Opinion: The case for open circuit technical diving

I first wrote on this topic about eight years ago (published in X-Ray Mag #70), and the only question I was asking was, “Is Open Circuit Technical Diving Dead?”

Back then, the question so many Technical Divers were asking was, “do we, or don’t we, get into Rebreathers?”
And, of course, if they have, where does that leave Open Circuit?

Since then, the calls to rationalise Rebreathers as the “Tools of the Trade” have grown louder - so maybe now the question is not just whether there is still a place for OC Technical Diving but also what drives these calls to move to CCRs. If you ask CCR Divers, they will pretty much always say go CCR and especially “their CCR”.
Note: One thing I will always say about CCR Divers is that they are passionate! About Rebreathers, anyway!

I must admit that if I had invested close to my granddaughter’s senior school tuition fees or a resort family holiday for a unit, training and accessories, I’d be passionate about it too (LOL).

As an aside, one of the best quotes I have ever read (source forgotten, I am sorry!) is something along the lines that “Rebreathers are like wives/ husbands. After a while, you’ll find things you don’t like that much about the one you have but will either keep mostly quiet about it or try to fix it, at least until you go your separate ways and get a new model. When it ends up as having been the worst choice you ever made.”

There are probably many CCR divers on your Facebook/ TikTok/Instagram feeds telling you that CCR is the way to go.

In that world, where does that leave Open Circuit for Technical Diving? “Dead” I hear from these already converted CCR Divers - even though most may use OC as a bailout, but more on that later)!

However, I would argue that there are also many divers and instructors worldwide who will quietly tell you that Open Circuit still has a very valid place to play in Tech Diving. It may depend upon where you are, what type of tech diving you do (or intend to do), and your circumstances as much as how hard-core a CCR diver you may become!

So if you are starting your Tech Journey or weighing up buying your first CCR, how do you consider OC Training vs CCR Training? And, if you are already diving CCR, should there be more focus on learning & keeping Open Circuit skills fresh? And, if you are listening to the “CCR-influencers” out there, just what is the basis for their message?

A quick history of tek diving & rebreathers

Martin Parker, the CEO of Ambient Pressure Diving, said that “No company continues to make a living by standing still”.
This is as true for AP Diving, the creators of the world’s first commercially produced CCR for Tech Divers, as it is for your preferred training agency. The success, or not, of any industry is reflected by the ability of the businesses to adapt to consumer needs and bring new ideas to market. To continue to survive, they must keep on bringing them to market. This innovation was what the so-called “Technical Revolution” was about.

For many, Technical Diving was “born” when Micheal Menduno first coined the phrase with the birth of “AquaCorps, The Journal for Technical Diving” in 1990. Divers had been doing “technical dives” for years before this, but that was considered a fringe element – unsafe, untrained and (for many) under- prepared. Some of the greatest Cave and Wreck discoveries or record-breaking developments were completed by divers in the ’70s & ’80s (Hessenmeyer, Exley, Isler, Palmer, etc.). There were also many high-profile OC “incidents” (fatalities – see Bernie Chowdhury’s ‘The Last Dive’ for a great example). But Tech Diving as we know it today was really born in the late ’80s & early ’90s! Groups in Florida, New Jersey, the UK, Australia and elsewhere were established. Some CCR exploration was undertaken using modified military/commercial or experimental designs, e.g., Bill Stone. But most Technical Diving was on Open Circuit, and all with experienced Open Circuit divers! Much of this was underground, and Nitrox was even banned from DEMA (even in the early ’90’s PADI & DEMA considered it “The Devil’s Brew”).

With the founding of IAND (then to become IANTD), ANDI, TDI and even PSA (Air courses to 300’/90m!) training became more “accepted”. Manufacturers got on board, and the likes of Dive Rite created hardware specifically for Technical Divers. But Open Circuit was the core. The training was geared to mainly already experienced twin tank divers, and mixed gas was the pinnacle. To many who lived through this, these are the halcyon days of Technical Diving! Anything was possible, and it was going to change the diving world! The AquaCorp’s “Tek Shows” were started, TechAsia ran in 1995 and OZTeK was founded in 1999!
But one thing you have to say about the Dive Industry, it is pragmatic! In the middle ’90s, DEMA welcomed the Technical Community, IANTD, ANDI & TDI expanded globally. Soon BSAC and finally PADI approved Nitrox, and the mainstream manufacturers started to release early Technical Dive products. With this, the Training Agencies released new programs designed to facilitate gradual skills development, though courses still emphasised a requirement for experience on OC. UWATEC released the first “recreational rebreather” (Dolphin/Atlantis1) in 1994, and though this was geared towards the recreational diver, it was still marketed as part of Technical Diving! [auth. Note: The first “recreational electronic rebreather” was actually Walter Stark’s 1969 ‘Electrolung’, but that belongs to another story

