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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 as outlined in Section 1.6
  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, Section 1.5.
  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