The UTD pSCR Rebreather 2 course is designed to further educate individuals in the use of PSCR (RB80-style) rebreather technology as it applies to decompression and mixtures other than air,  make divers proficient in the use of semi-closed circuit technologies while diving gas mixtures other than air, and allow divers to gain practical experience with their rebreather while learning to apply its use to their extended range activities. Emphasis here is placed on essential concepts such as rebreather theory, gas mixture/management, control of exposures to oxygen, and hypercapnia. However, the course is heavily experience based and deals most specifically with the practical implications of rebreather diving.

Prerequisites

• Must meet UTD General Course Prerequisites as outlined in Section 1.6.
• Must be a minimum age of 21 years of age.
• Must be a UTD Rebreather 1 (equivalent not allowed) and UTD Trimix 1 or equivalent.
• Must have completed the online UTD rebreather class and test
• Must have at least 200 scuba dives beyond open water qualification.  Fifty (50) must have been in doubles, with twenty-five (25) involving stage decompression.
• Must have one hundred (100) hours on a semi closed rebreather.
• Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold.
• Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping.

Course Limits

• General Training Limits as outlined in Section 1.4
• Student to Instructor ratio is not to exceed 3:1 during any in water training
• Maximum depth 200 ft/60 m
• No overhead environment diving
• No goal-oriented dives

Course Content

The UTD Rebreather 2 course is normally conducted over a 5-day period, and cumulatively involves a minimum of 40 hours of instruction designed to ensure a working knowledge of rebreather diving, including failure situations, and life-saving solutions.  Topics also include a review of decompression diving, oxygen tolerance, and other operational considerations central to the exploration of extended range environments with a rebreather.

Course requirements include a minimum of twelve (12) hours of academics and at least eight (8) open water dives, of which at least four (4) will be conducted in excess of 100 feet/30 meters and will include stage decompression. At least two dives will be conducted below 150 feet/48 meters utilizing Trimix.

Academic Courses and Text

1.  Online Classroom Materials – Rebreather
2.  Rebreather Planning Sheets
3.  Rebreather DVD is recommended

Academic Topics

A.  Purpose
B.  Common Components of the PSCR (RB80-style) and how they function
C.   Inherent Risks of Rebreathers
D.  Introduction to the PSCR (RB80-style) Rebreather
E.  PSCR (RB80-style) Rebreather Alarms and Warnings
F.  The Physics Behind a PSCR (RB80-style) Rebreather
G.  Configuration
H.  PSCR (RB80-style) Rebreather Physical Design
I.   Problem Recognition & Management
J.   The Importance of Instinctive Physiological Monitoring
K.  Pre-Dive Planning
L.  Diving the PSCR (RB80-style) Rebreather
M.  Post Dive Procedures
N.  Need for continuing Education and skill reinforcement       

Land Drills & Topics

• Flow-checks
• Manifold Failures
• Gas-addition Failures
• Air-sharing
• Rebreather functions

Required Dive Skills & Drills

• Access and review diving limitations.
• Procedures for gas failures; including valve manipulation, air-sharing, and regulator switching as appropriate.
• Demonstrate the ability to deploy a lift bag/surface marker buoy in under two minutes while hovering stationary. Participants should not vary in depth more than 5 feet/1.5 meters.
• Demonstrate the capacity to recognize, evaluate and correct floods, and then discharge excess water.
• Demonstrate the effective diagnosis and correct response to simulated rebreather problems.
• Air-sharing scenarios to include breath-hold management for air-sharing for at least 200 feet/60 meters.
• Demonstrate effective valve-management by switching regulators, shutting down a valve and returning the valve to the open position.
• Demonstrate a clean and efficient removal of stage and/or decompression bottles while hovering horizontal. The participant must be capable of removing, replacing and plugging in a deco bottle in less than 90 seconds.
• Demonstrate the ability to recognize the presence of elevated C02 levels.
• Demonstrate the ability to comfortably switch gases using the gas addition manifold while maintaining good trim and neutral buoyancy.
• Demonstrate proficiency in safe diving procedures, including assembly, vacuum and pressure test,  pre-dive preparations, pre dive vacuum test, flow check, in-water activity and post dive assessment and break down.
• Comfortably swim for at least 50' without a mask while diving breathing on Closed Circuit.
• Demonstrate the ability to safely switch between Closed Circuit and Open Circuit I.E. Flow Check.
• Efficiently and comfortably demonstrate how to donate air to an out of air diver in multiple air sharing episodes from Closed Circuit with one or more experiences to include a distance of at least 30 feet (9 meters).
• Be able to comfortably demonstrate use, manipulation and failures of the gas addition system.
• Demonstrate awareness of the working of a team member’s Rebreather and a concern for safety, responding quickly to visual cues and diver partner needs if the RB should fail.
• Demonstrate proficiency with dive rescue techniques, including effective management of the following situations: assisting a panic stricken diver, a convulsing diver and an unconscious diver. Demonstrate reasonable proficiency with use of the Rebreather during ascents, descents and diving.

Equipment Requirements

• Rebreather: PSCR (RB80-style) semi-closed circuit rebreather.
• 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 40ft3/1120 liters of gas. Two aluminum cylinders of 40ft³/1120 liters or greater are required for deco gases.
• Regulators: Two first-stages, each supplying a single second stage. One of the second stages must be on a 7ft/2m hose. One of the first stages must supply a pressure gauge and provide inflation for a dry suit (where applicable). One first stage regulator for shallow decompression gas and one first stage regulator for travel/decompression gas; each one is to supply a single second stage and a single pressure gauge.
• Buoyancy Compensator: Back-mounted wings, mated with a harness and back plate.
• At least one depth-measuring device.
• One timekeeping devices.
• Decompression tables.
• Mask and fins: fins must be of the non-split variety.
• At least one cutting device.
• Underwater slate or wet Notes.
• One reel/spool, with 100 feet/30 meters of line, per diver.
• One primary reel per team, with a minimum of 300 feet/90 meters of line.
• Three lights: one primary and two secondary.
• Exposure suit appropriate for the duration of exposure.
• At least one surface marker buoy per diver.