As someone who has recently switched from ECCR to MCCR i have to say MCCR is a pain.

ECCR just works. The a red light flashes or a monitor shows an error and you have to do something. With my first unit i went many many dives before i had to worry about doing anything out of necessity on a dive.

ECCR is not just a safety net, it's a way of diving CCR with nearly as little hassle as diving OC. Put loop in-breath-go dive. Similar to a twinset OC dive. MCCR you have to be constantly aware of whats going on. This really is a pain and it becomes apparent when task loaded with a camera or bagging up spidge, sorting line out etc etc.

PP02's are all over the place so an integrated decompression computer is a nice comfort blanket on a big dive. It theoretically tells you what you need rather than you having to guess your average PP02.

I am sure it gets easier and more instinctive but after about 20 hours on it so far I conclude its a pain.


HOWEVER

I think its safer because you have to be constantly in tune with your unit, i think it safer because you are more aware when it starts to act odd.

In order for it to be safe it must have HUD. Because when you are task loaded you need something in your face telling you you need to pay attention to the unit. I would not like to be in a high task load situation with a MCCR with no HUD.


ECCR is definitely a better way to dive but it breeds laziness and over confidence, despite the fact we all know electronics fail on a regular basis.
MCCR has less to go wrong QED its a better unit for multi day diving and trips away. So the price you pay for improved safety and reduced down time is that your normal diving work load is increased.


So IMHO MCCR is a pain but the pain is worth it.

When someone brings out a faultless ECCR unit ill be back in the market place.

ATB

Mark Chase