IART Standards & Procedures
OC Extended Range Diver
A) Course pre-requisites: The participant must:
1. Be at least 18 years of age.
2. Prior to commencing practical training, provide proof of a current diving medical not
older than two years for participants below 40 years of age and for participants over
40 years of age not older than one year.
3. Hold an IART Decompression Diver certification or equivalent certification.
4. Have completed at least 80 logged dives including at least 20 decompression dives.
B) Course content/duration:
This course develops in the participant, the required abilities, knowledge and techniques
to dive responsibly with open circuit SCUBA in the realm of decompression dives using
normoxic Trimix to a maximum depth of 60m
C) Extended Range (normoxic Trimix) diver:
This covers all aspects of normoxic Trimix theory and 4 normoxic Trimix dives performed
over at least 2 days with a minimum accumulated open water dive time of 200 minutes.
The maximum instructor-to-student ratio is 1:3.
All theoretical and practical aspects of Extended Range decompression diving with
normoxic Trimix. The classroom sessions explain the physical and physiological hazards
of diving with normoxic Trimix, dive and decompression planning, gas management,
equipment configuration for diving with 2 stages and all procedures involved.
Topics covered in the practical training include Trimix gas analysis, assembly,
disassembly and maintenance of equipment, gas switching, deployment of deco-buoys,
stress management and emergency exercises
D) Support material: IART OC Extended Range manual, NOAA 02-exposure tables,
Computer-based dive tables such as VPM, Z-Plan, etc., Instructor presentation materials
and flash-cards
E) Required equipment: Complete diving equipment, separate bail-out cylinder, lift bag,
safety reel, knife or tool, decompression table, slate, depth gauge and bottom timer or
computer. The equipment should include an additional oxygen-clean regulator.
F) Limits: The minimum/maximum depths during training are : OW dive 1
35-45m,
OW dive 2 40-50m, OW dive 3 45-55m and OW dive 4 50-60m Maximum
decompression requirements during training should not exceed 10 minutes for dive 1, 15
mins dive 2, 20 mins dive 3 and 25 mins dive 4.
G) Practical skills: The dives should include the proper planning, including calculation of
dive profile, gas analysing and labelling, equipment familiarization (Stage bottle
removal/replacement, oxygen bail-out regulator use), emergency and out-of-air
procedures (gas sharing, rescue ascent, etc.), ascent reel and lift bag deployment, and
proper decompression techniques.
H) Certification requirements: The student must satisfactorily complete a written exam.
Once training requirements are met at the Instructor's discretion, it is necessary to
submit an application in order to obtain the corresponding IART certification card. In
accordance with IART quality control, the student and Instructor are required to fill in the
training protocol form. The instructor must retain this form with the student file.
I)
Certification: IART HQ
J)
Certification Renewal: n/a
IART 2015