Rebreather World - View Single Post - SAR K9 Diver

Doorduijn, Niels · 30th December 2006, 09:07

K9,

There are a number of options which come to mind.

The easiest solution of all is probably an pure O2 rebreather as they are relatively easy to use, less expensive then SCR and CCR units and rather compact.

I am not really informed about the various models O2 rebreathers and I am not sure which types you could buy in the US. In Europe, the OMG 96 comes to mind (Photos C96), which I believe is sold for about Euro 1500. The most famous O2 rebreather is obviously the LAR-V, a military rebreather, but it is very expensive and hard to get. There is a database on O2 rebreathers on Rebreathers Worldwide.

O2 rebreathers have several issues to be aware of. First and most importantly, they are severely depth limited. For recreational divers, the maximum depth is generally considered to be 6 meters. Get deeper and you risk getting something called an O2 hit, which can kill you. There is also a time limit, which is dependent on the depth. At six meters, the maximum divetime is 45 minutes per dive and 150 minutes per day. The dive time can be longer, for example by sticking to a depth of 3 meters. O2 rebreathers do not come with a jacket or wing, so you need to give some thought to your buoyancy.

An alternative you may want to consider is if depth is an issue, is the SCR rebreather. For more information, see Rebreathers Worldwide. Generally speaking, a SCR rebreather is less complex to use and cheaper than an (e)CCR unit, but the down side is that there are some bubles (less then on OC though). The Draeger Ray is problably the simplest and cheapest SCR unit on the market. A Ray can be bought secondhand, I think for about 800 euros (I have seen them cheaper, but never really looked into it).

Lastly, if you must have no bubles and depth is an issue, you get to the CCR. CCR's come in different versions: electronic (eCCR) and manual (mCCR). If you only purchase a rebreather for the training of the dogs, I would suggest that you look into the Sport Kiss (Jetsam.ca). It is by far the cheapest CCR unit on the market, it is fairly small (bigger than an O2 rebreather, but smaller than any other CCR) and it is reportedly simple to use. Getting these secondhand is possible, but, at least in Europe, the prices are relatively close to the price of a new unit.

For all units (O2, SCR, CCR), you will need training. Before purchasing a unit, make sure that you can get instruction on it. For O2 units, this may not be easy as O2 rebreathers are rare in the recreational dive world.

Have you thought about the option to ask local CCR divers to act as victims for the training of the dogs? I am sure that there are plenty of people who would be willing to help out.

If you need more info, let me know.

Rgs,

Niels Doorduijn

30th December 2006, 09:07	#3 (permalink)
Doorduijn, Niels Custom Title Allowed! Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic MK 15.X Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Dolphin Join Date: May 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 53	Re: SAR K9 Diver - CCR help K9, There are a number of options which come to mind. The easiest solution of all is probably an pure O2 rebreather as they are relatively easy to use, less expensive then SCR and CCR units and rather compact. I am not really informed about the various models O2 rebreathers and I am not sure which types you could buy in the US. In Europe, the OMG 96 comes to mind (Photos C96), which I believe is sold for about Euro 1500. The most famous O2 rebreather is obviously the LAR-V, a military rebreather, but it is very expensive and hard to get. There is a database on O2 rebreathers on Rebreathers Worldwide. O2 rebreathers have several issues to be aware of. First and most importantly, they are severely depth limited. For recreational divers, the maximum depth is generally considered to be 6 meters. Get deeper and you risk getting something called an O2 hit, which can kill you. There is also a time limit, which is dependent on the depth. At six meters, the maximum divetime is 45 minutes per dive and 150 minutes per day. The dive time can be longer, for example by sticking to a depth of 3 meters. O2 rebreathers do not come with a jacket or wing, so you need to give some thought to your buoyancy. An alternative you may want to consider is if depth is an issue, is the SCR rebreather. For more information, see Rebreathers Worldwide. Generally speaking, a SCR rebreather is less complex to use and cheaper than an (e)CCR unit, but the down side is that there are some bubles (less then on OC though). The Draeger Ray is problably the simplest and cheapest SCR unit on the market. A Ray can be bought secondhand, I think for about 800 euros (I have seen them cheaper, but never really looked into it). Lastly, if you must have no bubles and depth is an issue, you get to the CCR. CCR's come in different versions: electronic (eCCR) and manual (mCCR). If you only purchase a rebreather for the training of the dogs, I would suggest that you look into the Sport Kiss (Jetsam.ca). It is by far the cheapest CCR unit on the market, it is fairly small (bigger than an O2 rebreather, but smaller than any other CCR) and it is reportedly simple to use. Getting these secondhand is possible, but, at least in Europe, the prices are relatively close to the price of a new unit. For all units (O2, SCR, CCR), you will need training. Before purchasing a unit, make sure that you can get instruction on it. For O2 units, this may not be easy as O2 rebreathers are rare in the recreational dive world. Have you thought about the option to ask local CCR divers to act as victims for the training of the dogs? I am sure that there are plenty of people who would be willing to help out. If you need more info, let me know. Rgs, Niels Doorduijn Last edited by Doorduijn, Niels : 30th December 2006 at 14:10.
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