CCR trained… still diving OC?

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Air travel is where things really change. OC you just bring a handful of gear, rent some tanks locally and go dive.

Air travel with a rebreather really means you are overseeing the transport of a rebreather. Many don't fly that well. The rEvo micro was really designed as a carry on for air travel so it does better than many others. But that still leaves the logistics of a rebreather. Finds sorb, then how much will you use? O2 and Dil. It is doable, just not as easy.

About 3 years ago I flew the rEvo for the first time to do a warm water dive on the U352. Flew into town on Thursday night and were going diving Friday morning. The rest of the people just picked up there pre-filled tanks of air/nitrox. I had to plan a little further ahead, ship the tanks cross country so they could be filled and ready for me Friday morning. Otherwise I would had to arrive the day before just to get my O2 fill. Sorb was another pain, but a friend was traveling by RV and offered to haul back the rest of the keg for me. I really need to get the smaller packaging for trips like this.

But while there on the cattle boat, I found it way more enjoyable. Often the first in and close to the last out. Not listening to my own bubbles (I really hate how loud OC is now that I am on a rebreather). I am not pressed for time, watching the SPG and thinking of the couple minutes I have left before I have to turn. The in water stress is gone. Doing a 45 minute dive, knowing that if I had to it could be a hour or two.

But driving, having everything local, all those issues are gone. I actually find it easier than OC. I am not at the local dive shop (which isn't that local) getting tanks filled all the time. Switching between a deep tech dive and a simple recreational dive is just the matter of changing out 2-3 items, what DIL and what bailout(s).
 
I tend to do both depending on circumstances... still have 2 double sets and dedicated reg set and BP/Wing lying around for this.

I love diving OC. A ccr for me is a tool, right in a lot of circumstances, less in others. The shallower it gets (unless overhead) the more the negatives of the unit start weighing in.
 
I am planning on selling OC gear when my unit gets in. My issue is simple - space. If I don't use something for a year, it is a good sign that I have to let that thing go. Right now, I don't see the benefit of keeping OC gear. I am also fortunate to live in the area where I can enjoy CCR in a variety of dives.
 
I am planning on selling OC gear when my unit gets in. My issue is simple - space. If I don't use something for a year, it is a good sign that I have to let that thing go. Right now, I don't see the benefit of keeping OC gear. I am also fortunate to live in the area where I can enjoy CCR in a variety of dives.
The majority of my OC gear got converted into bailout gear. The wing is the only thing that is OC specific (Diverite Transpac), that doesn't take much space. For that one piece of gear, I'll keep it. Never know when something happens where that just makes more sense. All the regs are now bail out regs. Same for cylinders. If not they are my banked air for doing home refills.
 

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