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Recreational TriOx
Purpose
The
Recreational TriOx course is a no decompression class structured to
prepare divers for deeper recreational diving using proper equipment,
diving techniques, and breathing mixtures. In this class, students will
be introduced to the theory and practice of decompression and schooled
in correct ascent procedures. Recreational TriOx training focuses
on expanding the fundamental skills learned in the DIR Fundamentals
course (or elsewhere) and is designed to cultivate, integrate, and
expand the essential skills required for safe deeper diving. This will
include problem identification and resolution, and building the
capacity for progressively more challenging diving. In this class,
students will be trained in: a) the use of single or double back gas
tanks/cylinders and in the potential failure problems associated with
them; b) the use of Nitrox and TriOx for extended bottom times; and c)
the use of Helium to minimize narcosis, CO2, gas density, and post-dive
"nitrogen stress."
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 18 years of age
3.
Must have taken the GUE DIR Fundamentals or a
GUE Cave, Tech, or Rebreather class
4.
Must have a minimum of fifty (50) dives beyond
open water qualification, twenty-five (25) of which should be
non-training 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 14 minutes without stopping. This test should be
conducted in a swimsuit and, where necessary, appropriate thermal
protection.
Duration
The GUE Recreational TriOx
class is normally conducted over a 3-day period. It involves a
minimum of thirty (30) 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
6:1 during land drill or surface exercises but cannot exceed 3:1 during
any direct in-water training
3. Maximum depth 120 feet (+/- 10 feet)/36 meters (+/- 3 meters)
4. No overhead environment diving
Course Content
The GUE Recreational TriOx
course is normally conducted over a 3-day period, and cumulatively
involves a minimum of thirty (30) hours of instruction designed to
provide a working knowledge of Nitrox and TriOx, including history of
decompression and practice, physics, physiology, tables, and
operational considerations.
Course requirements include
nine (9) hours of academics and six (6) dives, four (4) of which will
be critical skill dives and two (2) will be experience dives as defined
in GUE Standards and Procedures.
The initial two (2) dives
will be conducted in water no deeper then 40 feet (15 meters) to
evaluate the diver's ability and to identify any skill
deficiencies. The last two (2) dives are to be TriOx dives at
depth for experience, but not in excess of course depth limitations.
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.
Academic Topics
1. Applied diving physics
2. Applied diving physiology
3. Understanding compressed gas elimination
4. Introduction to TriOx
5. TriOx versus other gases
6. DIR equipment configuration
7. Dive planning and logistics
Land Drills & Topics
1. Situational awareness
2. Dive team order and protocols
3. Pre-dive drill
4. OOGs and touch contact
5. Valve failure procedures
6. Use of safety spools and lift bag
7. Basic navigation skills
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.
Demonstrate proficiency in procedures for gas
failures, including valve manipulation and gas-sharing.
3. Demonstrate proficiency in lift bag/surface marker buoy deployment.
4. Demonstrate good buoyancy and trim.
5.
Be able to comfortably demonstrate at least
two propulsion techniques appropriate for delicate and/or silty
environments.
6.
Demonstrate proficiency in the use of touch
contact communication during out-of-gas situations.
7. Demonstrate familiarity with required course equipment.
8.
Gas-sharing scenarios to include a gas-sharing
horizontal swim for at least 200 feet/60 meters.
9.
Gas-sharing scenarios to include a direct
ascent while managing decompression obligations.
10. Demonstrate effective buoyancy control.
11.
Demonstrate effective valve-management by
first going to a team member for OOG and then shutting down a
valve and returning it to the open position again.
12.
Demonstrate effective proficiency with proper
ascent/descents, including the implementation of deep stops.
Equipment Requirements
Each student should have, and be familiar with, all of the following required equipment.
1.
Tanks/Cylinders: Students may use single
or dual tanks/cylinders with a single outlet, Y-valve, or if in
doubles a dual outlet isolated manifold, which allows the use of
two first-stages. All dives must start with a minimum of 80 cubic
feet/2250 liters of gas.
2.
Regulators: Single first-stage if using a
single tank with single outlet or two (2) first-stages if using
either a single tank with Y-valve or double tanks. A minimum of two
(2) second-stages. One of the second-stages must be on a
7-foot/2-meter hose. The diver must have a pressure gauge and BCD
inflator.
3.
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.
4.
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 50lbs for a single tank
and 80lbs for double tanks. Wing size and shape should be
appropriate to the cylinder size(s) employed for
training.
5. At least one depth-measuring device
6. Compass
7. One timekeeping device
8. Minimum and No-Decompression Buhlman based tables
9. Mask and fins: Mask should be low volume; fins should be rigid, non-split
10. Minimum of one cutting device
11. Wet Notes
12. One spool with 100 feet/30 meters line per diver
13. Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure
14. At least one surface marker buoy per diver
15.
Divers utilizing a dry suit must have a
separate (from the back gas) dry suit inflation source such as an
argon/air bottle. Divers may not inflate the dry suit from the
back gas.
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.
Upgrade to Technical Diver Level 1
Qualified TriOx drivers
seeking to upgrade to a Technical Diver Level 1 rating can do so by
undertaking three (3) additional days of training at the Tech 1 level.
This additional training will consist of:
1. One (1) lecture on line work
2. One (1) lecture on the Oxygen window and accelerated decompression
3. One (1) lecture on table management and ratio deco
4. Five (5) additional dives
5. Developing stage bottle proficiency
info@portofinodivers.com
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