all its own!]. In the early ’90s, Oceanic released (well, limited release) the Phibian (for a while), and then in 1997, AP Diving introduced Inspiration, and the “Rebreather Revolution” was here!

The following 20 years saw the lines between Tec and Rec blur, and the terms “Tec/Rec” and “Recreational” were coined. Technical Diving became more readily available. A plethora of CCRs entered the market, and more than a couple disappeared! But overall training still emphasised OC experience and OC as a backup, and most CCR mix programs still required suitable OC Mix qualifications and experience.

Where are we now?

Today’s Dive Industry is vastly different to the industry back when AquaCorps was born and when I started to tech dive, and even different to when AP Divers released the Inspiration. Today it would be hard to differentiate a “Technical” dive business from a “Recreational” one. Most mainstream manufacturers have a line or brand of a technically aligned product, and many traditionally Technical Manufacturers offer gear for the Sport & Open Water Diver. Hardware and product lines have blurred so to have the training lines. Tech is now considered part of the standard diving curriculum. It is even discussed in Open Water Diver materials, with Nitrox oftenan option when learning to dive. Even Sidemount, once the purview of the hard-core sump diver, is now considered a recreational specialty.

Many resort destinations & liveaboards now offer some Technical Diving support catering to both OC and CCR divers. Mainstream shows such as DEMA, ADEX, BOOT and LIDS have good Tech displays, often with specific Technical Diving themed presentations or events. OZTeK is in its 23rd year, and tech shows such as EuroTeK and USATek are back (or coming back after COVID), all with extensive CCR-focused talks and displays.

CCR hype has reached a crescendo. New models are introduced regularly (25+ mainstream agency-recognised units at last count) with multiple Tech Units, Type R (recreational) and SCR & CCR variants for specific needs. We have a European Rebreather Standard (EN14143) and RESA, the Rebreather Equipment & Safety Association.

Alongside this, the Training Agencies have pursued divers with their usual commercial appetite. There is a well-worn pathway allowing divers to develop along the Technical side of CCR, often with no requirement for any OC Tech qualifications.

But even now, with all this impetus, there are still very few options for entering the diving world immediately in a rebreather, and most CCR courses still rely on Open Circuit as the bailout option. However, the Tech Diver of today can be solely CCR skilled with only four dives on Open Circuit as an Open Water Scuba Diver.

Where are we heading?

Eight years ago, I wrote the following: “Excluding global disaster or zombie apocalypse, you have to say that the CCRs are here to stay and will only become more entrenched. More CCR manufacturers will enter the market with a resultant drop in prices as competition increases. The move to “Recreational” CCRs will also increase as both established and new CCR manufacturers will see this as a profit- able market share, resulting in more retailers investing in this area to increase their sales.
As the recreational CCR market builds and unit price drops, more divers will move along the CCR pathway. Divers will be drawn to CCR Training sooner, and CCR Programs will become less reliant on any OC pre-requisite.

Of course, the rate at which this will occur will depend upon many forces, some internal in diving, some external. However, one thing is sure: CCRs will probably not go away.”

In eight years, aside from the number of CCR models avail- able, not much has changed. COVID may have taken two of those, but the reality is the argument, the pros & the cons, of OC vs CCR, hasn’t really changed. The only thing I have noticed is that the CCR lobby has gotten a bit louder – but is that a reflection of more CCR divers, greater social media noise or more exposure via the tech shows and such?

Potential cost benefits will sway many divers (often brought on by CCR divers highlighting gas costs) and a combination of peer pressure and personal desire (sometimes seen as FOMO - Fear of Missing Out). As we get a greater focus from the industry on CCR, we will inevitably see a need for easier unit crossovers and potentially even a need for basic unit standardisation. But with this, we will also see a decline in OC skills for CCR divers. As Martin Parker has pointed out at past shows, what we will see will be the development of “A CCR diver mindset vs an OC Diver diving CCRs”.

