Cave Course w/ a Rebreather

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

Most Rebreathers are lacking in redundancy by quite a bit compared to a normal caving rig, what re-breather would you be using?

That is a complete understatement, you must be new to RB

I cave dive allot here in FL, and see re-breather's all the time in the cave's, matter of fact there was just a 800+ cave dive on a RB. Even if you have a complete failure, such as a loop flood, RB diver's still carry bail-out, and should be able to bail out to O/C at anytime, and plan there gas to get them out, which they do. I see them also drop stage bottle's in the cave, and pick them up on the way out.

There are many Inspiration RB diver's that I see cave diving, along with the RB80, which is a RB designed solely for cave diving.

 

[PerroneFord]

I'll ask my instructor this question tomorrow or Thursday. He dives and trains on 4 or 5 different rebreathers, and is in caves all the time.

 

[padiscubapro]

Most Rebreathers are lacking in redundancy by quite a bit compared to a normal caving rig, what rebreather would you be using?

if anything, a properly equipped CCR diver has MORE options than a normal cave rig.. the normal cave rig only has a buddies gas as a backup ofr a catostrophic failure.. A CCR diver's first defense would be to go to manual control (assuming loop is intact), then go to SCR, then finally OC.. Technical RB divers are generally taught to have 1.5 times the needed gas to get 1 diver out of a total failure..

A total RB failure is quite unlikely assuming the rules are followed.. the 3 reasons a RB diver would abandon a loop is integrity failure like a cut hose ( never heard of it happeneing), a full loop flood (takes a really big screw up, or total scrubber failure (follow duration rules, and use good sorb and you should be ok..) now all other failures have options.. even if someone decided they wanted to bail to oc.. if the loop is strill intact they can get back on the loop at 6m and run the rig as an oxygen rb..

 

[jagfish]

Makes sense that if you plan to dive caves with a RB to do the training with one...

 

[grouchyturtle]

Someone mentioned to me that some cavers dive with a whole second unit?

It sounds from these last few posts that most guys just carry larger bailout bottles and stages on cave dives.

Not too many caves in NJ anyway. I'd be taking the class mainly because it's the best training you can get if you're planning on penetrating wrecks...and we do have plenty of those in NJ!

Of course who knows...when I finally take the class, I may get bitten by the bug and decide I need to move to Florida or Mexico.

 

[PerroneFord]

You don't have to MOVE to FL to get your training. Just come train here. Some of the best instructors around.

GUE - J. Jablonski, Dean Marshall, David Rhea, all live here.
IANTD - MANY MANY including Tom Mount
TDI/NACD - Check Larry Green at Eagles Nest.
Wreck diving - Check Heather Choat (she's in this months ADM).

Need gear? We got Dive Rite, Halcyon, Brownie, Zeagle, all within 2.5 hours drive of each other. From Tallahassee or Gainesville, you have springs, caverns, cave, wreck, or reef all within 2.5 hours drive.

This is diving Nirvana for technical scuba.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Someone mentioned to me that some cavers dive with a whole second unit?
QUOTE]

Here's one that's basically two RBs in one package.

 

[Caver95]

i know John jones teachs CCR cave.

 

[SeanQ]

Someone mentioned to me that some cavers dive with a whole second unit?

I've read something similar too. Were they taking about the RB setup used in this Doux de Coly dive?

 

[D1V3R]

if anything, a properly equipped CCR diver has MORE options than a normal cave rig.. the normal cave rig only has a buddies gas as a backup ofr a catostrophic failure.. A CCR diver's first defense would be to go to manual control (assuming loop is intact), then go to SCR, then finally OC.. Technical RB divers are generally taught to have 1.5 times the needed gas to get 1 diver out of a total failure..

A total RB failure is quite unlikely assuming the rules are followed.. the 3 reasons a RB diver would abandon a loop is integrity failure like a cut hose ( never heard of it happeneing), a full loop flood (takes a really big screw up, or total scrubber failure (follow duration rules, and use good sorb and you should be ok..) now all other failures have options.. even if someone decided they wanted to bail to oc.. if the loop is strill intact they can get back on the loop at 6m and run the rig as an oxygen rb..

your right about that, but any catostrphic failure would pretty much screw you over, you hear about guys getting leaks and the getting "caustic cocktail"

I think rebreathers are great 9wish I could afford one, lol), but If your using a unit with no bailout its not apropriate for caving