IANTD has been at the forefront of CCR training since its foundation in 1985. Early exploration projects led to the development of courses to provide safe, high quality training for divers wishing to use CCR as a tool.
Rebreathers have now firmaly staked a claim in the world of advanced sport (tech) diving and are also now common in no stop 'sport' diving. IANTD has long maintained that the benefits of CCR should be available early in diver development and has implemented training schedule that can take you safely and enjoyably from Open Water to Expedition CCR on closed circuit gear.
At all levels, watermanship progression is relevant and focussed on improving resilience to challenging circumstances. CCR curious? If you're keen to see what rebreathers could do for you, you can take a CCR trydive as soon as you have learned to dive.
Course dives and minutes shown are minimums. Safe CCR proficiency may take additional dives and minutes at instructor discretion. Theory and unit sessions are in addition to in water dives and minutes.
Recreational levels
RCCR Deep Diver & RCCR Recreational Mixed Gas Diver
Recreational levels - RCCR Deep diver and RCCR Recreational Mixed Gas Diver. 40m no stop, pre requisite AOW diver or higher.
Rebreathers offer great benefits to sport divers by reducing the limitations of gas. Combined with O2 optimisation on ascent, making the breathing gas richer and increasing no stop times, CCR make long multi level not stop dives from 40m a reality. With short bailout ascent times, the emphasis of these levels is on unit knowledge, safe unit preparation and diving, loop management and the recognition of unsafe breathing gas. The ability to make a safe OC bailout ascent up a shot line or on a DSMB is a key skill for the course, with the emphasis also on unit download skills to enable post dive analysis and improvement. More advanced multipart skills are introduced to provide a platform for advancement to Adv Nitrox or ART levels.
Teklite levels - Advanced Nitrox CCR diver and Advanced Recreational Trimix CCR diver - 42m (air dil) or 45m (weak trimix ART dil), both with unlimited decompression. Pre requisite - RCCR levels, Deep OC with EANx or higher. ART or Adv Nitrox OC ideal.
Teklite levels with deco offer an enormous increase in operational range for the CCR diver. Square profile bottom times of 20-25 min at max depth become possible carrying one bailout / deco cylinder, with gas management typically extending to 90+ mins run time on multilevel dives between 40 and 20m. Deco means a longer bailout ascent - these courses place great emphasis on OC bailout planning and CCR troubleshooting to avoid OC as plan A. Hypxoxia, hyperoxia and hypercapnia drills are rigorously explored, along with OC bailout ascents with deco.
Theory content deals in depth with decompression and physiology, plus dive planning and environmental factors of long dives.
technical levels
Normoxic & Normoxic Plus CCR diver
Normoxic and Normoxic Plus CCR diver. 60 or 70m limits with unlimited deco. Pre requisite Adv Nitrox or ART CCR.
Normoxic diving removes the limit on deco, representing a big step forward in diver responsibility. Dive management and OC gas planning, combined with excellent physical and mental control are crucial to making successful Normoxoc Plus CCR dives. Great emphasis is placed on self rescue and unit trouble shooting, with return to the CCR encouraged in all but irresolvable, dangerous circumstances (for example CO2 breakthrough). Teamwork and watermanship standards reflect the gravity of 70m diving, providing a solid foundation to feel secure about undertaking these dives. Theory content reflects the need for a thorough understanding Of CCR Co2 function and monitoring, plus the physiological aspects of enhancing decompression.
Trimix CCR Diver
Trimix CCR diver. 100m unlimited deco.
The big ticket for most sport divers achieving exposures that demand high performance. IANTD Full trimix CCR training emphasises the development of sharp personal skills and slick team procedures to provide bailout support and safe ascents.
The primary diver development completed in the step up to Hypoxic Trimix CCR training is the move to entirely team supported or staged diving mentality. This is the level where a self contained / self sustaining approach becomes unmanageable due to the sheer amount of decompression, lengthy runtimes and bailout logistics. At this point decompression becomes a true overhead environment.
Trimix CCR also has a commitment higher than any previous level as gasses are routinely carried that are unbreathable at the surface and shallow depths, mandating a change in safety procedures and gas switch confirmation.
Expedition CCR Diver
Expedition CCR Diver.
Expedition CCR diver unlocks some of the biggest CCR dives. Every aspect of dive planning, unit preparation, preparation, physiology, physical condition, mental approach and watermanship is reevaluated and combined with team skills at the highest level.
The focus is firmly on logistics planning for extreme duration, remote environment team dives and team dive support, rather than ‘another’ depth level. The result is a diver who can operate as part of a team to conduct well managed dives in remote or extreme environments.
