CCR for rec diving ?

[RebreatherDave]

You know, I have dove open circuit for 30 years before I got into CCR's. I recognize how everybody likes to blow their horn about their equipment, hey, it's a guy thing. I personally think the bubble thing is overblown. Fish don't survive by letting huge things approach them and touch them. Fish are not blind. There are times when I won't get fish to scatter upon exhalation like sometimes happens on open circuit, but I think the approachability thing is often times signficantly colored.

To call CCR's bubblefree is another whopper. These characters must never ascend....i may be breathing gas that is 102 degrees, but I think a good drysuit and undergarment is a hell of a lot better then my inhalation gas temperature. I had been using Oceanic's Omega 2 for 20 years, still haev the thing and it never gave me drymouth, and it never seemed cold to the point where I paid any attention.

CCR's slow you down quite a bit due to the extra drag underwater, and when you are already in a drysuit, this doesn't help. Then there is the issue of diving solo on closed circuit rebreathers that is frowned upon for good reasons. I jsut love throwing on an open circuit rig and jumping off and doing my own thing solo and not having to worry about some character on a dive tip I don't know buddying up with me.

When we are doing deep dives, repetitive dives or both repetitive and deep dives, the CCR's just blow everything away. As the Barbariand would say, the sweetest thing is to crush open circuit bottom times and to hear the lamenting of users of those tables.

 

[silent running]

Hello FLTEKDIVER, the simplicity issue is definitely the big one for a recreational diver, but I have not heard anyone on this thread talk about the back mounted cl's vs the over the shoulder cl's design issue. Have you tried an ots unit? You should. I too was once a Drager diver, now that I have a Prism, which has ots lungs, I will never use back mounted lungs again. Having spent a few hours on a Classic Kiss, I found the work of breathing to be too high. I also think the Dolphin breathes slightly easier than the Kiss Classic, although the Sports Kiss may breathe better than the Classic do to it's different scrubber design and what looks like a smaller, shorter loop. It's something worth considering. As a mostly recreational diver, I frequently encounter stiff currents, which of course increase the wob. I just returned from a liveaboard trip in Komodo Indonesia diving with some Inspiration guys. There were strong and frequently unpredictable currents on most of the dives. I can't imagine fighting my way to the one of those points on the wall where all the fish were through a stiff current with back mounted counter lungs. If you're willing to go the Kiss route as opposed to the more expensive ECCR way, why not try converting a Drager Ray, which has ots lungs to a constant/variable flow Kiss style CCR conversion? Or if you really want to be thrifty convert your Dolphin to a CCR. I've dove with people using them and they work great. You have more options than you think.

 

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

Hello FLTEKDIVER, the simplicity issue is definitely the big one for a recreational diver, but I have not heard anyone on this thread talk about the back mounted cl's vs the over the shoulder cl's design issue. Have you tried an ots unit? You should. I too was once a Drager diver, now that I have a Prism, which has ots lungs, I will never use back mounted lungs again. Having spent a few hours on a Classic Kiss, I found the work of breathing to be too high. I also think the Dolphin breathes slightly easier than the Kiss Classic, although the Sports Kiss may breathe better than the Classic do to it's different scrubber design and what looks like a smaller, shorter loop. It's something worth considering. As a mostly recreational diver, I frequently encounter stiff currents, which of course increase the wob. I just returned from a liveaboard trip in Komodo Indonesia diving with some Inspiration guys. There were strong and frequently unpredictable currents on most of the dives. I can't imagine fighting my way to the one of those points on the wall where all the fish were through a stiff current with back mounted counter lungs. If you're willing to go the Kiss route as opposed to the more expensive ECCR way, why not try converting a Drager Ray, which has ots lungs to a constant/variable flow Kiss style CCR conversion? Or if you really want to be thrifty convert your Dolphin to a CCR. I've dove with people using them and they work great. You have more options than you think.

Thanks for your input, as everything help's in this situation.

My friend is doing the CCR conversion right now as we speak, he should be completley up and running in less then 2 week's, and the conversion is simple on the Dolphin's,. not much to it at all.

I just came back today from a 5 day cruise, in which we spent 3 of them diving all over in the Bahama's. It was the first time using my O/C gear in over 8 month's, and man was it noisy !!
I have to say i really enjoy now after diving O/C all week, having a rebreather. I think for my situation so far the Sport Kiss is what im looking for, i just need to see one, breathe off it, and so on. Im not sure being i never dove one, but the Dolphin seem's to have " some " drag, where i think the Sport Kiss may elimate that, smaller , lighter, and so on, but they all look great outta the water, i just have to find a dealer ship wher ei could go pool dive one.

I'll be taking my Dolphin down to the Key's Memorial day weekend, and diving 2 wreck's to 130' and a wall dive at 100' , along with a bunch of shallower reef's.

I'll be on SCR Dolphin, while my friend will be bring his CCR Dolphin down for the weekend, so it will be real interesting that weekend to dive both unit's, in both SCR abd CCR. Im waiting to see how his conversion goes if i were to convert mine, and in the mean time im going to give the Dolphin another chance that weekend, logging a bunch of dive's, and i'll see what happen's.
One thing i have to say, diving O/C this week, was " fun " , and simple, just to dam noisy, and man i hate that cotton mouth !!

 

[mddolson]

I've recentkly moved from sport to technical diving on Trimix 150 ft to 200 ft range.
The big tanks, and two deco bottles is such a pain,
I did an Inspiration CCR Expience dive with an instructor last fall.
Just to 30 ft for an hour but what an incredible dive.
38 lbs and 5 hours of gas supply, WOW!.
It was a great experience, and clearly my next move will be to a CCR and training of course.

Anyone know of someone ritch just ithin to give away about $10K ,
or wants to buy two and needs a buddy ? LOL

Never fails, when ever there's a great toy, there just one thing holden you back,
It's that Big S with the l thru it.

Mike D