Welcome to IDREO !

Nick Toussaint talks about the motivations of founding IDREO, Accident Analysis Project, IDREO Training and finally how to promote Safer & Efficient Exploration.

Nick Toussaint is an experienced Diver and worldwide recognized Cave Explorer. He is probably one of the most accomplished and a worldwide renown expertise as a Cave Instructor to all levels based on 18yrs experience teaching worldwide with a perfect ZERO accident record.

Nick Toussaint still trains Divers to all levels on all major cave destinations worldwide yearly, and is the main leader on the IDREOseminars. He has shared his passion and knowledge about cave diving at conferences in various diving shows, articles and even sport TV shows around the world and as well is an active participant in equipment development and testing specifically for cave diving. He started Cave Diving in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the most wanted location for recreational cave diving
and got NACD, TDI and NSS-CDS certified in the mid 90's and has taken Cave Instructor training with IDREO , GUE, IANTD, TDI, CMAS, UTD, NAUI, PADI, & SDI, while creating outline and diver programs at various levels for many of them.In 2008 received from NSS-CDS the Sheck Exley Award, with International endorsement, which is given for accomplishing 1000 non training cave dives in at least 5 countries.

Nick Toussaint has cave dived in 12 countries, and just about every cave system in Mexico. Starting in Quintana Roo, Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula but also In the North state of Tamaulipas; been privileged to explore many of them. Also very familiar with most popular cave diving sites in Florida and Europe, including France, Italian Alps/islands, Switzterland, Scandinavian mines, as well as various Australasia cave diving destinations.

You can contact Nick Toussaint by email

www.idreo.org

A solid Dive Plan is paramount in diver safety, but also critical in achieving dive goals.

The Dive Plan simple touches all the limits the team has for a given dive and

also underlines a "LIMIT LINE" when turning around back to surface should be happening.

Remember in a good plan limitations are hardly ever reach simultaneously,

so this mean you may have to call the dive on gas, time, depth or anything else,

so don't expect all Dive Plan limitations to happen together.

When discussing Bailout we are talking as the back up plan to get out of trouble, in diving the worst possible scenario is sharing gas from the furthest point of penetration.

Proper Bailout is enough quantity of gas to make a OOG scenario work from furthest penetration point back to the surface, divers require to be able to make acurate estimations of gas need, plan adequate redundancy for further failures and be able to handle the bailout carrying options such as double tanks, stages bottles, deco bottles, multiple scooters and DPV's maybe be need to make the Bailout feasible.

Variations of Bailout are Minimim Reserve and Rock Bottom with basically same deifinition but applicable to specific situations such as a direct ascent to surface vs tunnel trael prior the ascent.

Standardized Hand Signals make extremely fast and accurate comunication while underwater, without having to Stop and write down what is going on in your wetnotes. Wetnotes are mostly used for Data gathering.

Repetitive task are best served by a specific set of Hand Signals, notice gloves or to slow or fast movements make create complications when aplying Hand Signals for communication.

Basic Dive Signals

The Diving Bottles choices available for carrying efficiently the different gas need during a dive are very much define by material and size but also a keypoint is the configuration options.

Rigging a set of two tanks for techincal or cave diving is usually refer to Doubles as they provide redundancy more than just twice as much gas as when diving on traditional single tank set up.

How to Assemble a set of Double Tanks is the starting point to understand where and why the hoses and equipment is placed, the configuration has gone thru continuos evolution since the 1960's matching the equipment development, but also adapting to the new technology such as DPV and Rebreathers.
Nonetheless Open Circuit Doubles is consider by most reliable diving equipment.

The Doubles configuration as core uses a wing and a backplate which are then wingnut bolt to a set of manifold double tanks, each bottle has a first stage and second stage each, one of them is fit with a long hose to facilitate sharing gas in single file thru restrictions or make an ascent separated to avoid buoyancy issues.

Light for comunication and Primary Light source in overhead enviroments is consider part of the Doubles system.

When in need to share gas with a dive partner is a lot easier and efficient to do so while each member has absolute control of personal buoyancy and trim, as other way need to complicatedly operate as one unit, which can result catastrophic if letting go of each other during ascents.

As well when in need to travel to tight restricted tunnels of passage can proof cahllenging and even impossible unless the team is equipped with a Long Hose in the main regulator.

The Long Hose typically is been 7ft, 2 mt long as standrd and is quite easy to handle it underwater if wrap around the diver torso and behind the neck, securing under the battery canister of the Light or electrical heating device.

When deploying the Long Hose switch to back up reg and offer what is the correct mix and working regulator out of your mouth.
Paramount in safety when diving with multiple breathing mixes in different bottles.

