Minimum training standard to start with a rebreather

[lv2dive]

I do agree that rebreathers increase prep/cleanup work and complexity for recreational diving. But I don't quite have 100 hours yet so I'm still building my experience... (In addition to the He as dil benefit at the 80-100 depth.)

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Before CCR, I swore by air to 240'. Now, I'll dive 10/50 in a mud puddle because why keep separate dil bottles when it's this cheap? And no, I still don't get the hype about narcotic impairment

Still, I wouldn't bother with the CCR under Eelnoraa's example unless the dives were all at the same site. If I have to get out of the water with the other divers and two short (i.e. anything less than an hour and a half) dives, I'm just doing single tank with a slung pony.

 

[steady1570]

As someone without a huge amount of hours on my CCR I tend to jump in with the unit as much as possible to try to build up experience. However, I genuinely enjoy CCR diving and so would do it for any type of dive if I could. There is something about the meticulous preparation and monitoring throughout the dive that appeals to my technical (geeky?) side, as I’m sure it does for others. Ultimately diving is a hobby and each of us gets different things out of it. Not living next to the sea anymore means that pretty much any diving is at least full day away, so the extra time spent prepping the kit the night before and then on the boat in the morning compared to OC is actually not a big deal. Indeed, I am not sure that I would ever be the type to just throw on a BCD and tank and jump, so even on OC there are lots of checks to do pre-dive.

I don’t think CCR is appropriate for a brand-new diver; there are too many other unfamiliar things going on for you to know what you need to monitor, and the failure points on CCR tend to be less forgiving and less obvious than on OC. But with the right mindset I don’t believe that they need necessarily be only for expedition-level divers. Comfort in the water and an understanding of what it is that your CCR is doing is a good place to start. Right tool for the job? Well, it’s all for fun anyway, so each to their own.

-Mark

 

[Taliena]

I started ccr diving after some 300+ft dives on oc. I had to limit my bottomtime and wanted more. So I bought a ccr. After 3.5 month I did my mod3 course and did my first dives over 300ft. I still dive oc. it is 50-50 now, oc and cc.
The ccr I use for solodives to find carpfish in fresh water too. Never thought I would use my ccr for such snorkeldives, haha.
I like it that I have experience on doing really deep dives on oc. CC diving is not difficult, but I know how to handle all that stages. A CCR takes more time to prepare and after the dive to clean. And during the dive it is different because you have to monotor your PO2.

 

[rjack321]

I am not a rebreather diver. I also don't see a reason to get rebreather for the intention of recreation dive. I don't think getting close to marine animal has a lot to do with bubbles. I can feed tropical fish with bread in OC, blowing bubbles, they will still come close and play. It really depends on location and site.

Having that said, what about this: You are are a deep trimix diver before getting rebreather. Since you already have the rebreather, will you use it for a rec charter, where there will be 2 to 3 dives, max depth 100ft?

Since I am just starting out, sure I will use it. I need the hours.

By next year, no, I doubt I would use mine. At some point I will need to get back on OC and keep up on my OC skills and understanding of my SAC rate so I have confidence in my bailout numbers. So I imagine using the CCR mostly for caves and OC mostly in OW. With a few OW CCR dives here and there when it starts to get to be awhile between cave trips.

 

[pensacolaracer]

Since I am just starting out, sure I will use it. I need the hours.

By next year, no, I doubt I would use mine. At some point I will need to get back on OC and keep up on my OC skills and understanding of my SAC rate so I have confidence in my bailout numbers. So I imagine using the CCR mostly for caves and OC mostly in OW. With a few OW CCR dives here and there when it starts to get to be awhile between cave trips.

Did you buy a unit Richard? If so, what?



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[rjack321]

Did you buy a unit Richard? If so, what?

A used standard can Meg with the older v2.06 electronics, 5.5 axial scrubber. I will be switching to the top of shoulder counterlungs soon. The OTSCLs are just enormous on me even in a drysuit and just fill up all my chest real estate. I don't really need an extra dil MAV that is provided by the OTSCLs anyway since I am running all offboard dil. Eventually that will be provided by the left sidemount tank and the right sidemount tank will just be along for the (cave) ride. I just finished MOD1 so I am just slinging an al80 for OW dil/bailout to get in some hours for now.

Oh and for the OP, I have 1200-1300 dives, normoxic trimix and full cave. Despite what I had heard before I only found the pool and our first OW dives to be like "learning to dive all over again". By the second OW dive trim and buoyancy were pretty dialed in as long as I didn't have to do anything majorly task loading like shoot an SMB (which was not so pretty). But there's a lot going on via a CCR and its like having 3 different bubbles of gas on you that are all expanding and contracting as you ascend and descend. And one of those bubbles has to be maintained by you in a safe breathable condition (enough volume, enough O2, not too much O2)

I would say the minimum standard should be "have you exhausted OC?" Since the pile of cards really doesn't mean squat honestly. If you don't need a CCR for what you want to do, stick with OC. The fatality rate on CCR is roughly 10x what it is on OC. There are various reasons for that, and some unknowns too. But I think asking what the minimum training level is asking the wrong question. You should be diving OC until you can't anymore or the risk v. reward curve fundamentally shifts and rebreathers start to make sense despite the increased risks. e.g. 400ft on OC is nuts IMO, 4 hour cave dives on OC (at any significant depth, not typical Yucatan caves) becomes prohibitively and logistically challenging, remote trimix diving. These are reasons why rebreathers make sense. Not because you have a minimum level of C-card.

 

[hroark2112]

I have learned that I thoroughly enjoy the process of diving my rebreather. I enjoy putting it together, I enjoy the pre-dive checks, I enjoy watching my PO2 during the dives, I enjoy the challenge of ascending and descending on the loop and maintaining my PO2, I enjoy being the first one off the boat on the NC offshore dives and the last one back on the boat, and most of all I really enjoy warm moist air and silence during my dives.

Tonight I am packing my unit and Friday I'll be in Bonaire, doing all kinds of <100' dives on the rebreather. A few 2+ hour dives are planned, and I'm sure there will be some very awesome night solo dives. I haven't been on OC since I got my rebreather, and have no plans of returning to OC except for teaching and those trips where rebreather support is unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

 

[darushin]

I can get down with the 'getting hours' idea. I've done that myself. But just for grins? No wai.

Depends on your rebreather. My Kiss GEM I would without a doubt, My Spirit LTE would depend on the environment, My Prism 2 would rather go rent tanks and do it OC. My prism takes nearly an hour to setup. My kiss GEM takes maybe 15 minutes (20 Max) and my LTE takes about 25 minutes to complete predive.

Daru

 

[PfcAJ]

Getting hours when you're new to the unit.