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The Rebreather Training Council (RTC) is an organisation which publishes standards and guidance for training recreational and technical diving divers for rebreather diving in cooperation with the International Standards Organisation.[1][2] Like other ISO standards for recreational diver training, these are intended as minimum standards, and input from the specific certification organisation, to comply with their training philosophy, and the manufacturer of the specific rebreather unit, to comply with their minimum requirements for safety, are expected.[3]
The RTC is classified as a category C liaison organisation by ISO, meaning that they make a technical contribution to a working group and participate actively in the work of that group.[1] RTC has this status with Working Group 1 – Diving Services of ISO TC 228.[4] RTC also cooperates with with the Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA) through the Combined Rebreather Industry Standards Alignment Group (CRISAG).[4]
Organisation
editRTC has three categories of membership:[5]
- Full members are organisations that provide rebreather training courses that their instructors deliver, and have a quality assurance system for the training. Only full members have voting rights.
- Associate members are organisations that are active in technology associated with rebreathers and related hardware and software.
- Observers are persons or organisations invited by RTC to attend meetings
History
editPublications
editThe RTC published its first training standard, RTC Rebreather Level 1, in 2017. It specifies a minimum competence for a recreational diver to dive without supervision with a rebreather to a depth not exceeding 30 metres (98 ft) with no planned decompression stops. Member organisations of the RTC can stipulate that a training programme within their own system meets this standard, by which they assert that their course at least meets the minimum requirements of the standard.[2]
By November 2018 RTC had published two further rebreather training standards:[6]
- RTC Technical Rebreather Diver Level 2, for diver training in the use of gas mixtures containing helium to depths not exceeding 60 m
- RTC Technical Rebreather Diver Level 3, for diver training in the use of gas mixtures containing helium to depths not exceeding 100 m
PADI has asserted that the PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver course meets the minimum requirements of the RTC Rebreather Diver Level 1 standard.[2]
RAID General Diving Standards (RGDS) Version 58 issued in early 2022 contains new course standards and conforms to new industry norms, including the most recent ISO, Rebreather Training Council and Rebreather Equipment Safety Association standards.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "RTC: Rebreather Training Council". www.iso.org. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "First Standard Published by Rebreather Training Council". pros-blog.padi.com. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Lunn, Rosemary E. (1 September 2017). "Minimum training standards developed by manufacturers take priority, states RESA". X-Ray Mag. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ a b "About the RTC". rebreathertrainingcouncil.org. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "RTC Rules & Regulations" (PDF). rebreathertrainingcouncil.org. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Graves, Grant (15 November 2018). "RTC And RESA Agree On Rebreather Training Standards". www.deeperblue.com.
- ^ Liang, John (4 March 2022). "RAID Updates Its Teaching Standards". www.deeperblue.com. ISSN 1469-865X. Retrieved 12 March 2024.