CCR training on a liveaboard ?....

[Deano2]

Greetings. I've been lucky enough to book myself on a liveaboard trip next year to PNG. The liveaboard has KISS rebreathers and offers training/certification during the voyage. Does anyone have advise whether it would be a good idea to take the training (and get to use the CCR) or should I forget it and just enjoy the trip?

Any advise welcome.

 

[Diver Mike]

Without knowing your level of dive education it is not possible to recommend or not.

I assume you meet all of the requirements.
You are advanced nitrox certified
You are familiar with the math around nitrox diving
You want to move into CCR diving with the goal to purchase a CCR

If all of that is true and you do not mind giving up 8 hours or so of class room time on the trip, why not go fo r it.

Just my 2psi worth

 

[cameron]

don't do it there. buy the unit and do the trainning first then get a good number of dives under your belt. It is such a learning curve in the begining that it will be hard to enjoy the diving when your bouyancy SUCKS!

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I can honestly say that it took a couple of days to get comfortable with the rebreather. I have better than 2500 logged dives. I think I'd enjoy the trip this time around and get into the rebreather the next time.

 

[wedivebc]

I found it a little difficult to get used to rebreather buoyancy at first but considering you will be in a warm water climate where you can piddle around for hours getting used to the idiosyncracies of constant volume buoyancy control I would say go for it.
You will probably have to opportunity to log many more hours on the liveavoard than if you took the training at home.

 

[scubanimal]

Since the trip is not until next year, I would have to support the other replys. I would suggest get Bozanic's book, then take a course locally to see if you really like it. Then you'll know how to plan your trip. If you find you really like it, you may want your own on a trip like that. The nice thing is if they offer the training then you can get the supplies from them.

BTW which liveaboard are you doing?

 

[ken chung ar]

hi there,

i envy ur plan to enjoy diving liveaboard in PNG. u will LOVE it! when i was there, i stayed on Lissenung island and enjoyed high-adrenaline diving day after day for a whole month. actually i was offered a job :10:

HOWEVER, i believe u had better learn a rebreather where u live, even if u are an experienced diver and familiar with EANx. The main reason is what u will need AFTER u are certified.

learning a rebreather is a long process, just like diving itself. when u want to buy ur own rebreather, u want to ask zillion questions. when u are not comfortable with it, u want to ask many questions to fix it. when u want to change or add options like an O2 sensor, again u need expert's opinions.

if u have in ur neighborhood someone whom u can ask questions about ur rebreather without hesitation, u will feel much more comfortable. if that someone is ur rebreather instructor, no one matches him/her 'cause he/she knows u underwater and gives u the best advice.

start learning a rebreather NOW. practice it many times so that u will feel comfortable using it on board in PNG. u will have a wonderful diving experience then, i.e. diving a rebreather in PNG as an independent diver!

ken chung ar
frantic Dolphin diver

 

[silent running]

Hi deano2, silent running here. I understand the concerns voiced above, but most of the people I know had little trouble adapting to CCR. I think it's fine to do your training on a trip as long as you are sure you have found the right unit. I have watched Capt. Craig (I assume you're talking about the Golden Dawn) train several people during trips I have taken on Golden Dawn. They all managed to catch on and were diving confidently in a couple of days. It's mostly a matter of how motivated you are. I enjoy closed cicuit so much more than OC, I'm very glad I switched over early on. I don't know about you, but I don't get to go on Liveaboard trips more than twice a year. The thought of taking a trip to such a great place, spending all that money and then doing it on OC seems positively barbaric! The other thing to think about is, unless you are lucky enough to live in a place where you can go warm water diving without having to airtravel, you will not get as good a chance to put in that many hours. And hours are what you need to get confident/comfortable and to move to the next level of training-trimix-most manufacturers require 100 hrs.-Andy

 

[Deano2]

Greetings everyone. All the opinions that have been expressed are exactly the questions that run through my mind. As far as experience is concerned I have a number of dives under my belt, all in the last 3 years. I understand that using the CCR means relearning how to dive again so that doesn't seem to be an issue (or is it?). I am Nitrox certified and i worked in the compressed gas industry for 5 years after graduating with a chemistry degree so the math and theory behind the gas equation isn;t really a problem either.

Here in Holland, where I live the only option to get certified is to go through the TDI advanced nitrox and a decompression diving course and that only gets you to the point where you can begin to explore CCR use!! It's not that appealing since I'd have to do all the training (plus buy all the gear) in a cold water quarry. I don;t want own alot of equipment I'll never use. I want to dive with a rebreather, confident and capable, within the limits and independent.

I will be diving with the MV Golden Dawn (how did you guess Andy !?). Eastern Fields for 14 days (eat your heart out matey). Still up in the air about CCR's but any advise deeply appreciated. Also any links or opinions about which CCR is better would also be appreciated.

Deano2

 

[caveseeker7]

Deano, ANDI is currently working on the curriculum for the jetsam rebreathers and have excellent representation in Holland. You may want to contact ANDI Benelux or PM 'padiscubapro' here on the board who is writing the manual for KISS training.