Options for rec divers
- Thread starter slackercruster
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
If you want a cheap unit then used will be your best bet. You can pick up a used Kiss Sport for pretty cheap. Used rebreathers aren't more dangerous, per se, but keep in mind that a stock used rebreather is very hard to find. So make sure you understand the modifications that have been made to the unit and how they work. I would swap the cells and give it a full run-through before diving it but most of the units out there are pretty high quality so you shouldn't worry about buying used.
There may also be limitations for the manufacturer warranty. Make sure to find out about these when considering a used unit.
You can just get a used Draeger Dolphin or Ray for about $1500. Simple and time tested.
Dale
Dale
Gill Envy
Contributor
CCR's are an awesome choice for the avid recreational diver. I would not suggest them for the occasional vacation diver, there are a lot of skills that need to be kept up by regular use (50+ dives a year). Once you have the expense of training and purchase behind you you will find an incredible expansion in no decompression limit diving. there are so many dives I wish I could go back and do on CCR that I did on OC, so many 35 minute dives that could have been 2+ hour dives, so many dives where I got to that magical spot only to have to turn around because of air/deco limits. I have gotten to go back and do many CCR dives at old OC sites, to find that there is actually much more to most of those sites than I had ever had a chance to explore on OC. CCR can re-awaken the passion for diving that some loose after a while on OC. It can also be a bridge from sport diving to deep technical diving for those that just can't see past the downsides of doubles and expense of OC mixed gas. don't kid yourself, you'll spend mony on CCR, but what you get in return is amazing.
All that flowery language aside, there is no doubt about it, CCR's are more dangerous and that is just a sobering reality for anyone who is considering going this route and should not be taken lightly. CCR takes many a diver over the edge of manageable risk. Especially excellent seasoned divers seem just as capable, if not even more likely to making stupid mistakes that are amazingly unforgiving on CCR and all to often lead to their end.
Managing risk on a CCR is rather unintuitive. My first impulse was to get a rig that had all the bells and whistles, designed to catch diver error and mechanical failure. the experiences my wife and I had with our first CCR's (eCCR's) proved to us that the more bells and whistles you have, the more on the ball you actually have to be because if those bells and whistles don't blow at that critical moment, it's lights out all the same. Super sophisticated rebreathers are best for very highly trained and very self disciplined divers, they actually require you to be even more anal, IMHO.
We found that a simple KISS style rebreather kept us highly motivated and forced us to monitor the one thing that keeps you alive, your PO2. mCCR's are the drill sergeant that never leaves your side, and you can't even make it out of the swimming pool without having the crap scared out of you, making very clear that your undivided attention is in fact your only true safety net. Paying attention to and adjusting your own po2 is like juggling, at first it's hard to do anything else and eventually you add more balls to the mix like photography and get into a smooth rythm of monitoring, adjusting and cross checking monitors while enjoying the dive, in a way that no computer can truly beat.
mCCR's are not a silver bullet, you'd be just as F*cked on one if you grew too confident, but they are at the very least a great way to get started and quite manageable for the avid sport diver.
they are:
-more reliable and easy to maintain
-easier to fix when they malfunction
-do not require trips back to the hatchery (for the most part)
-are less of a wild card to buy used.
-are cheaper both new and used and maintain their value well over time.
-they are remarkably easy to use and less likely to lull you into complacency... though there are always exceptions to any rule, don't be that exception, your life will be in your own hands!
If you buy a KISS, I recommend putting a Shearwater on it. Just about any mCCR will get you in the water and loving the fishies, I have several friends who are very happy with their rEvo's. I've enjoyed my copis Meg. whatever rig you choose, I recommend making sure it has independent monitors and true redundancy in electronics, these things are very important at any depth.
Kind Regards,
george
All that flowery language aside, there is no doubt about it, CCR's are more dangerous and that is just a sobering reality for anyone who is considering going this route and should not be taken lightly. CCR takes many a diver over the edge of manageable risk. Especially excellent seasoned divers seem just as capable, if not even more likely to making stupid mistakes that are amazingly unforgiving on CCR and all to often lead to their end.
Managing risk on a CCR is rather unintuitive. My first impulse was to get a rig that had all the bells and whistles, designed to catch diver error and mechanical failure. the experiences my wife and I had with our first CCR's (eCCR's) proved to us that the more bells and whistles you have, the more on the ball you actually have to be because if those bells and whistles don't blow at that critical moment, it's lights out all the same. Super sophisticated rebreathers are best for very highly trained and very self disciplined divers, they actually require you to be even more anal, IMHO.
We found that a simple KISS style rebreather kept us highly motivated and forced us to monitor the one thing that keeps you alive, your PO2. mCCR's are the drill sergeant that never leaves your side, and you can't even make it out of the swimming pool without having the crap scared out of you, making very clear that your undivided attention is in fact your only true safety net. Paying attention to and adjusting your own po2 is like juggling, at first it's hard to do anything else and eventually you add more balls to the mix like photography and get into a smooth rythm of monitoring, adjusting and cross checking monitors while enjoying the dive, in a way that no computer can truly beat.
mCCR's are not a silver bullet, you'd be just as F*cked on one if you grew too confident, but they are at the very least a great way to get started and quite manageable for the avid sport diver.
they are:
-more reliable and easy to maintain
-easier to fix when they malfunction
-do not require trips back to the hatchery (for the most part)
-are less of a wild card to buy used.
-are cheaper both new and used and maintain their value well over time.
-they are remarkably easy to use and less likely to lull you into complacency... though there are always exceptions to any rule, don't be that exception, your life will be in your own hands!
If you buy a KISS, I recommend putting a Shearwater on it. Just about any mCCR will get you in the water and loving the fishies, I have several friends who are very happy with their rEvo's. I've enjoyed my copis Meg. whatever rig you choose, I recommend making sure it has independent monitors and true redundancy in electronics, these things are very important at any depth.
Kind Regards,
george
Last edited:
Similar threads
