Hi Everyone

Larky · 31st August 2005, 00:54

Hello to all.

I only started diving a rebreather earlier this year. Should have done it years ago! Did a course in Florida in January and managed to get hold of one of those new yellow things in March.

Love it so far and now use the old twin 120`s to store Helium.

I live in Brazil and rebreathers are not real common down this way yet. Having to make do with bent nails and rubber bands is pretty much the norm. Managing to obtain some nails and rubber bands can often be the first hurdle to overcome.

Have found lots of useful information on this site so far and you seem like a friendly bunch. Look forward to participating. Heading off to sea in the morning to try not to blow any bubbles for a couple of days.

Abracos
Mike

***caveseeker7*** · 31st August 2005, 00:59

Welcome to Rebreather World, Mike.

Great spirit, diving a CCR in Brazil. Must be a PITA not having local support.
Have a great trip and report back to us a bit on diving in Brazil.

ROB DAVIE · 31st August 2005, 01:23

Mike,

Glad to have you aboard! Be sure to post us some pics of your adventures there in and arond Brazil!

Rob

Larky · 2nd September 2005, 12:11

Quote: (Originally Posted by caveseeker7)

Welcome to Rebreather World, Mike.

Great spirit, diving a CCR in Brazil. Must be a PITA not having local support.
Have a great trip and report back to us a bit on diving in Brazil.

Spent two days on a thirty foot fish collecting boat belonging to a mate. Blew 25 plus knots on Wednesday, which made getting the kit on a tad difficult. Laying the machine flat, then wedging my legs between the gunwhale and a hatch, then kind of feeding my arms through the straps seemed to work. Was nice in the water, we did two one hundred footers for an hour and a half, vis was a good sixty feet.

The divers on the boat, two brothers, were working on hookah. I have dived with these guys quite a few times over the last five years. Tough is the word that comes to mind to describe them. They use a single hose, around 3/8th of an inch ID, which drops to 1/4 inch after the tee joint, which gives them about thirty feet of hose each. None of this teflon coated stuff either, the clear reinforced stuff they use for compressors is what they use. Hose clamps? No, all joints are tied with fishing line.

Air is supplied from a twin cylinder 20 cubic foot compressor, belt driven off the main engine. Filtration,? well there is none, they usually use a rusty old LPG gas cylinder for a feeder tank but I see, after the recent refit, there is a fairly new looking compressor cylinder on deck. The owner made them a nice inline activated charcoal filter a few years back but they didn`t like it, reckoned it made the air taste bad. Non Toxic oil?, none of that.

I worked hookah for the best part of fifteen years and I am amazed these guys are able to breathe at all on this system!

The Boat works them `live` the skipper follows them about, while a decky feeds and pulls in the hose as necessary. After the first dive, both of them complained of sore throats, the compressor had just returned from a full rebuild and the machine oil must have been burning out.

Second dive, just one brother dived. We did another hour and a half and ''Lula'' stayed with me for the twenty minute deco, which impressed me. Normally they only spend five minutes at twenty feet, from whatever depth and for however long they may have been down.

Considering I had been using Eanx to the max in my Evolution for the dives... well as I say, tough! Augusto, the other brother, then went down alone for another hour or so. Then we steamed closer to the site for the next days diving and bobbed about like a cork the whole night.

Next day the sea had abated a little, we did five more dives in sixty to seventy feet, the first four or so looking for an area with fish for them to collect. Water was a bit grubbier, twenty feet or so vis. I clocked up five and three quarter hours on the seven dives. Did a bunch of routines and ran the scrubber until the temp stick gave a warning. The guys collected two hundred odd angelfish for the trip.

Will see if I can talk my wife into letting me take her new digital camera along next time and take a few snaps.

There are a group of spearfishermen working out of here, who hookah down to forty to fifty meters and then kind of snorkel down to as much as seventy meters to spear Cod. Have been trying to talk them into letting me ride along for some time. It`s the windy season now and they are working crayfish further up the coast. Maybe later this year?.

Cheers
Mike

***caveseeker7*** · 2nd September 2005, 18:34

Wow, I'm glad I asked.

That's some scary diving those guys do ... never has using a CCR sounded so sane.

Those hookah rigs ...

... and intresting deco procedures ... must be the Really Giant Bubbles Model they're using ... how do you calculate for polycarbons?

Thanks for the trip report.

***schford*** · 2nd September 2005, 18:44

Great trip report!

