Rebreather Diver Level 1

Purpose

The Rebreather Diver 1 course is designed to 1) educate individuals in basic rebreather technologies, 2) cultivate diver proficiency in the use of Halcyon's semi-closed circuit technology, and 3) introduce divers to the use of enriched air. The Rebreather 1 course assumes that individuals are capable divers, but have limited experience in the use of rebreather technology.

Prerequisites

    1.      Must  meet GUE General Course Prerequisites :

General Prerequisites for All GUE Courses

The following are prerequisites for all GUE Courses (any additional and/or course specific course prerequisite, as well as any deviations from the following, will be listed under the appropriate section of the specific course):

    -      Must  submit a completed registration form, medical history, and liability release to GUE Headquarters.

    -      Must be physically and mentally fit.

    -      Must hold DAN Master level insurance or equivalent.

    -      Must be a nonsmoker.

    -      Must obtain a physician's prior written authorization for the  use of prescription drugs, except for birth control, or for a prior  medical condition that may pose a risk while diving.  A partial list of such conditions may  be found on GUE's medical history form; if a student answers in the  affirmative to any of these, they must obtain a physician's approval to  dive and disclose this to their GUE instructor before the onset of  training.  Physician approval for a  specific condition is valid for one year from the date it is given assuming  there are no further changes to the student's medical conditions.

    -      Must be CPR/First Aid trained (except for DIR Fundamentals).

    2.      Must  be a minimum of 21 years of age
    3.      Must  be GUE DIR Fundamentals and GUE Tech 1 qualified or equivalent
    4.      Must  have a minimum of 200 dives
    5.      Must  be able to swim a distance of at least 50 feet/15 meters on a breath hold
    6.      Must  be able to swim at least 300 yards/275 meters in less than 12 minutes without stopping. This test should be conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal protection.

Duration

The Rebreather 1 class is normally conducted over a 5-day period.  It involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction, encompassing both classroom and in-water work.

Course Limits

    1.      General  Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4
    2.      Student  to instructor ratio is not to exceed 4:1 during any in-water training
    3.      Maximum  depth 100 feet (+/- 30 feet)/30 meters (+/- 9 meters)

Course Content

The GUE Rebreather 1 course is normally conducted over a 5-day period, and cumulatively involves a minimum of forty (40) hours of instruction designed to provide a working knowledge of rebreather diving, including history, design, function, failures, tables, and operational considerations.

Course requirements include a minimum of ten (10) hours of academics and ten (10) rebreather dives, of which six (6) are critical skills dives and four (4) are experience open water dives.

 Required Training Materials

    1.      Doing  it Right:  The Fundamentals of  Better Diving.  Jarrod  Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High Springs, Florida.
    2.      Getting  Clear on the Basics: The Fundamentals of Technical Diving.  Jarrod Jablonski, GUE, 2001, High  Springs, Florida.
    3.      Recommended  rebreather training materials.

