New to rebreathers any advice?

tlegner

Hello everyone,
I have been certified OW since 1980. I was out for a long time and recently got back in. I completed Nitox and advaced open water. I stumbled on a Draeger Atlantis 1 upgraded. I am considering a purchase. I presently know enough about them to know what you will tell me but not enough, or training, to hit the water. I am an explorer but not a stupid one. I am also a bit of an information junkie. Before I make that decision I need to know all about the different rebreathers. The Dolphin SCR seemed to be a nice way to start but a technical diver I spoke to does not like the "hope everything works while your under" aspect. I can see his point.
Here is where I am now. I would like to explore the rebreather as an extension of my nitrox training. I am not planning to exceed recreational limits with a rebreather. At least not in the near future or with equipment that does not support it. I will be diving with others not on a rebreather so their bottom time is mine. I love technical things and machines. My short term plans are to esentially dive recreational and not really utilize the systems potential but rather the system itself. This seems to me to be a good place to start.
The most critical problem I am facing now is where to get my training in South Carolina. Any suggestions would be helpful.
The second area is equipment. I presently know rebreathers superficially. That is why I am here.
I hope to hear from you experienced divers your personal preference and reasons why.
Thanks,
T. L.

PaulTG2

Hello,

Based on your stated profile there is a huge selection of equipment to select from. From my past research and experience I would provide the following thoughts:

1) The quality of your training and continued practice for proficiency determines how safe you are -- far more than what equipment you choose to buy.

2) Regardless of what equipment you select you should invest in a redundant PO2 monitoring system. Knowing your PO2, even on SCR systems, is critically important. IMHO, the risks of not knowing your PO2 far outweigh the cost of a good monitoring system. The only exception I would ever make was for a shallow water pure O2 rebreather and running it on loop volume... but even then...

3) Read, read, read. Read books on rebreather diving, dive physiology, technical diving, dive and rebreather accident reports, etc... Knowledge is safety.

4) Did I mention the importance of continued practice for proficiency for safety.

5) Train your dive buddies on what to watch for and what what to do in an emergency.

6) I went the SCR route but found buoyancy far easier and breathing far more consistent on a good CCR. I found over the shoulder (OTS) counter lungs were far more consistent in work of breath, but they definitely more cumbersome than back mounted. I still prefer OTS counter lungs but it is definitely a personal preference item.

7) If you travel to dive make certain the rig and equipment and required supplies fit in your travel profile and size/weight requirements. Traveling with all the equipment is the hardest part of rebreather diving from my point of view. Second is getting O2 refills. You need to do your research and plan ahead.

8) Don't ask for opinions on SCR vs. mCCR vs. eCCR vs. what-ever-else on these boards. Politics, religion, and sex are far, far safer topics.

9) Double the price of the rebreather to get a rough feel of how much it will cost for training, supplies, ancillary equipment, bailout tanks and regulators, O2 testers, cells, backup gear, tanks, Constant PO2 dive computer, mounts, etc, etc, etc, etc. If you get an very inexpensive rebreather then triple the costs.

10) If you want inexpensive don't go with a rebreather. However... doing Recreational diving with single tank OC buddies there are probably a number of ways to choose less expensive routes than most tech rebreather divers.

11) While asking for opinions on what equipment to purchase solicits a lot of responses, you'll do better just spending time reading the various threads on what problems people have had with the equipment and the manufacturers. I found this very enlightening.

12) Always carry OC backup equipment. Having an out means you're more likely to not dive when you're having a problem with the rebreather equipment. Having outs makes decision making easier and safer.

13) Find a "rebreather" experience pool session where you can experience a number of different units to see how various equipment fits and feels. I have no idea how common these are -- there was one a few months ago in Florida I would have enjoyed going to. Alternatively, try the June 16th rebreather social at Dutch Springs to talk with people and see these things up close.

Enjoy the experience!

-Paul

Abbo

I really sympathize with your plight: there's a bewildering range of models, each with a posse of religious fundamentalists telling you that his model is the only true way. The one way of guaranteeing a knife fight on rebreather world is to ask which model is best: everyone has so much time and money invested with his model that he feels a need to proselytize.

I went diving last weekend with a bunch of OC divers. I did take more time than them putting it together and testing it. Anyone who tells you that with practice it takes no more time is guilty of self-deception. Then came the walk to the water across rocks: it's heavy and cumbersome, whatever breather you use - and expensive, so you want to be especially careful not to fall on it. When I splashed I was concentrating on getting my PO2 up high enough to check the range on the cells. For a second I took my eye off my buddy, in low viz, and he shot to the surface because he was unable to equalize his ears. There are times when you will be preoccupied and won't be able to nanny other people any more. I had explained to my buddy before the dive how to handle a rebreather diver if he gets unconcious, but a diver who is challenged by ear-clearing would be worse than no help in an emergency. The upshot is that rebreathers are far more trouble than OC on shallow dives: you'll be doing real pre-flight checks for dinky dives at periscope depth. The only reason I dive a rebeather at less than 40m is to build up skills to dive it at substantially more than 40m, like I did on OC without thinking twice about it.

I don't begrudge one moment taking care of my baby, though, and couldn't imagine going back. I took Mod 1 on both Pelagian and Megalogon before buying a Meg. I think Pelagian is streets ahead of any manual CCR: easy to transport, easy to use and safe. I think Meg is the absolute pick of the e-CCRs: again, compact and easy to transport, well thought out, and with a build quality that makes it totally soldier-proof. In the end I bought a Meg. Maybe I'll end up owning both. There is no best rebreather, any more than there is a best wine, though there may be a best one for you. And life's just too short not to enjoy trying them all.