31st August 2005, 00:54	#1 (permalink)
Larky New Member Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Fortaleza, Brazil Posts: 19	Hi Everyone Hello to all. I only started diving a rebreather earlier this year. Should have done it years ago! Did a course in Florida in January and managed to get hold of one of those new yellow things in March. Love it so far and now use the old twin 120`s to store Helium. I live in Brazil and rebreathers are not real common down this way yet. Having to make do with bent nails and rubber bands is pretty much the norm. Managing to obtain some nails and rubber bands can often be the first hurdle to overcome. Have found lots of useful information on this site so far and you seem like a friendly bunch. Look forward to participating. Heading off to sea in the morning to try not to blow any bubbles for a couple of days. Abracos Mike __________________ There are people who think that everything one does with a serious face is sensible... Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
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31st August 2005, 00:59	#2 (permalink)
*caveseeker7* Who loves ya, baby Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Too far from Neverland Posts: 5,325	Welcome to Rebreather World, Mike. Great spirit, diving a CCR in Brazil. Must be a PITA not having local support. Have a great trip and report back to us a bit on diving in Brazil. __________________ Cheers Stefan "It is still a good day if you are on the green side of the grass! Su amigo Roberto!" Sponsor Lou in Race For Life!
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31st August 2005, 01:23	#3 (permalink)
ROB DAVIE Administrator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: HOUSTON, REPUBLIC OF TEJAS Posts: 1,120	Mike, Glad to have you aboard! Be sure to post us some pics of your adventures there in and arond Brazil! Rob __________________ [SIZE=2]"CC Rebreathers will become a viable part of tech diving [U]WHEN PIGS FLY[/U]!!"--GI3[/SIZE]
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2nd September 2005, 12:11	#4 (permalink)
Larky New Member Current Rebreather/s: Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Fortaleza, Brazil Posts: 19	Kind of rebreather related Quote: (Originally Posted by caveseeker7) Welcome to Rebreather World, Mike. Great spirit, diving a CCR in Brazil. Must be a PITA not having local support. Have a great trip and report back to us a bit on diving in Brazil. Spent two days on a thirty foot fish collecting boat belonging to a mate. Blew 25 plus knots on Wednesday, which made getting the kit on a tad difficult. Laying the machine flat, then wedging my legs between the gunwhale and a hatch, then kind of feeding my arms through the straps seemed to work. Was nice in the water, we did two one hundred footers for an hour and a half, vis was a good sixty feet. The divers on the boat, two brothers, were working on hookah. I have dived with these guys quite a few times over the last five years. Tough is the word that comes to mind to describe them. They use a single hose, around 3/8th of an inch ID, which drops to 1/4 inch after the tee joint, which gives them about thirty feet of hose each. None of this teflon coated stuff either, the clear reinforced stuff they use for compressors is what they use. Hose clamps? No, all joints are tied with fishing line. Air is supplied from a twin cylinder 20 cubic foot compressor, belt driven off the main engine. Filtration,? well there is none, they usually use a rusty old LPG gas cylinder for a feeder tank but I see, after the recent refit, there is a fairly new looking compressor cylinder on deck. The owner made them a nice inline activated charcoal filter a few years back but they didn`t like it, reckoned it made the air taste bad. Non Toxic oil?, none of that. I worked hookah for the best part of fifteen years and I am amazed these guys are able to breathe at all on this system! The Boat works them `live` the skipper follows them about, while a decky feeds and pulls in the hose as necessary. After the first dive, both of them complained of sore throats, the compressor had just returned from a full rebuild and the machine oil must have been burning out. Second dive, just one brother dived. We did another hour and a half and ''Lula'' stayed with me for the twenty minute deco, which impressed me. Normally they only spend five minutes at twenty feet, from whatever depth and for however long they may have been down. Considering I had been using Eanx to the max in my Evolution for the dives... well as I say, tough! Augusto, the other brother, then went down alone for another hour or so. Then we steamed closer to the site for the next days diving and bobbed about like a cork the whole night. Next day the sea had abated a little, we did five more dives in sixty to seventy feet, the first four or so looking for an area with fish for them to collect. Water was a bit grubbier, twenty feet or so vis. I clocked up five and three quarter hours on the seven dives. Did a bunch of routines and ran the scrubber until the temp stick gave a warning. The guys collected two hundred odd angelfish for the trip. Will see if I can talk my wife into letting me take her new digital camera along next time and take a few snaps. There are a group of spearfishermen working out of here, who hookah down to forty to fifty meters and then kind of snorkel down to as much as seventy meters to spear Cod. Have been trying to talk them into letting me ride along for some time. It`s the windy season now and they are working crayfish further up the coast. Maybe later this year?. Cheers Mike __________________ There are people who think that everything one does with a serious face is sensible... Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
(Offline)

2nd September 2005, 18:34	#5 (permalink)
*caveseeker7* Who loves ya, baby Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Prism Topaz Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Too far from Neverland Posts: 5,325	Wow, I'm glad I asked. That's some scary diving those guys do ... never has using a CCR sounded so sane. Those hookah rigs ... ... and intresting deco procedures ... must be the Really Giant Bubbles Model they're using ... how do you calculate for polycarbons? Thanks for the trip report. __________________ Cheers Stefan "It is still a good day if you are on the green side of the grass! Su amigo Roberto!" Sponsor Lou in Race For Life!
(Offline)

2nd September 2005, 18:44	#6 (permalink)
*schford* Despotic Overlord Current Rebreather/s: Megalodon Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,662	Great trip report!
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