There are no golfballs at 103'...

jdicediver

“There are no Golf Balls at One Hundred and Three Feet”

Megalodon CCR Mod 1 Training Course Review

By jdicediver


IANTD Mod 1 Megalodon CCR Training Course at “The Dive Outfitters” in Nanaimo B.C. from 12-18 May with Meg Instructor Ron Micjan and co-instructor Dave Tomblin.

The “#1 Custom Rebreather Manufacturer’s frontline product…the Megalodon CCR.”

Leon Scamahorn and his talented group at Innerspace Systems Corporation in Centralia Wa, have a cutting edge design backed by extensive product testing, proven quality control techniques which meet or exceed international quality standards, and a solid customer service program which is second to none.

In an effort to foreshadow the title of this review, and to set the scene of events as they eventually played out:

One of the early statements I had erroneously made during the class in reference to my somewhat limited Alberta prairie diving education was to state that golf balling was NEVER done at 103 fsw. (having retrieved some 18 dozen balls on 6 dives during the 2006 season)

Now, before we go any further, please let me give anyone considering a Megalodon CCR course the best advice they will ever receive…NEVER argue with your Instructors.

I had the pleasure of doing two open circuit dives (Dive #97 and #98) with Dave Tomblin one day prior to the course, on Snake Wall and the HMCS Saskatchewan, where I had my first Giant Pacific Octopus encounter. Both dives were ones that Dave will not soon forget! Dive #99 was done on…you guessed it…MY Meg!

I was in love at first sight with my new Underwater Dive Training Stress Awareness Level Elevator (UDTSALE), hereafter affectionately to be referred to simply as “COPIS 0029”. The machining tolerances and engineering expertise that went into the design and manufacture of the Megalodon CCR will prove to give me many more hours of pleasure and challenge. Thoughts of the upcoming HUD and APECS III options are already tempting my somewhat strained pocketbook.

My choice of Worthington steel 19cuft HP cylinders (X4) has proven to be a wise one, and I am confident that the 15 lbs of additional weight required will decrease as my experience and skill level increases. A pair of Luxfer 14cuft LP cylinders were chosen for travel.
A Dive Rite Recwing and a cool custom backplate complete with a built in handle from Portland Oceaneering balances off the Rig quite nicely, allowing me to (finally) ditch the ever demeaning ankle weights.

The CCR, invented in 1876…now, was that by Heidi Fleiss or Henry Fleuss…?

Day one of the course was chock full of rebreather basics and the gas physics theory we have all grown to understand and respect. God bless Mr. Boyle, Dalton and the boys.

Dave and Ron did an excellent job of presenting the requisite material…over and over again. Ahem…some caught on faster than others.

Day two began with a humbling pool experience, trying to master the fine art of buoyancy control on a rebreather, while multitasking a mix of finite details including the monitoring and adjustment of PO2 levels, other CCR functional controls and reacting to instructor induced boom scenarios and additional stress risers.

The “Tomblin” resonance was infallably present during numerous skewed drill responses by the trainees, an omnipotent reminder that certain aspects of flying a rebreather had gone awry, and situational correction by the user was immediately required.

The exam was a snap, and even if they thought I wasn’t paying attention…I was. Ninety-one and a half percent is not bad for not having read four of six and one half wrongly answered questions.

In summation:

Solid tips I have learned (mostly the hard way) during my CCR Training:

1)Never, ever assume that you know more than your CCR Instructors. Ron proved me wrong…I can say more than once. On day 1 of open water training, he pulled an unmistakenly sea-life encrusted golf ball out of his drysuit pocket, retrieved from the exact depth of…DAMN IT…103 feet.

2)Time spent setting up the unit with proper harness lengths, gear placement, counter weighting and hose routing was beneficial in helping to alleviate the unfamiliar configuration and buoyancy issues encountered while flying the new unit. Oh…and ensure your wing nuts are tightened sufficiently at all times.

3)One tip from Ron that did seem to make things easier was to “visualize the dive”, by pre-running the dive process steps in your mind. This assists in the ability to execute the dive safely, efficiently and consequently with less stress.

4)My OC practice of “nose-breathing” has proven to be the most difficult to lose, but with more time on the Meg, I am confident I will be able to kick that extremely detrimental gas consuming/buoyancy robbing/PO2 changing habit as well.

5)The exam…Did I say RTFQ…READ THE FULL QUESTION?

6)Sample exam question: If your PO2 is .84 at 66 fsw/20msw, what will it be at the surface?
a)I am not sure…what was my rate of ascent and my P-factor?
b)I think .42, but let me check my heart rate to be certain!
c)Is this the way to the Braille Solo CCR Night Diving Cave Course?
d)DAMN…I’m sure it shows somewhere on my VR3.

7)Never do a dive to 103 fsw on a Rebreather. Damn every last one of those 336 dimples.

Once I thought I saw Ron listen to himself chuckle… while pressing the open end of his loop gently against his ear. I, however could be mistaken.







The training material was clear, concise and complete while the methodology used during presentation was effective, thorough and professional, albeit at times somewhat brutal.

Someday I may look back on the week with a good-hearted chuckle, but at present, I only have one comment:

I DO NOT LIKE TO BE YELLED AT BY DAVE THROUGH AN OPEN LOOP!


Best Regards Ron and Dave;

oh…and by the way…Did I say Thanks?

__________________
Regards;


"Some people shouldn't dive...others shouldn't even get wet".

wedivebc

John, John, John that wasn't yelling. That was my hearing enhancement techniques for the listening impaired.

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Cheers,

Dave....

Man is the only animal burdened with the knowledge he will eventually die

almity1

Thanks for sharing....

A very interesting and funny read.

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Cheers
almity1 - http://www.almity1.com

pattimegdiver

Don't feel bad John - quite a few people have heard the strong verbaliztion also - me included, thought it was personal - not - but it does get your attention for those important skills and instuctions you will need for the future. Dave and Ron know what they are doing and they are great instuctors. Congratulations on completing your course.

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Patti Meg Diver


Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk