Mailing List Archive

Mailing List: techdiver

Message Display

>I suspect the USN has the best and most insightful answer to that one.
>The German military might be just as qualified.  Not many others yet...

I was referring to civilian (for profit) agencies. Now that you bring
it up, does anyone know what the U.S. Navy CCUBA training program
involves, as far as prerequisites, classroom time and in-water time?

>That's an understatement.  However, I am becoming increasingly convinced 
>that tons of experience on open-circuit scuba is not necessarily a 
>beneficial prerequisite to rebreather diving.  In fact, such experience 
>may be harmful in 1) providing undue overconfidence, and 2) establishing 
>habits which need to be deprogrammed.

I did not mean to imply that vast quantities of open-circuit time were
necessary for successful rebreather training. I was treating the subjects
of trimix training and rebreather training as separate issues. As far as
I'm concerned, being comfortable in the water should be a prerequisite to
any advanced training. Whether you gain that confidence by skin diving or
open circuit scuba diving, is irrelevant. As long as when something
gear related happens in the water you'll be able to deal with that problem
without the environment becoming a source of additional stress. It is
possible that a stable/self-confident non-diver may require only marginally
more time to become a rebreather diver than an experienced trimix diver
would need to become a rebreather diver. Now, ask me which one I would
choose to make a rebreather dive with? NONE!, I'd still choose to be solo.
One of them does not have enough experience in the water, the other is
probably over-confident as to his/her abilities and they both lack
sufficient time on rebreathers.

Tony

Navigate by Author: [Previous] [Next] [Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject: [Previous] [Next] [Subject Search Index]

[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]

[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]