How rare is extended range trimix?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I was watching the documentary on the Kursk submarine disaster. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vihv_cQBawo

It seems like Russian navy did not have divers who could dive to 330 feet. They had to get the commercial diving crew that was Norwegian. I was wondering, are extended range trimix divers that rare in the world? Can anyone explain how many people pursue this level of certification in purely recreational capacity?

 

[Wookie]

I have an extended range trimix trip offered this summer. We filled it, because we are one of the few boats that actually offer that kind of trip. In the world. Last years trip only had 6 on it. It isn't just customers, it's hard to find crew who can support a trip like that. My DSO has an extended range dive sup card from IANTD, the only one Tom Mount ever issued. He issued it specifically for dive planning for the HMS Victoria. I pay him a lot, because he keeps my insurance valid for such a trip. It is very difficult to get insurance for organized extended range (or expedition) trimix.

 

[bumcikaz]

They didnt have the equipment and training to do the operation themselves,theres plenty of divers who can go to 330' and deeper in russia, but they never had any teams trained to do rescue operations that deep and neither had any boats ready for that either

 

[DogDiver]

If it had gone down off the New Jersey coast. There would have been wreck divers removing trophies as they rescued the crew. [emoji28]


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[ucfdiver]

I was watching the documentary on the Kursk submarine disaster. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vihv_cQBawo

It seems like Russian navy did not have divers who could dive to 330 feet. They had to get the commercial diving crew that was Norwegian. I was wondering, are extended range trimix divers that rare in the world? Can anyone explain how many people pursue this level of certification in purely recreational capacity?

Most people I know stop before that (training, that is), because if you can pan a 150ft trimix dive you can plan a 300ft trimix dive.

 

[kwinter]

If it had gone down off the New Jersey coast. There would have been wreck divers removing trophies as they rescued the crew. [emoji28]


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If it had gone down off the New Jersey coast, it wouldn't have been that deep in the first place. We have a shallow shelf here. You have to go out a helluva long way to find that depth.

 

[Nasser]

On a good portion of the tech dive trips I've been on here in the Red Sea there have been a few sub 100m Trimix divers, and some even in the 120m range so it's not that rare. The tech dive school I train with in Sharm Al-Sheikh, Egypt offers Extended Range Trimix in the 120m range through IANTD known as the Expedition Trimix Diver course.

I would say that the majority of divers who do dive in these ranges are on CCR as it is questionable whether open circuit dives to these depths are practical (in terms of the amount of gas you can carry, the bottom time it affords you + plus deco time, and of course the cost).

 

[Rhone Man]

Interesting thought. I have always planned to get my Adv Trimix card just because I saw it as the logical end of the OC training road, but I never have.

Presumably Doppler could log onto his PC and tell us how many Adv Trimix certifications TDI have issued, and we could reasonably extrapolate that to work out how many badge holders there are.

But I would take the comment about the Kursk with a grain of salt. I have never yet met a military branch that would admit or deny was the limits of its services were. The idea of Russia (where secrecy is cultural) stating something like that - other than to try and mislead people - seems pretty improbable.

 

[Germie]

I have done my full trimix on oc and on cc (mod3). I dive in 100+m/330ft+ regions too, but most divers won't do that. There is never a depth that you have to reach as diver.
You see most divers stop at 60m, lot's of wrecks to see, and not too expensive. That is ok of course.
The 100m is another mark. Most full trimix divers will do 1 time in their life a 100m dive. But the rest of the dives are around 75m maximum. Only a few go deeper than 330ft and more than 1 time.

Divecenters seem a lot of times to be afraid if you ask for dives between 80 and 120+m (or even deeper). There are not a lot of divers who can do such dives too. The dives are not the most cheapest ones most times. You have to think about safetydivers and/or extra gas on anchorlines and so on.
And I have another experience with divecenters: they say yes we will organise for you and then if you arrive there (expensive flight, hotel etc), they won't organise. So then you have to do the shallower dives. But that is not where I come for.


Nasser, can you pm me the name of that divecenter? I like to have such centers on my possible wishlist Not for a course, but to do some pleasuredives in the >100m region. ccr I prefer of course .

 

[Nasser]

Nasser, can you pm me the name of that divecenter? I like to have such centers on my possible wishlist Not for a course, but to do some pleasuredives in the >100m region. ccr I prefer of course .

Hi Germie,

The center is PURE (Professional Underwater Rebreather Explorers) and is a branch of the Red Sea Diving College in Sharm Al-Sheikh

Sharm El Sheikh - Professional Underwater Rebreather Explorers - PURE Diving

Ask for Christian Heylen, he's the General Manager and a great guy.

cheers,
Nasser