tax a first time RB diver...........

I can't think of a single agency that makes divers do deep air before allowing them to use Trimix. With TDI for OC you can go directly to Advanced Nitrox / Helitrox as your first tech course using Helium which is the only way I will teach it.

The no Helium for Air Diluent No Deco is because the depth limit is set to 100' which is a good starting point for most CCR divers. If the diver has the correct OC tech background they can start the Helitrox CCR course and use helium in the unit for their first course. So everything you mentioned is not really correct...

 

[Tracy]

Old school "logic". Like Agencies making divers dive deep air before allowing them to use trimix. I guess adding helium would way over tax a first time RB diver...........

Sounds like you just aren't familiar with the system. You can cross directly to helium, it is still a mod 1 rating.
The difference lies in the student. To shorten it, you basically need to be able to build the unit and dive it safely to come out with an air diluent rating to 100'.
If you want to achieve a deco rating, there are standards to be met and most students don't get to that level in a week of diving on the machine. Trim and buoyancy control are the two big ones that generally take time to master before moving on to an overhead, be it soft or hard.
A lot of students coming from OC technical never had the skills on OC, they were given a card because they paid for the course. Those are the ones that really struggle on CC and get upset that they don't get the "card they paid for."

As to the deep air, I haven't done deep air in over a decade and I teach a fair amount of technical courses. Like most things, it comes down to the instructor you select. I only teach ANDP with helitrox and I don't teach air dil deco. I don't believe in either, so they can find another instructor if that is what they want.

 

[BoltSnap]

I only teach ANDP with helitrox and I don't teach air dil deco. I don't believe in either, so they can find another instructor if that is what they want.

So if I live and dive in a place where He is unavailable or is extremely scare and expensive, I can't do tech training or diving to 45meters?

 

[Tracy]

So if I live and dive in a place where He is unavailable or is extremely scare and expensive, I can't do tech training or diving to 45meters?

You can do whatever you want. I'm sure if you live in a place without HE, there are people that teach courses without HE.
It isn't unavailable where I live or teach. I am familiar with deep air, I used to do it because I didn't know any better, not because helium wasn't an option. Since switching to using trimix for trimix depths, I have no desire to go back.
My choices are fluid, my air depth limit in the Great Lakes is a lot different that my depth limit in Bonaire. Temperature and visibility have a huge effect on narcosis. Being relaxed helps with consistent breathing and helps to mitigate CO2 buildup.
Every once in a great while, I still do something stupid like a wreck tie in at 200' with air because those are the tanks that were on the boat and I used to do it. I usually remember quickly why I stopped doing those things when you realize you are 15 minutes into a three minute job and now have a deco hang from a tie in.

 

[BoltSnap]

You can do whatever you want. I'm sure if you live in a place without HE, there are people that teach courses without HE.
It isn't unavailable where I live or teach. I am familiar with deep air, I used to do it because I didn't know any better, not because helium wasn't an option. Since switching to using trimix for trimix depths, I have no desire to go back.
My choices are fluid, my air depth limit in the Great Lakes is a lot different that my depth limit in Bonaire. Temperature and visibility have a huge effect on narcosis. Being relaxed helps with consistent breathing and helps to mitigate CO2 buildup.
Every once in a great while, I still do something stupid like a wreck tie in at 200' with air because those are the tanks that were on the boat and I used to do it. I usually remember quickly why I stopped doing those things when you realize you are 15 minutes into a three minute job and now have a deco hang from a tie in.

You don't think that it is better to teach these poor unlucky folks to do it right as much as possible, down to 45m, instead of them not doing it right and having a much higher chance of getting seriously hurt? I am not talking about going down to 60m or deeper, just to 45 - 50m.