To start here or there....

Nailer99

I know of a diver on this board who took CCR training after 30 OC dives. I think that's fine, for the right kind of diver. BUT- if your friend has to bail out to OC for some reason- don't you think it would be better if they at least learned how to use that gear first? Just basic stuff, like "how to purge a reg", which wasn't explained to me before my first dive, can be extremely usefull, and prevent panic......

Abbo

You suspect something might be wrong, but you are at least breathing. You have to shut down the loop, take it out of your mouth and put a regulator in your mouth. Your willingness to do this is a direct function of your confidence in your OC skills. At this point in time, Faith and Hope are Vices. Will you do it and live or will you hesitate and die? Many open water-qualified divers don't seem confident in their ability to even switch regs. I'd say rebreather divers need a far more unflinching confidence in their OC skills than OC divers.

Nailer99

I totally agree- that's why I don't think someone's first dive, ever, should be on CCR- at least learn how OC works, because you might just end up on it anyway.......

scunick

Personal opinion is that OC to your final destination cert level is imperative before moving or in conjunction with moving to CCR, as under stress you are going to need those skills. I for one remember how my Adv Trimix OC course made me a MUCH better diver when it came to high stress environments (e.g. no mask, lost gas and mandatory deco on many skills drills I remember). Skills that stand me in very good stead today. My experience is that CCR allows you to get yourself into much more trouble more quickly than OC and you need the OC experience to know when you are entering a potential incident pit.

Put your mate on OC and see if he likes the water... then let him build his skills in a deliberate and approriate way.

Once again JMHO

Cheers
Nick

PeteS

That's that then, he's on OC.Less to go wrong and if I can see lumps of bubbles he's breathing.He may well move over to CC fairly quickly after that......Thank you all for your opinions.

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Pete S.

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UKSteve

Wise move I would say....

Steve

Nailer99

I agree with that.....to a point. I originally planned to go through advanced trimix on OC, then go CCR. I made it through adv. eanx/ deco proceedures, and was scheduled to do OC trimix when I just couldn't take it any more! It seemed like a total waste of money to invest in more sets of doubles, regs, and time- if I had lots of money and lots of time, I would have done it anyway, but I knew the goal was to end up on CC, and I had proven my OC skills were strong enough.....

Mike

Don't be mean. Stick him on CC for his first dive, just think how cool it will be in a few years time when he's able to say that his first ever dive was on CCR.

If it were me, I'd stick shallow and run the rebreather as an O2 rebreather only. Stick O2 in both dil and O2 tanks. That way, as long as he can breath, he's fine. He can let the computer add O2, , he can add dil, add O2, even bolt to the surface, and you know that the loop is breathable.

Then put him on OC for his second dive onwards so he can see how much simpler it is!

Mike

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jhaaja

I would still put him on CC. He can learn the neede OC skills also. It is not so hard to breathe through a regulator in my opinion...

JH