The first time I saw a pair of divers sporting CCRs was when I was diving in a spring cavern near Ocala Fl. Since then it has been a dream of mine to one day get to dive bubble-free further into the freshwater caverns. I am an engineer and a very techy person.The whole idea of breathing a closed system intrigues me. Not to mention having the ability to get the perfect gas blend for any depth to extend bottom time.
Currently I am AOW and EAN certified with most of my dives in a overhead environment and a good portion to 100 ffw. I feel like I have really fine-tuned my breathing, buoyancy control and dive skills in general (I don't mean to sound arrogant there because I know I still have tons more to learn before I can even conciser to call myself an experienced diver).
My question is at what point should I start considering becoming a CCR diver? I don't want to be that guy who shows up completely unqualified, but I do feel like I could handle a more advanced rig. I am quite used to being methodical and checking multiple systems at a time (I am an experienced pilot and hold a high-performance multi-engine aircraft licence with an IFR endorsement). At the same time switching to a CCR and obtaining the proper training with it will likely cost upwards of ten grand, a big investment. I don't want to start down the rebreather path if I am not ready for it.
Should I start looking into CCR training? If not, what should I do to be better prepared and obtain skills for a CCR course?
Currently I am AOW and EAN certified with most of my dives in a overhead environment and a good portion to 100 ffw. I feel like I have really fine-tuned my breathing, buoyancy control and dive skills in general (I don't mean to sound arrogant there because I know I still have tons more to learn before I can even conciser to call myself an experienced diver).
My question is at what point should I start considering becoming a CCR diver? I don't want to be that guy who shows up completely unqualified, but I do feel like I could handle a more advanced rig. I am quite used to being methodical and checking multiple systems at a time (I am an experienced pilot and hold a high-performance multi-engine aircraft licence with an IFR endorsement). At the same time switching to a CCR and obtaining the proper training with it will likely cost upwards of ten grand, a big investment. I don't want to start down the rebreather path if I am not ready for it.
Should I start looking into CCR training? If not, what should I do to be better prepared and obtain skills for a CCR course?