Rebreather Diver Specialty Course

Age, Depth, and Prerequisite Certification

There are minimum age requirements and maximum depth limits for all the specialties that require scuba training dives in open water.

As a result, before you can enrol in the PADI Rebreather Diver course you will need to be (all):

• At least eighteen (18) years old.
• Already certified as:
  • PADI Open Water Diver
  • PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver (or one of the PADI equivalent qualifications)
• Able to show a minimum of twenty five (25) logged dives.

Rebreather Training Dives: Six (6)

Maximum Depth: Eighteen (18) Metres (60 feet)

Important: Even though scuba certifications do not expire, we recommend taking the PADI ReActivate® refresher course if you have been inactive from diving for a while (e.g. longer than six months).

Reasons to Start Rebreather Diving

1. Recycling the oxygen content means divers can continue breathing from a rebreather system for longer to get enhanced bottom times.
2. Using a breathing apparatus that can absorb carbon dioxide removes the need to exhale "noisy bubbles" into the water through the regulator second stage. Thus, divers can get closer to more aquatic creatures (ideal for taking underwater photos).
3. The gas recycling process adds a certain amount of warmth to the breathing gas. So, diving with a rebreather can keep the diver warmer (a huge bonus when drysuit diving in cool water).

You can also achieve some of the benefits of nitrox diving by using the standard mix of EANx36 (sometimes higher concentrations).

Do you like close encounters with wildlife?

In fact, diving without making the "bubble noise" can attract schooling vertebrates and big pelagic fishes, such as large sharks, groupers, and sea turtles.

Digital Learning Programs for Self-Study

In general, it is much easier for divers with a busy schedule to choose the online learning option to start scuba lessons.

Being able to complete the independent study portion of a multiple day course offers you some flexibility and convenience.

As long as you have a computer or a mobile device, you will be able to study the knowledge development portion at your own pace (online or offline).

Signing Up for PADI eLearning™

You can complete some self-study assignments online with eLearning®. Then, you would need to contact the dive shop to perform any required scuba training dives with a PADI Instructor.

PADI Rebreather Diver: What Skills Will You Learn?

Of course, you are going to learn how a rebreather works. This part takes place through a combination of self-study and instructor-guided lessons.

But, you'll also use the manufacturer's literature and checklists to learn more about the type of rebreather that you will be diving with.

So, the six training dives give you time to work on:

• Proper setup and maintenance.
• Conducting proper pre dive checks.
• Keeping the loop closed when the mouthpiece is not in your mouth.
• Bubble checks.
• Bailout drills.
• Fine-tuning buoyancy control.
• Monitoring displays and gauges.
• Handling equipment problems.
• Post-dive procedures and disassembly.

Note: Another guide explains the basics about Type R rebreathers, including why they're becoming more popular, how they function, and how the features differ to those used in open-circuit scuba diving.

Common Types of Rebreather Equipment

Closed-Circuit Rebreather (CCR)

CCRs can recycle all the gas that a diver exhales. Plus, there will only be a few tiny bubbles escaping from the unit as the diver ascends (to release expanding gas).

You need to have two gas supplies to operate a closed circuit rebreather. In most cases, you will be using air as a diluent gas and 100% oxygen.

Semi-Closed Rebreather (SCR)

Using a semi-closed circuit means you will only be recycling some of the exhaled gas. In other words, there will be a steady stream of bubbles (or short bursts) escaping - away from your face.

Semi-closed circuit rebreathers only need to have one gas supply. In most cases, the breathing gas should be enriched air nitrox.

Pro Tip: Other specialist gear that you may use during the course includes a Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) and a collapsible snorkel tube (e.g. carried inside a pocket).

FAQ Section and Medical Questionnaire Form

What's the Deepest Diving Certification?

The term 'deep dives' has a different meaning in recreational scuba diving than it does in technical diving.

The deepest dive made for recreational purposes should not be below forty metres (130 feet). Whereas, a professional technical diver can go down to sixty (60) metres (200 feet).

Can I Survive Below 40 Metres Underwater?

