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Abbo · 10th September 2006, 03:59

I've been diving OC since '81, and I love it: it's so forgiving. In a remote location in the Philippines a dive shop charged me 25c/litre for Helium, and I knew then it was time to change - that's $1,000 for a 100m dive. Global supplies of easily recoverable Helium are likely to run out by 2020, and stronger-for-longer oil prices drive freight costs skyward, so the situation is only going to get worse. The first step on the decision tree is to decide: mechanical or electronic. I took a Pelagian course while in Thailand - a mechanical rebreather. I was surprised that the task loading was not really a problem, but I know that when the poop hits the fan IQ drops 50%, and it might be nice to have a computer that says "ahem, are you sure you want to do that?". Computers are inherently unreliable, but add water and they turn from Mogwai to Gremlin. I have a personal aversion to dying. Choice of rebreather is a personal decision, and the best thing would be to try them all. That would take too much time and wad. Have you any advice that would simplify the decision?

10th September 2006, 03:59	#1 (permalink)
Abbo Nicholas Smith Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tokyo Posts: 449	mCCR or eCCR I've been diving OC since '81, and I love it: it's so forgiving. In a remote location in the Philippines a dive shop charged me 25c/litre for Helium, and I knew then it was time to change - that's $1,000 for a 100m dive. Global supplies of easily recoverable Helium are likely to run out by 2020, and stronger-for-longer oil prices drive freight costs skyward, so the situation is only going to get worse. The first step on the decision tree is to decide: mechanical or electronic. I took a Pelagian course while in Thailand - a mechanical rebreather. I was surprised that the task loading was not really a problem, but I know that when the poop hits the fan IQ drops 50%, and it might be nice to have a computer that says "ahem, are you sure you want to do that?". Computers are inherently unreliable, but add water and they turn from Mogwai to Gremlin. I have a personal aversion to dying. Choice of rebreather is a personal decision, and the best thing would be to try them all. That would take too much time and wad. Have you any advice that would simplify the decision?
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