Sidemount Configuration is been available since the 1960's bu mostly taken advantage by eager Cave Divers, lately has become aparent to most recreational Divers and its great. Here are some simple configuration guidance as is not really that hard to figure out, however the planning in order to acomplish other than recreational open water needs to be taken seriously to avoid confusing redundancy needs resulting in extremely complicating a other way simple system.

Expert Divers use lights not only to look around but for efficient communication.

Light communications is both Active & Passive.

In this lecture we review Light Communications and Light Signals the goal is to understand them better to take the most advantage from using them.

Divers can benefit of a reliable and durable Lighting System, as besides providing ilumination which is mandatory in the overhead is a great tool to get team attention and stay together thru passive comunication.

A Light Canister does provide enough burntime for making an extensive dive,
with expectancy usually no less than 1 hr burntime and as long as 15 hr,
minding repetitive dives and/or bailout plans times.

In any case the Canister Light should stay ON for the planned dive duration,
in fact it's duration maybe as well be a limitation in order to call the dive;
for example if you are going in and out a cave need to use half of the expected burntime going in,
just to make sure you won't run out of batteries upon exit.

The canister light are usually of two core parts the Canister itself and the light Head.
Both components are attach by a cable.
Dealling witht this cable could be a bit of out of the ordinary and natural at the beggining but quickly becomes part of the diver with a little practice and some tips to remember when using it,
even in emergecy situations such as sharing gas or failures !

Advice at properly dealing with canister light cable.

• Use Goodman handle
• Cable most be the "right" length
• Understand each arm "needs"

Have a look how divers learn the Basics of line laying, trim buoyancy, comunication are as important as handeling the reel !

You must be capable of running a Primary line if thinkng in diving in the overhead enviroment.

• How DPV work
• Basic Battery Burntime Management
• Electrical Diagram
• Mechanical Diagram

Deep Explorer Workbook to print and use as part of IDREO Deep Explorer classes.

IDREO Oxygen Toxicity E-Book is acompilation of the latest information known on Oxygen Toxcity, Hyperoxia as well as Hipoxia.

Is very important to understand the industry standrds before attempting to manipulate, transform or adapt it to specific or special needs.

One of the keypoints in making a succesful and flexible Decompression strategy is to repeat use between a few gases, as in Standard Mixes for standard applications such as Bottom Mixes and Deco Mixes.

The Standard Mixes should respect parameters reflecting the risk the diver and team agree to cope with, specially in O2 parameters and Narcosis. However is no secret nowdays that "Deep Air " risk is not only Nitrogen Narcosis the "real danger" of breathing Air at depth below 30-40 mts is Oxygen Toxicity the real enemy, which opposed to Narcosis will make diver convulse and loose conciousness. The Oxygen limits applied by IDREO are min .40 PO2 in any RB operation, perferably below .7 and Max 1.0 PO2 at any bottom mix portion of planned dive, 1.2 PO2 on below 90mt deco or short deep exposures, PO2 1.4 on "Deep Deco" or brief NDL dives, 1.6 in 21-6mt deco stops and PO2 2ata inside habitats.

The Explorer don't have necesity or willingness to high level of Narcosis while driving DPV's,  monitoring Rebreather's breathing mixes & gases, navigating thru overhead tunnels, survey activities and/or research activities, so the Mixes Narcosis level are limited to 30mt/100ft max.

One of the keypoints in making a succesful and flexible Decompression strategy is to repeat use between a few gases, as in Standard Mixes for standard applications such as Bottom Mixes and Deco Mixes.

The Standard Mixes should respect parameters reflecting the risk the diver and team agree to cope with, specially in O2 parameters and Narcosis. However is no secret nowdays that "Deep Air " risk is not only Nitrogen Narcosis the "real danger" of breathing Air at depth below 30-40 mts is Oxygen Toxicity the real enemy, which opposed to Narcosis will make diver convulse and loose conciousness. The Oxygen limits applied by IDREO are min .40 PO2 in any RB operation, perferably below .7 and Max 1.0 PO2 at any bottom mix portion of planned dive, 1.2 PO2 on below 90mt deco or short deep exposures, PO2 1.4 on "Deep Deco" or brief NDL dives, 1.6 in 21-6mt deco stops and PO2 2ata inside habitats.

The Explorer don't have necesity or willingness to high level of Narcosis while driving DPV's,  monitoring Rebreather's breathing mixes & gases, navigating thru overhead tunnels, survey activities and/or research activities, so the Mixes Narcosis level are limited to 30mt/100ft max.