Academic Topics

    1.      Purpose
    •      Risk
    •     Benefit
    •     Advantages
    •     Disadvantages
    2.      History
    3.      Types of Rebreathers
    •     Semi-closed active addition
    •     Semi-closed passive addition
    •     Fully-closed system
    4.      Common components of a Rebreather and how they function
    •     Mouthpiece & hoses
    •     Counter lung
    •     CO2 canister & chemical removal by the scrubber
    •     Gas addition system
    •     Automatic water system
    •     Gas management & information system
    5.      Inherent risks of Rebreathers
    •     Hypoxia
    •     Hyperoxia
    •     Hypercapnia
    •     Hyperventilation
    6.      Introduction to the Halcyon Rebreather
    •     Halcyon design
    •     Gas circulation during inhalation
    •     Gas circulation during exhalation
    •     Gas changes
    •     Passive gas addition
    •     Diving logistics
    7.      Halcyon Rebreather alarms and warnings
    •     Intrusion
    •     Failure susceptibility
    •     Information content
    •     Verification
    •     Physiological monitoring
    8.      The physics behind a Halcyon Rebreather
    •     O2 toxicity
    •     Decompression
    •     Theory & review
    •     Rebreather vs. open circuit
    •     Oxygen consumption (RMV)
    9.      Configuration
    •     DIR foundation
    •     Halcyon configuration
    •     Rebreather configured DIR style
    10.      Halcyon DIR Rebreather physical design
    •      Components, functions, failures, problem recognition & alarms, problem solving
    •     Mouthpiece, double hoses, check valves & bailout regulators
    •     Automatic water removal system
    •     CO2 canister
    •     Main bellows
    •     Inner bellows & overpressure dump valve
    •     Counter lung actuated gas addition regulators
    11.      Problem recognition & management
    •     Scrubber flooded leading to Hypercapnia
    •     CO2 absorbent failures leading to Hypercapnia
    •     Check valve failure leading to Hypercapnia
    •     Addition failures leading Hypoxia
    •     Mechanical failure leading to Hyperoxia
    •     Gas supply failures
    •     Diving conditions leading to Hypoxia
    •     Bailout scenarios
    •     Physiological monitoring
    12.      The Importance of instinctive physiological monitoring
    •     Pre-dive planning & preparation
    •     Gas duration
    •     Gas choice
    •     CO2 absorbent management
    •     Pre-dive checks
    13.      Pre-dive planning
    •     Gas choice
    •     Gas duration
    •     Gas management scenarios
    •     Decompression procedures
    •     CO2 absorbent management & duration
    •     Pre-dive checks/vacuum test
    •     Open circuit bailouts
    14.      Diving the Halcyon Rebreather
    •     Descents/ascents on OC
    •     Flow-checks
    •     Buoyancy control
    •     Breathing characteristics
    •     Monitoring the unit & alarms
    •     Flooding & failures
    •     Monitoring the gas
    •     Loop purging with mask
    15.      Post-dive procedure
    •     Rinse hoses between dives on same day
    •     Rinse unit after 1 day's use
    •     Disinfect and dry hoses and unit after 5 day's use
    16.      Perceived vs. true work of breathing in Rebreather
    17.      Need for continuing education and skill reinforcement                     
    18.       Debunking Rebreather misconceptions

Land Drills & Topics

    1.      Rebreather  function, failures, gas sharing, flow checks
    2.      Gas  manifold failures
    3.      Gas-addition  failures
    4.      Gas-sharing

Required Dive Skills & Drills

    1.      All  skills and drills as outlined in General Diving Skills :

General Diving Skills

With the exception of DIR Fundamentals, GUE courses must all ensure proficiency in the following diving skills; a final grade of three (3) (satisfactory) or better is required to demonstrate the requisite skill in each.  Any other and/or course specific skills, as well as any deviation from a particular diving skill, will be listed under the appropriate section for the specific course.  DIR Fundamentals has a more restricted skill set, one outlined in section 2.1.2.9.

    -      Demonstrate  proficiency in safe diving practices; this would include pre-dive preparation, in-water activity, and post-dive assessment.

    -      Demonstrate  awareness of team member location and a concern for safety, responding  quickly to visual cues and dive partner requirements.

    -      Efficiently  and comfortably demonstrate how to donate gas to an out-of-gas diver in  multiple gas-sharing episodes, with one or more of these to include a distance of at least 30 feet/9 meters.

    -      Demonstrate  a comfortable demeanor while swimming for at least 100 feet/30 meters,  without a mask, while gas-sharing.

    -      Be  able to comfortably demonstrate at least two propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty environments.

    -      Demonstrate  knowledge of dive rescue techniques, including effective management of the  following situations: assisting a convulsing diver and an unconscious  diver.

    -      Demonstrate  a safe and responsible demeanor throughout all training.

All GUE instructors are encouraged to exceed minimum training standards when by doing so they are promoting the best interests of the student. Instructors are actively encouraged to deny qualification to students when students have not met the standards of the certification level they are pursuing to the satisfaction of the instructor.

