Question CCR for recreational depths

[berndo]

If anyone had the resources to put a rebreather into the mass market the Explorer would have done it.

Draeger is a pretty big company. They tried several times to push SCRs into the rec market over many years. They had the Atlantis, the Dolphin and the Ray. The Ray was pretty cheap and still didn't catch on.

 

[Wibble]

Apparently a KISS Spirit was only 5 grand... I never see those anywhere in the wild. I'm not even sure I've ever seen a Spirit or a Poseidon at a dive site.

It’s not CE certified so you won’t see it in the Federal Republic of the EU.

Popular in the US though.

 

[Wibble]

…I think CCR is where Nitrox was in the early 1990's. I think in another decade or so, Nitrox will at least be taught as part of AOW if not OW. And a decade or two after that, CCR will be as common as Nitrox is now.

(OT) I listened to a podcast by UTD Skoober the other day answering some random questions. One about gasses and the main geezer was hammering nitrox as not worthy of diving as it’s so easy to deco out on 100%. Think he ought to get out of his bubble and see what other people are doing.

 

[Wibble]

What technologies do you see comming though? Scuba gear has hardly changed and works pretty well. Regs, BCs, suits, fins, etc. are basically the same stuff we had 30 or 40 years ago.

Totally disagree.

Some things were settled years ago such as JetFins, arguably some regulators, some cylinders.

Pretty much everything else has massively evolved in the last 30 years with new materials, designs and usage. Examples:

• Backmount with 40lb doughnut wings, V-weights, standardised valves, band formats. A lot of that from the DIR pioneers
• Masks — decent one piece low volume designs with single glass
• Drysuits — new materials, better zips, better fit, pee valves, heating
• Sidemount — almost standardised around the "DIR" layout, bailout bungees more common on CCR
• Computers— praise be to Shearwater
• Decompression algorithms— ZHL-16GF
• Dry gloves
• Rebreathers. Safe ones!

IMHO the past 10 years has seen a lot of new innovations.
OK, and some utter crap such as the i3! And overpriced regulators that are no better than regs at a third of the cost.

 

[rjack321]

Totally disagree.

Some things were settled years ago such as JetFins, arguably some regulators, some cylinders.

Pretty much everything else has massively evolved in the last 30 years with new materials, designs and usage. Examples:

• Backmount with 40lb doughnut wings, V-weights, standardised valves, band formats. A lot of that from the DIR pioneers
• Masks — decent one piece low volume designs with single glass
• Drysuits — new materials, better zips, better fit, pee valves, heating
• Sidemount — almost standardised around the "DIR" layout, bailout bungees more common on CCR
• Computers— praise be to Shearwater
• Decompression algorithms— ZHL-16GF
• Dry gloves

IMHO the past 10 years has seen a lot of new innovations.

And yet, 3 attempts at a "recreational" CCR/SCR have failed and that's on top of the Draeger units from the 90s and early 2000s. If you have tens millions to dump into ANOTHER such unit knock yourself out. Otherwise you'll need to find yourself some very naive investors.

 

[formernuke]

When it comes to cost I have one word...... helium. But that's not shallow water diving.

 

[broncobowsher]

When it comes to cost I have one word...... helium. But that's not shallow water diving.

 

[Wibble]

And yet, 3 attempts at a "recreational" CCR/SCR have failed and that's on top of the Draeger units from the 90s and early 2000s. If you have tens millions to dump into ANOTHER such unit knock yourself out. Otherwise you'll need to find yourself some very naive investors.

You are completely right that none have succeeded thus far in the mass market.

For a newcomer or novice, diving a CCR or SCR is way harder than diving OC.

However, for more experienced divers it isn’t onerous. Lots more to learn and the core buoyancy takes time to master, but not difficult if you’ve solid core skills.

The benefits of CCR are huge when diving deep or long durations; pretty much nobody dives OC for those dives any longer.

The benefits of diving CCR/SCR shallow are more subtle, but still tangible. I would avoid OC if at all possible just for its silence, stability and lack of gas anxiety. Obviously I/we have a choice as we already dive CCR. But those benefits are available to lesser experienced people; just add money.

Maybe the time is coming where the changing Tec market drives change into the recreational market?


Must admit that this thread has piqued my interest in the Mares Horizon. Cheap(ish!), lightweight and looks like a viable travel rebreather option where high pressure oxygen is not available.

 

[formernuke]

Maybe the time is coming where the changing Tec market drives change into the recreational market?

OW can be done on a poisden 7. Not sure how a feal about thar yet.

 

[Wibble]

OW can be done on a Poseidon 7.

Wonder how well that works for a raw novice?