Where does that leave OC Dive Planning & Skills for CCR Divers?

In the short term, you would have to say that OC Technical Skills are still very much a mainstay of CCR Diving. Every CCR course still teaches bailout to open circuit, and 99+% of CCR divers start diving with Open Circuit. But that OC Tech Diver mindset is being pushed away.
However, you must ask yourself, how many CCR divers have a bailout? What do you do if you are away on a two-week liveaboard holiday and your CCR
dies - enjoy the onboard bar or dive on the open circuit? Do CCR divers give up tech diving when their unit is away on maintenance or can’t get consumables (sorb or O2 sensors)?

Many CCR divers, even some experienced OC Tech Divers, discount any need to know specifically taught OC skills as part of CCR diving. Like needing to learn how to drive a manual stick shift when you get your driver’s licence, i.e., just learn in an automatic! They say that if you dive CCR, you learn how to plan OC bailout and that it makes more economic sense just to go CCR from the beginning.

We have already identified that many, if not all, experienced CCR Tech Divers have come up through an OC Tech environment - if you look at the “headline” speakers of
the various Tech Shows, you have to ask, “who hasn’t dived OC Tech”? But if today’s new CCR divers can only have 4 OC open-water dives, then what do you do?

To me, the practical need to know basic OC technical skills remains.

What about those who can’t/ won’t or don’t dive CCR?

There will always be some divers that will choose OC over CCR – simply, not everyone has access or desire to dive a CCR. (And add to that not every dive, or diver, may be conducive to CCR).
Up-front investment, access to training and ready access to rebreather support & services are obviously critical to becoming a successful CCR diver. These things may not
be readily available, may not be justified against competing needs (e.g., the daughter’s tuition), or may not actually be “desired”. To these divers, OC Tech Programs remain the most accessible and most practical solution for their diving needs. These OC programs have passed the test of time, and they are more suited to the diver’s environment & needs. And if you only use Helium once or twice a year, do you need a CCR?

But how many of these OC Tech Divers are there, and where are they? I don’t know if anyone has studied untapped or latent Technical Diving Market Size, but I can use Brian Carney’s (President of International Training – SDI/TDI) 2016 DEMA presentation on “How Big is the Technical Diving Market?”. His data indicated that the ratio
of OC Tech vs CCR Tech was roughly 6:1, so for every CCR Tech Diver, there are probably 5 or 6 OC Tech Divers. Where CCRs are few, any Tech Diver is a probable OC Tech Diver.

Where are they? That’s not too hard to identify:

• In developing countries and locations where CCR support does not exist.
  
• In socio & economic sectors of the community where CCRs are just an unrealistic goal.
  
• In other tech divers who just don’t want to go CCR, or they aren’t justified enough.
  

Conclusion

In my conclusion eight years ago, I wrote, “OC Tech Training must be considered optional, and will only become more so. All going smoothly, the focus will inevitably switch to CCR”. In hindsight, that was a bit “aspirational”.
We must recognise that OC Tech diving and instructor skills still need to be nurtured. Some may want to specialise solely in CCR, but we need to promote retaining the high level of OC Tech skills we have and develop the next generation.

Hypothetically we can hope that CCR divers will go and get OC Training, that operators will require CCR divers only to dive CCR, or that CCR Instructors will outline the main differences. But the real world shows this is not the case.

The real world requires us to address reality, and maybe we need to start by having CCR divers without the equivalent OC qualifications complete a basic OC dive and drill at that level. In looking at current programs, I would have to say that CCR Training Courses need to include a stronger focus on core OC options such as OC Gas Consumption rates and OC Dive Planning for when diving without a CCR. And, let’s be honest, if you have only done CCR Tech, you probably have never been asked to use an Isolator Valve! And if you dive CCR, how often do you practice an OC bailout from depth??

So should we push the ethos of “No OC Tech Training then no OC Tech Diving”? Personally, I think we will be remiss if we don’t at least consider it! If we don’t, CCR training should incorporate training and refreshing in an OC Mindset for Time, Gas & Deco considerations, as these are vastly different from the CCR mindset. CCR Tech Instructors should have to retain & teach OC Tech Skills, and CCR Divers should be expected to show good OC Tech skills, at least until redundant CCR systems are the norm.

