Nadir Quarta

What (or who) persuaded you to become a professional diver?

In 1995, I, along with my business partner, opened a Diver Center. At the time, my partner was the only instructor, and I managed the rest. In 1997, the increasing number of classes pushed me to become an instructor, and a few years later, an Instructor Trainer, and eventually in 2008, a CCR Instructor.

Describe your biggest challenge when diving.

I always try to do the correct thing and be a good example for those who follow but that’s not always as easy as it seems. There are circumstances which make it difficult, but I try to be flexible enough to adapt in the safest way possible. I follow the motto "Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and adapt yourself as quickly as possible". Telling others to do the same is sometimes the biggest challenge.

Which diving achievement are you most proud of?

Beside surviving all the experiments I did? I would say the Cave Diving route which I began back in 1997 with the first dives in remote (at the time) Mexican Cenotes. I really enjoy every single minute in caves because of the quiet and the fantastic scenery you can find around every corner.

What was your first diving experience like?

Back in 1989, I did more or less trial dives in the lakes where I lived. They were cold and dark but exciting! And then again, in 1990, in some rivers on our mountains, like the Verzasca Valley, to reach the ocean in Australia where I did my first dives in the ocean. At that point, I had a good idea of the many diving environments and the rest quickly followed.

Why do you prefer rebreather?

I first learned about rebreathers while living in Miami back in 1994. There were whispers about a special machine built to explore and with which, a guy did a 24 hour dive (it was Dr. Bill Stone with one of the early versions of the Cis Lunar.) A year later, once I was back in my country, I began looking around for what was available but came across nothing. Then, at the end 1997 (if I remember correctly), I began using the Drägers SCR and later built my own rebreather which made all of my experiments possible and led to what I'm doing now. I prefer CCR because I believe in the technology, in the concepts around some of the ideas, and how they make dives more enjoyable.

What's your favorite diving gear?

The rebreathers in general. It's fascinating what we can do with such a small piece of kit and most of them have so much research behind them. I use them wherever and whatever. It's always a pleasure, even including the time spent getting the rebreather ready! Now, with a very good unit like the Liberty Sidemount, I can say this is my favourite piece of the kit.

What's your favorite diving spot?

Any place with water is my favorite. There are two spots which I often go back to: in Florida for cave diving and Scapa Flow for wreck diving. In Florida, there are so many kilometers of caves and passages and life is so easy going (at least for us tourists) that it's always a pleasure to go back at least once a year to enjoy the Liberty Sidemount fully and also to see friends, of course! Scapa Flow is a different but very peaceful place with old warships and plenty of history. After many years and dives there, it's now much easier to find the small details which are still present but hidden inside, and the Liberty SM is very helpful for this.

I'd also like to go back to the Bahamas and enjoy this paradise with Brian Kakuk - this is a must!

BIO ITALIAN
Nato e cresciuto sul lago Maggiore, Svizzera, la passione per la subacquea c'è sempre stata ma ho dedicato alla navigazione i primi anni... Il mio primo approccio è stato grazie ad amici che mi hanno fatto fare un'immersione in un pozzo della Valle Maggia, Svizzera, era il 1989 o giù di lì. Ho continuato con i tuffi fortuiti fino al 1993 quando ho fatto il primo brevetto, PADI. Dopo pochi anni con un amico abbiamo creato un Dive Center e grazie ai frequenti viaggi all'estero ho avuto la fortuna e la possibilità di fare esperienze uniche in una infinità di posti, alcuni, all'epoca, raramente visitati. Il continuo viaggiare mi ha portato a conoscere la subacquea tecnica, ed i rebreathers. Nel 1998, già istruttore PADI, divento istruttore IANTD.

Nel 1997 inizio le prime immersioni con SCR Dräger, come quasi tutti a quei tempi per passare dopo pochissimi anni a cose più impegnative passando per un auto-costruito.

E' così che ora insegno su CCR Liberty, VMS RedBare e AP Inspiration ma con l'indubbio piacere di averne usati molti altri nel corso degli anni come il KISS Classic, ISC Pathfinder, Ouroboros, Cis Lunar Mk5P, SF1 ed SF2, KISS SideWinder ecc.

BIO FRENCH
Née et élevée sur le lac Maggiore, Suisse, la passion pour la plongée a toujours été là mais je me suis consacrée à la navigation les premières années ... Mon premièr approche a été grâce à des amis qui m'ont fait plonger dans un puits dans la vallée Maggia, Suissse, c'était en 1989 environ. J'ai continué les plongées accidentelles jusqu'en 1993 lorsque j'ai fait le premier brevet, PADI. Après quelques années avec un ami, nous avons créé un centre de plongée et grâce aux fréquents voyages à l'étranger, j'ai eu la chance et la possibilité de vivre des expériences uniques dans un nombre infini de lieux, certains, à l'époque, rarement visités. Le voyage continu m'a permis de connaître la plongée technique et les recycleurs. En 1998, déjà instructeur PADI, je suis devenu instructeur IANTD.

En 1997, j'ai commencé les premières plongées avec SCR Dräger, comme presque tout-le-monde pour passer après quelques années à des choses plus exigeantes en passant par un Home-build.

C'est ainsi que j'enseigne maintenant sur CCR Liberty, VMS RedBare et AP Inspiration mais avec le plaisir incontestable d'en avoir utilisé beaucoup d'autres au fil des ans comme le KISS Classic, ISC Pathfinder, Ouroboros, Cis Lunar Mk5P, SF1 et SF2, KISS SideWinder etc.

BIO GERMAN
Geboren und aufgewachsen am Lago Maggiore in der Schweiz hatte ich schon immer eine Leidenschaft für das Tauchen aber ich habe mich die ersten Jahre für die Schifffahrt entschieden. Meine erste Erfahrung mit dem Tauchen verdanke ich Freunden, die mich im Jahre 1989 zu einem Tauchgang in einem Weiher im Maggiatal in der Schweiz einluden. Ich habe dann weiter gemacht mit eher zufälligen Tauchgängen bis zum Jahr 1993 wo ich das erste PADI Brevet bestanden habe.

Wenige Jahre danach habe ich mit einem Freund ein Tauchcenter gegründet und dank vielen Reisen ins Ausland hatte ich das Glück und die Möglichkeit ,einzigartige Erfahrungen zu sammeln an zahlreichen Orten, die zum Teil damals noch fast unbekannt waren. Die folgenden Reisen haben mir ermöglicht die Technische Tauche und die Kreislaufgeräte kennen zu lernen.

Im Jahr 1998, schon PADI-Instructor, wurde ich Instructor für die IANTD.

1997 begann ich die ersten Tauchgänge mit SCR Dräger, wie fast alle in jener Zeit, um dann nach wenigen Jahren zu anspruchsvolleren Dingen über zu gehen wie ein Home-Build.

Und so instruiere ich heute CCR Liberty, VMS RedBare und AP Inspiration mit der grossen Genugtuung, im Laufe der Jahre viele andere verwendet zu haben wie das KISS Classic, ISC Pathfinder, Ouroboros, Cis Lunar Mk5P, SF1 und SF2, KISS SideWinder etc.