    2.      Assess  and review diving limitations.
    3.      Demonstrate the ability to recognize, evaluate, and  correct gas interruptions, terminating or continuing the dive as  necessary.
    4.      Demonstrate  the ability to recognize, evaluate and correct water intrusion, and what  to do to remove excess water.
    5.      Demonstrate  excellent buoyancy control skills.
    6.      Procedures  for gas failures; including valve manipulation, gas-sharing, and regulator  switching as appropriate.
    7.      Lift  bag/surface marker buoy deployment.
    8.      Be able to comfortably demonstrate at least two  propulsion techniques that would be appropriate in delicate and/or silty  environments.
    9.      Use  of touch contact for limited and simulated zero visibility situations.
    10.      Reel  and guideline use.
    11.      Gas-sharing  scenarios to include breath-hold management for gas-sharing for at least  200 feet/60 meters.
    12.      Demonstrate  the efficient deployment of a reserve light in less than 30 seconds.
    13.      Demonstrate  excellent buoyancy control skills.
    14.      Demonstrate  effective valve-management by switching regulators, shutting down a valve  in less than 15 seconds and returning the valve to the open position again  in less than 15 seconds.
    15.       Demonstrate water  tight integrity of the unit by performing a vacuum test.
    16.      Demonstrate availability  of rebreather supply gas through the use of a flow check.
    17.      Demonstrate the capacity to efficiently supply gas to  an out of gas diver.
    18.       Demonstrate the  ability to efficiently manage gas addition.

 Equipment Requirements

Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.

    1.      Rebreather: Halcyon semi-closed circuit rebreather
    2.      Tanks/Cylinders: Students are required to  use dual tanks/cylinders connected with a dual outlet isolator manifold,  which allows for the use of two first-stages. The double cylinders must be  accessible by both the rebreather and the open circuit regulators.  All dives must start with a minimum of  40 cubic feet/1120 liters of gas.
    3.      Regulators: Two first-stages,  each supplying a single second-stage. One of the second-stages must be on  a 7 foot/2 meter hose. One of the first-stages must supply a  pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable).
    4.      Backplate System:  A rigid and flat platform, of metal  construction with minimal padding, held to a diver by one continuous piece  of nylon webbing. This webbing should be adjustable through the plate and  should use a buckle to secure the system at the waist. A crotch strap  attached to the lower end of this platform and looped through the  waistband would prevent the system from riding up a diver's back. A knife  should be secured to the waist on the left webbing tab. This webbing  should support five D-rings; the first should be placed at the left hip,  the second should be placed in line with a diver's right collarbone, the  third should be placed in line with the diver's left collarbone, the  fourth and fifth should be affixed to the crotch strap to use while  scootering or towing/stowing gear.   The harness below the diver's arms should have small restrictive  bands to allow for the placement of reserve light powered by three in-line  c-cell batteries (where necessary). The system should retain a minimalist  approach with no unnecessary components.
    5.      Buoyancy Compensation Device: A diver's buoyancy  compensation device should be back-mounted and minimalist in nature.  It should come free of extraneous  strings, tabs or other material. There should be no restrictive bands or  "bungee" of any sort affixed to the buoyancy cell.  In addition, diver lift should  not exceed 80lbs. Wing size and shape should be appropriate to the  cylinder size(s) employed for training.   
    6.       At least one depth-measuring device
    7.      One timekeeping device
    8.      Decompression tables
    9.      Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid,  non-split
    10.      At least one cutting device
    11.      Wet Notes
    12.      One spool with 100 feet/30 meters of line per diver
    13.      One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters  of line
    14.      One primary light:  A primary light should be minimalist in design; its  power source should consist of a rechargeable battery pack residing in a  canister powering an external light head via a light cord.  Primary lights should produce the  equivalent output of 50 watt halogen/10 watt HID lighting or greater.
    15.      Two reserve lights: Reserve  lights should be non-rechargeable in-line three c-cell battery lights with  a minimum of protrusions and a single attachment at its rear. The light  should be activated by twisting the front bezel towards the body,  deactivated by turning it away from the body.
    16.      Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
    17.      At least one surface marker buoy per diver

Note: Prior to the commencement of class, students should consult with a GUE representative to verify equipment requirements. Whether or not a piece of equipment fulfills GUE's equipment requirement remains at the discretion of GUE and its instructor representatives.  Participants are responsible for providing all equipment or for making provisions to secure all necessary equipment before the start of the course. In general, it is better for the student to learn while using his or her own equipment.  However, students should exercise caution before purchasing new equipment to avoid acquiring substandard equipment. Please contact a GUE representative prior to making any purchases. Information about recommended equipment can be obtained from the equipment considerations section of GUE's web site.

info@portofinodivers.com