We refer to the US Navy decompression dive tables to answer this question. Divers can only stay at forty seven metres (160 feet) for around five minutes before they need to decompress during the ascent.

Is it Possible to Scuba Dive the Titanic?

The Titanic is resting at a depth of 2,100 fathoms (12,500 feet). Because normal air consumption through a standard tank only lasts about fifteen minutes at 40 metres, scuba diving to the Titanic is impossible.

Fun Fact: The deepest scuba dive ever made is 332.35 metres (1,090 feet) undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in September 2014 in Dahab, the Red Sea. Using open circuit scuba, it took only fifteen (15) minutes to make the descent, but the ascent took thirteen (13) hours and thirty five (35) minutes.

Can a Certified Deep Diver Dive Alone?

The diving buddy system is a safety procedure pairing two or more divers together. Also, the group should perform pre-dive safety checks (Begin With Review And Friend) before entering the water.

Nonetheless, PADI does consent to a kind of 'solo diving' through the Self-Reliant Diver certification course, which is available in Pattaya, Thailand.

Is it Easier to Blow Bubble Rings at Depth?

You may have seen divers make 'flying saucer' bubbles ascend from the abyss to the surface. So, what is a divers bubble ring? Our blog article explains the technique for blowing ring bubble circles underwater.

Can I Touch the Underwater Organisms?

Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, interacting passively with aquatic animals helps to safeguard the habitats of delicate and sensitive sea life.

How Does the Rebreather Qualifier Work?

Even after qualifying to dive on a specific Type R rebreather unit you would also need to qualify to dive on a different model.

But, there's no requirement to complete another full course. Instead, you can enrol in the PADI Rebreather Qualifier program to focus on (of the different rebreather unit):

• Assembly
• Pre dive checks
• Disassembly
• Unique aspects

You will earn a new certification card after the successful completion of the program (e.g. PADI Rebreather Diver or Advanced Rebreather Diver).

When Should You Do a Rebreather Refresher?

Suppose you don't go diving for longer than six months. There is a simple way to refresh the knowledge and skills that you already learned.

After a long period of inactivity, taking the PADI Rebreather Refresher program will help you brush up on the safety procedures and diving fundamentals for rebreathers.

Medical Requirements: Free Download

You must be in good physical and mental health and be medically fit for recreational scuba diving. You can review the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire Online to check whether you need to be evaluated by a physician.

It is not appropriate to ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice or clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.

Price for PADI Rebreather Diver Specialty Course in Thailand 39,900 THB*

We have qualified instructors and expert dive guides who can teach in several languages, including English, Thai, and Chinese.

The price includes (all):

Boat trips (with free soft drinks served on board)

Professional tuition from a "Private Scuba" Instructor

Free rental of required diving equipment (including a dive computer)

PADI Rebreather Diving Specialty Manual and Certification Card

Hotel transfers within Pattaya City limits

Important: You will usually be making two (2) scuba training dives in the same day. The PADI flying after diving guidelines say you need to wait a minimum of eighteen (18) hours after the second dive before you go to altitude. Please send an email to our team if you need further information.

YouTube Video and Knowledge Base for Rebreather Divers

Most of the information and advice in this section focuses on deep scuba diving activities which we usually conduct from a boat in Thailand.

We also have a list of blog articles about snorkeling and freediving - with other popular watersport tourist attractions at the beach resort of Pattaya.

Scuba Diving Help Guides

• Discover Technical Diving Program
• Diving Emergency Action Plan (EAP Flowchart)
• PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver Certification

Note: The short video presented by PADI highlights what to expect when taking the Deep Diver Specialty course. It also emphasises how the protocols and procedures for scuba divers vary at some of the deepest dive sites around the world.

What Comes after the Rebreather Diver Specialty?

The certification links to several other scuba certifications, including the popular Specialty Courses offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Even so, the PADI® Rebreather Diver course combines really well with several other specialty courses such as, AWARE Shark Conservation, Boat Diver, Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) Diver, Multilevel Diver, and Wreck Diver.

Note: All course prices for diving are subject to change and assume that all prerequisites have been met to start the training. Click here to contact the team at Private Scuba in Thailand to make a booking or send an enquiry.