NDL stand for NO DECOMPRESSION LIMITS, but thruth is there is not such a thing as we relay on ascent speed, 10 MT / 30 FT per minute or if you wish 20 second stops each 3MT / 10 FT so to explain.

NDSL may be more accurate and stands for No Decompression Stop Limits, which are the minimum times a diver can stay underwater at a given depth before having to perform actual decompression stops before surfacing, so pretty much a direct ascent to surface, as long as respecting a defined minimum ascent speed usually 10mt/30ft per minute.

NDSL Times varies with depth and therefore flexibility in figuring out the times is key in manging efficient and safe exposures.

IDREO offers an easy and accurate rule to "on the fly" been able to figure your NDSL, while at the same time build up the skill need to manage the flexibility exploration diving will require. Notice the plan dive is not always possible to know ahead of time or can change dramatically without expecting it while underwater.

In short 120 rule.

Gas Analysis is to verify the gases content within a Mix.
When Air have been enrich with Oxygen to create Nitrox mixes you must verify the Oxygen content by analyzing the bottle.Is very simple to perform Gas Analysis of a mix content by using a digital gauge + gas sensor unit, it does read the Fraction of the gas usually FO2 but also can be done in Helium.

Oxygen analyzers are most common, Helium analyzers are availble to and t expect to find O2 and Helium analyzers combined in one. Lately CO analyzers are becoming available and a great way to control unreliable gas filling situations or the gas use in those extreme dives.

Gas Analyisis is done to proof Mix against bottle MOD

All training in IDREO is based on the Accident Analysis in 2011 the main reasin of most fatalities involved switching to the wrong bottle, which means innapropiate Gas Switching Procedures or aids.

 IDREO recomends MOD in all breathing bottles and analyzing before dive any gas used.

As well as a detail list of standard Gases by bottle.

 In this article is discuss many of the important and valuable points to consider when switching bottles adn it's containing breathing gases while underwater either while on Open or Closed circuit.

The Basic Deco Bottle Switch Procedure is identify bottle and counter check MOD with the actual depth on depth gauge, make sure your dive partner is supervising your switch and if he or she is distracted just wait. Once you switch wait and supervise your partner gas switch unless you agree for your buddy to do it first, but in any case it should be done one at the time this is the most dangerous part of the dive and team should be fully focus on performing the switch in the safest and more efficient way possible.

In this realistic video a Basic Deco Bottle Switch demo is done by an average diver and performace to be considered as the minimum acceptable need to apply for an IDREO technical diving class.

Most important issue is to verify the gas MOD, buoyancy control second and trim last.

After stage or deco bottle use you may need to perform a Basic Back Gas Switch, so again make sure you are letting people know in the team as chances are they also may need to do it, however is unlikely if emphasis in proper Dive Planning is beeen dine, however it will pretty standard with a stage/deco bottle failure.

In this realistic video a Basic Back Gas Switch demo is done by an average diver and performace to be considered as the minimum acceptable need to apply for an IDREO technical diving class.

IDREO recommended procedures to adjust Decompression in the case of Deco Gas Lost. The reality we face with bottle failures could en up in missing a gas to complete the planned deco, having at hand other breathable gases will allow us to resume the Decompression obligations by Adjustment of the planned stop times.

In-water recompression or underwater oxygen treatment (IWR) is the emergency treatment of decompression sickness (DCS) of sending the diver back underwater to allow the gas bubbles in the tissues, which are causing the symptoms, to resolve. It is a risky procedure that should only ever be used when the time to travel to the nearest recompression chamber is too long to save the victim's life.

Carrying out in-water recompression when there is a nearby recompression chamber or without special equipment and training is never a favoured option.The risk of the procedure comes from the fact that a diver suffering from DCS is seriously ill and may become paralysed, unconscious or stop breathing whilst under water. Any one of these events is likely to result in the diver drowning or further injury to the diver during a subsequent rescue to the surface.

This is a crash course for DPV owners and/or divers interested in getting involved in DPV diving, finding out what it takes to dive them from very basic planning to the most advanced way of using multiple units in miles long and several hours dives even in overhead enviroments.

Expect Videos including Voiceover Powerpoint penetrations with detailed information, Topic Quizzes.

This information is intended to be use by capable and qualified DPV divers, or for students soon to participate in a formal DPV course, including land drills and in water skills practice.

We have include the following main DPV Course Topics :

• DPV History
• DPV Planning Sequence
• DPV Math
• DPV Failures

Also we review the Basic Diving Skill for

• Dive Planning
• Bailout Considerations
• NDL

NOTICE : This Course is mostly included in the Become a Safe & Efficient Dive Explorer