Should I try a rebreather?

[EireDiver606]

Rebreather is a tool for a specific job.

You don't need a sledgehammer to nail a 1/2 inch nail into a wall. In addition, there are more added dangers and complexities which others have already mentioned.

It’s not about “oh hey lemme give it a go!”, it’s about the risk versus reward related to the dive and the logistics involved. For some serious dives, a rebreather is the only sane way to accomplish the dive safely.

Personally, I wouldn’t even look at rebreathers. Unrelated, but there’s a reason they call them “widow makers”.

 

[Superlyte27]

Personally, I wouldn’t even look at rebreathers. Unrelated, but there’s a reason they call them “widow makers”.

And that reason is because people have held on to a believe that is more than 20 years old. Cave diving was considered extremely perilous 50 years ago. And it really was, but advancements in gear and training have made it the safest form of diving among those certified to cave dive.

20 years ago a lady I really respect said something incredibly stupid on national television. She said that 1 in 11 rebreathers results in a fatality. It's simply not true. But because of who she was, it stuck. Advancements in training and equipment make CCR incredibly safe. I will take the benefits over the the mitigated risks on every dive. 30'-300'+

Dive a CCR, Don't dive a CCR, the most dangerous part of your dive will still be the drive to the dive site (provided you have the proper training). If my 18 year old daughter asked to finish her Full Cave cert right now, we'd do it in an Optima or a Liberty.

 

[broncobowsher]

Try one? yes. It is a new experience. Trying one (a try dive) is good. Even if you don't go that way, you actually know about them a little.

I tried one, 7 years later I got one. When I tried it I was no way ready for one. But later as my diving developed and I started into the black hole of technical diving I made the switch. It is NOT for everyone.

 

[doctormike]

Personally, I wouldn’t even look at rebreathers. Unrelated, but there’s a reason they call them “widow makers”.

Not sure if you were referring to the OP with the first sentence or yourself. Do you dive a rebreather?

 

[Gareth J]

I did my CCR course in 2004.
Since then, I've very seldom dived OC, other than some overseas holidays, or if I'm teaching where CCR is not appropriate or allowed.

10m or 70m, I use the CCR. In truth I have done very little deep (over 50m) diving for a while, my late partner didn't enjoy deep dives (over 40m). On the basis most trips we went together, and more often than not dived together this reduced my opportunities for mix diving considerably. My last deep exped' (Malin Head), all the deep stuff was blown out by poor weather.

I find CCR diving very relaxing. This year is the first time I've had any sort of issue, I even had to consider bailing out.
CCR takes looking after, and being patient and pedantic when assembling. That said, I find them very convenient for a weekends diving. Set it up before hand, and use it all weekend, no faffing with cylinder changes or fills, just dive it straight through.

They are expensive to purchase, and need looking after. Chucking them in the back off the car on Sunday night, and dragging them out the following Saturday and expecting them to look after you is foolhardy. You can do that with OC, but not CCR. Mind you, if they behave, your not going to run out of gas.

 

[reddiver970]

Rebreather is a tool for a specific job.

You don't need a sledgehammer to nail a 1/2 inch nail into a wall. In addition, there are more added dangers and complexities which others have already mentioned.

It’s not about “oh hey lemme give it a go!”, it’s about the risk versus reward related to the dive and the logistics involved. For some serious dives, a rebreather is the only sane way to accomplish the dive safely.

Personally, I wouldn’t even look at rebreathers. Unrelated, but there’s a reason they call them “widow makers”.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but for me personally my biggest regret with rebreathers was that I didn't start diving them sooner. I always hear the "right tool for the job" thing, well I am not doing a job, I am diving for fun and find rebreathers are more enjoyable shallow or deep.

 

[reddiver970]

Should you try one? absolutely, with an instructor in a controlled environment, go for it. Then if it sparks your interest you can start working in that direction building experience and taking more classes to build skills and knowledge..at some point if your still interested you will be ready

 

[Superlyte27]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but for me personally my biggest regret with rebreathers was that I didn't start diving them sooner. I always hear the "right tool for the job" thing, well I am not doing a job, I am diving for fun and find rebreathers are more enjoyable shallow or deep.

I remember the first time I was on a rebreather with Jim Wyatt. We were at about 70' during class and I started hearing the strangest noise ever. It wasn't until later I realized that it had started raining. The noise I was hearing was the rain drops 70' above hitting the surface of the water.

It's awesome not having to rush. In cave diving, everything is based on that third of gas. Rush to get the line placed, rush to make the jump, efficient kicks, efficient motions, blah blah blah.... Removing that time limit and replacing it with a penetration limit (for bailout) was really the best thing for me.

 

[Gareth J]

I remember the first time I was on a rebreather with Jim Wyatt. We were at about 70' during class and I started hearing the strangest noise ever. It wasn't until later I realized that it had started raining. The noise I was hearing was the rain drops 70' above hitting the surface of the water.

.

On my 2nd or 3rd dive on the course, we where near a depression in the sand and rock. It was full of rays.

We where running through a series of skills and exercises, all or a sudden all the rays got up and swam off. A few minutes late you could hear the OC divers, they swam up to the depression, had a look and swam on. A few minutes later, all the rays reappeared and settled back down in the depression.

 

[doctormike]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but for me personally my biggest regret with rebreathers was that I didn't start diving them sooner. I always hear the "right tool for the job" thing, well I am not doing a job, I am diving for fun and find rebreathers are more enjoyable shallow or deep.

Preach it, brother. I feel exactly the same way. I don't need a CCR, I'm not doing dives so deep that the gas volume would be an issue. But I really love my CCR. It has revitalized my enjoyment of diving. It's fascinating. I love reading about it, talking about it, and posting about it. I love diving it. Quiet and warm. And yeah, it's nice not to have to always be watching the SPG.

Of course, the rebreather adds risks, but it also removes some risks. It can kill you if you don't pay attention - see the recent training debacle in Hawaii. But the same can be said for diving in general. Gotta respect the sport.