Additionally, there will always be a need for specific training (e.g., for sump diving or team standardisation) to accommodate travel to remote areas with no CCR support or because it is simple and, to start with, a comparatively low-cost entry into Tech Diving. At the same time, we must acknowledge the large untapped Tech Diving market, those in new and developing areas where scuba diving is now a “reachable” activity, and we also need to respect those who, by chance or choice, do not want a CCR.

So to all you OC Tech Instructors out there, the sky is not falling on your head. Open Circuit Tech Training is here to stay, for a while anyway. But maybe not in the size or place where you are used to teaching. But those skills are valuable, and we do not want to lose them.

Who knows, you may even need to teach them to some CCR divers (LOL)!!

Why the “Go CCR” hype if OC Tech has a case?

That is an interesting question and one that many may not like to consider. If we go back to Brian Carney’s presentations, the limited data he had “suggested” that Tech is a minuscule part of the overall sport market. Simply then, the CCR Tech Market is tiny – loud, but tiny!
I suppose the biggest question is, “why the loud voices for CCR”? The “CCR” industry is embedded as the “new technology” and “the way of the future”. Businesses
that have invested have an inherent self-interest to see the market prosper, as do the CCR Instructors! It offers a new avenue for retail sales and training courses and can be sold as new & exciting.

Dive Shows love new Tech, so CCRs are seen as key displays. Aspirational dives & destinations are highlighted, as are the truly remarkable achievements of some actually outstanding divers (think the Thai Cave Rescue divers)!

And lastly, the CCR divers themselves. They are already invested and will tell you that it’s all (relatively) easy and straightforward, and “if you’ve got any questions, just ask us”. They tell you that OC Tech is dead and that actual tech divers dive CCR. They say it’s cost justifiable and dive justifiable – your helium costs are minimal, you breathe warm moist air, and you have longer bottom times and shorter deco.

If you ask the question, you get a resounding chorus. If you look for the reasons to go CCR, you will see the support. It can become self-compounding. If you think this sounds like a google/Twitter/Facebook algorithm, you may not be far off. If you googled and asked the about a Covid Conspiracy, you ended up with feeds all supporting their paranoia. Same with CCR - though, no, I am not calling CCR divers paranoid whack jobs - Ha!! But once you start looking into CCRs, there is a whole “algorithm” of industry, divers and media to support the allure - it’s very easy and attractive to “buy in”.

This doesn’t mean that asking and looking into CCRs as an option for your diving is bad, but it does mean that you need to keep a realistic hand on your diving, your circumstances and what best suits you and your buddies.

Afterwards

Some things haven’t changed since the original article eight years ago:
There are currently about 20 CCR Fatalities each year (pre-COVID). This figure has remained relatively stable over the past decade, even with an increasing pool of CCR divers.

A significant study of new vs older CCR divers has not been completed. But, modern CCR Fatalities can be predominantly put down to one thing – the Diver made a bad decision. [auth. Note – anyone who has done one of Gareth Lock’s Human Factors in Diving programs would know that putting something down as “human error” pretty much just whitewashes the issue.] Continuing Martin Parker’s words on CCR Mindset - CCR Mindset MUST be taught that includes a realistic view of
the diver’s ability and respect for the unit’s specifications & requirements. A thorough understanding of what to do when things go wrong and an appreciation for the difference in OC diving.

I write this based on an Open Circuit Technical Diving Instructor and Instructor Trainer who has been teaching Tech Diving for over 25 years. My position is simple - OC is a tried and proven methodology for skilling Technical Divers. Obviously, the future includes CCR, but that does not mean that OC Tech Training will fade away. On the other hand, it will remain an important and critical part of Technical Diving curriculums. But as more Tech Divers take up CCR, we must consider how to skill our CCR divers to use OC. In time redundant CCRs may well dominate resorts, boats and operations worldwide, but until then, OC will be the “go-to” option. If we allow our CCR divers to progress through Tech with no OC skills, we are doing them an injustice and ourselves.

When things go wrong, we often say to ourselves, “if only I’d done that or said that”.

(Disclaimer: The above does reflect any position except my own. No inference with any group or association should
be drawn. Sadly, errors and omissions are my own too!).