Training, Challenges and Lessons Learned

Don Silcock recounts his experiences of his first week attending to grips along with his closed-circuit rebreather coaching in Bali.

Making the Leap to Closed-Circuit Rebreather Diving

After a long time of diving open circuit and 1000’s of hours underwater with scuba tanks, I lastly determined to cross the road that divides leisure diving from full-on technical diving -rebreathers.

Closed-circuit rebreathers (CCRs) have at all times form of intrigued me, with their seductive promise of silent diving, prolonged backside occasions, and no bubbles. But additionally they include complexity, danger, and a steep studying curve. For years, I considered CCRs as simply too temperamental and harmful. But ultimately, a combination of curiosity and necessity tipped the scales, and I dedicated. The price ticket was eye-watering, however the time had come.

And so, in early March, I set off to Amed in northeast Bali to start formal coaching.

Packing for Your First CCR Course

I journey often for underwater images, so I’m used to the advanced ritual of packing with its gear lists, back-ups, batteries, spares, and many others. Dive package is often the straightforward half because it’s the digicam tools that’s time-consuming and anxious. But packing on your first CCR course? That’s subsequent degree.

Suddenly, I had a mountain of latest tools – a lot of which I didn’t even acknowledge but. Sensors, scrubbers, oxygen cells, loops, counter-lungs, oxygen bottles – the sheer quantity of stuff was each thrilling and intimidating.

Why I Chose the Triton II Rebreather

I had selected the brand new Triton II handbook (mCCR) rebreather, as its chest-mount design and low weight (15lb optimized for journey and doable carry-on) fitted my wants finest.

What I hadn’t absolutely realized was that CCR programs are particular to every unit. Because the Triton II was so new, instructors themselves had been nonetheless being skilled.

In reality, my course doubled as an teacher growth session – with two senior Triton instructor-trainers certifying 5 instructors on the brand new unit. That was the place Mark Kouwenberg (the opposite scholar candidate) and I got here in – and we had been going to get lots of consideration over the following seven days as we went up the Triton II studying curve!

Training With Bali Dive Trek in Amed

My teacher was Antoine Martin, who runs Bali Dive Trek in Amed. I had finished my TDI Extended Range and CCR familiarization programs with him beforehand. Antoine is a extremely skilled technical diver, and his facility features a devoted, air-conditioned rebreather room housing no fewer than seven completely different CCR models – all of which he recurrently dives.

By the time I arrived, the total coaching crew had assembled from numerous elements of the world. Introductions had been fascinating – and a bit of humbling. These had been extremely skilled individuals with deep technical credentials and critical dive achievements. I felt just like the rookie within the room, as a result of I used to be…

Understanding the Real Risks of CCR Diving

As with all dive coaching, principle comes first. And should you thought physics and physiology in leisure diving had been robust, CCR principle makes it appear to be a warm-up lap. There is an amazing quantity to soak up and course of, all of which began with the three greatest risks related to CCR diving – hyperoxia (an excessive amount of oxygen), hypoxia (too little oxygen) and hyopercapnia (an excessive amount of carbon dioxide). These aren’t minor inconveniences, they’re doubtlessly deadly and rattling scary as there isn’t a sugar-coating of the risks.

But as the times went on, I noticed that as intimidating as it might appear, the one method to have the ability to handle these dangers is to completely perceive them, be capable of acknowledge their onset and to soundly cope with them underwater.

Checklists, Drills and Crisis Management Underwater

The first sensible talent it’s essential to grasp is assembling and testing your unit. Miss a step right here, and you can be in actual hazard. At first, it felt impossibly advanced – hoses, valves, sensors, loop checks! But with repetition and a checklist-based method, it started to stay. By the tip of the course, I might assemble and prep the Triton II in a fraction of the time it took on day one.

From there, we moved into dealing with emergency situations underwater – managing oxygen spikes, scrubber failures, loop floods, and bailout switches. These will not be simulations you’ll be able to afford to gloss over and so they should change into second nature. The coaching was relentless. Every error, irrespective of how small, was noticed and with so many instructors watching, there was nowhere to cover and no room for shortcuts.

Long Days, Steep Learning Curve and Mental Fatigue

Each day stretched to 12 hours or extra with lectures, drills, dives, debriefs. It actually was full-on. I keep in mind speaking with Mark round Day 3 – each of us utterly spent and questioning if we’d made a horrible mistake. The cognitive load was huge. The bodily problem, actual. It felt overwhelming. But step by step, one thing shifted.

By Day 6, muscle reminiscence kicked in. Chaos gave technique to confidence. What had felt alien now felt acquainted. And by the ultimate day, I not noticed the Triton II as a fragile, mysterious contraption – it was a dependable device, one I might belief.

Lessons Learned From My First Week on CCR

I can truthfully state that my Triton II CCR coaching was the one greatest bodily, psychological, emotional and sustained problem I’ve ever encountered!

On the way in which again down south, my common driver Putu regarded within the mirror at me and mentioned “what’s wrong Pak?”. I mentioned nothing however smiled figuring out that as exhausted as I used to be, the door was now vast open for some unbelievable underwater adventures! n

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