Intresting, you'd think that the new agency would have tried to get equivalency credit from the current agencies, try to join them so to speak, rather than the other way around.
As for the manufacturers, NAUI has gone a similar way, and look where it got them in the Rebreather market. You can get trained on the Dolphin, Azimuth, PRISM and I believe they have an instructor or two doing LAR V (and maybe C-96) ... not exactly much of a competitor. IANTD also does the O2 rig(s) for which there isn't much of a market to start out with, IANTD and TDI the PRISM (which has been very low volume), the Azimuth training is available from most everyone, but not many takers, and the Dolphin course is available from everyone.
Quote: (Originally Posted by
Devils Advocate)
I do know certain agency members and Rebreather manufacturers got together to discuss RAID and the basic outcome was that they were another agency who were only their to support the Cis.
That worked well for the "agency" that provides Frog training.
Hard to tell who is holding whom back, or if they just deserve each other.
NRC (Nitrox and Rebreather College) has done the Drägers exclusively, and with a reasonable success for themselves and Dräger (at times selling more than 50% of the annual production run according to a German dive mag, however many that are). But only in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as a few German lanuguage bases frequented by German speaking tourists.
But try to get onto a CA diveboat with a NRC c-card. I remember well having problems even with my OW cert from an outfit called DIWA. Same in dive shops, getting fills. Back then I got fed up and got a PADI card and the hassle stopped.
If that PoCisdon works as advertised, it'll be perfect for some people. It may well be perfekt for PADI's train of thougt and instruction. All cheap shots and jokes aside,
that would have been groundbreaking in my view, getting PADI to start CCR training. And with their marketing might and worldwide coverage, the PoCisdon would be off to a very different start.
Seems like most rebreather divers don't take the MK-6 serious (that particular unit that is, not some of the the new technology), why in the world are they going with an agency no one can take serious because no one ever heard of it?
If that rig is as good they want to make us believe, it'll be much easier to believe from an instructor that has experience on other units and can actually compare with some authority, rather than some guy who just passed the minimum requirements and is lost without electronics, who stands in front of a Sport Kiss in befuddled awe , asking "What's pO2?".
