My rEvo class has just finished in North Florida .

[MICHAL M]

My rEvo class has just finished in North Florida . This was a rather unique experience for me as I was the only student and there were two instructors in training also a soon to be instructor in training and an instructor trainer. So the instructor to student ratio was 4 to 1!! Ron Benson and Eliot Danner were doing their instructor rEvo class while Chris Brown as there to gain more instructor experience and  Mel Clark was the instructor trainer dictating over the whole thing.



The days were long and the learning curve was steep but I can say that the rEvo was a pleasure to dive and learn on. I had the opportunity to dive both the rEvo standard and mini, I personally prefer the size of the mini and micro.



I was always warned that CCR’s are very different for buoyancy control, and as I come from a very strong OC background I was very concerned about my new buoyancy control on the CCR. It was a very pleasant shock to me to find how easily I managed the rEvo and how quickly the buoyancy and trim came to me on the unit. I can honestly say the rEvo was great to dive almost from the first hour I was on it! I was also very surprise how little weight I needed. I was wearing my fourth element artic underwear and my diverite 905 suit, the rEvo had 19 cf aluminum cylinders on it and I did not need any weight in the fresh water.



The rEvo really felt natural and safe for me to use. I originally was concerned with my PO2 but became very comfortable with it and how stable the PO2 was on my mCCR. Like buoyancy control I was also warned how “hard” it is to dive a manual CCR, which I now know is not a fact!



As were did our class in “cave” country, when class was finished my instructors got to go cave diving, which I can now see the rEvo is perfectly suited for. It was amazing to me to see the length of dive distance and time that my CCR friends could dive as compared to my OC dives in the caves. Also since the rEvo is so slim in design I can’t wait to take it in the caves!



I had the great advantage of having Ron Benson mentor me through the whole experience. Ron is an excellent CCR instructor and is a sure asset to the rEvo instructor pool. When I do something I want to learn it all and as such tend to dig deeper into the workings of things. Yet Ron patiently worked with me through all my normal and more technical rebreather questions. If any of you are thinking about taking a CCR class in the great lakes area I would highly recommend Ron Benson from going under dive center, he is top notch.



English is not my first language. Even so I still learned a great deal from Mel Clarks book rebreather simplified. This book was a great addition to my learning curve, all I can say about this book is it is perfect for the new CCR diver and I love it! I also would like to say that Mel is an exceptional CCR instructor. She teaches as she writes, in a simple and easy to follow format. She knows when the student does not understand and works out a way to teach in a manner they can understand. Anyone looking for CCR instruction on the west coast would be very happy taking a class from her.



The transition from OC to CCR for me was a very easy one. I believe this was due to the great unit (thanks Paul), and the great instruction. Thank you Ron, Mel, Eliot, and Chris for a great learning experience.

            Regards Michal