| first use of a sidemount rebreather
I have been doing some research for a book and stumbled across what I believe is the first use of a sidemount rebreather.
Steve Wynne-Roberts used a side-slung SEBA-ATEA (submarine escape breathing appartus - amphibious tank escape apparatus) hybrid to pass Sump 6 in Swildon's hole on 2 June 1962 in the company of Mike Boon and Mike Thompson (on OC). The equipment was then used to pass Sump 2 in Stoke Lane Slocker for the first time on 16 September of the same year.
A photograph of the kit (modelled by Aubry Newport) is attached and reproduced by kind permission of Phil Davies. A description appears in "A Pictorial history of Swildon's Hole", WCC Occasional Publication (1975) edited by P Davies. |