First rebreather choice

[Preach]

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the AP units. Although I do think they erroneously rely on various alarms that are not effective. In your case @Preach , they can be found used for fairly low cost so you could get 2 as starter units and after 50-150hrs decide what you like/dislike about them. If they aren't your thing you could sell them for close to wait you paid (used) and then get another unit more to your liking.

I looked into renting one. The Netherlands isn't a big ccr country, and renting is expensive. 100 euro/d (110 dollar/d). Like you said, i think it's cheaper to buy one and sell it if i really want something else. After some hours on the unit i probably know what i want from a ccr.

I am more interested that you find a good instructor. I've known instructors that bought there first rebreather and were diving it all they could just to reach the minimal requirements to teach. In my book that isn't the instructor I want. I found an instructor who owned multiple rebreathers and uses them all. Has been diving them for many years all around the world. Has a very good reputation. I had an idea of what I wanted and traveled to meet him in person and do a quick try dive. It was really 60% one on one interview to see if I liked him and his teachings and 40% to try what I had already picked out in the back of my head.

You have the advantage of already knowing your instructor. And the rebreather is part of that as well. From the sounds of it you are on a good start. Everyone will (or at least should) second guess there choice of rebreather, that is a good sign that you are keeping an open mind. You will dive like total crap when you start, that is normal and expected. You should plan on taking several steps backwards once you start. Even after you finish the class there is still a lot of learning to do. I was doing some pretty simple recreational dives for a long time just to get comfortable and dialed in again. It really is like starting over. Worked my way back into deco diving and went further than I had ever been before and would never have done it without a rebreather. Last year spent a week in Truk and did dives that would have been complex on OC but on a rebreather were rather simple. Had 3 different brands (should have been 4) and we all dove just fine. Each had its own little quirks but in general they are all the same.

Spended all this hours in training just to dive crap again, how nice . I hoped to be dialed in again after like 50 hours, but if i read the comments here its more like 100-150. I don't mind having to train from scratch again, it feels like the next step in diving. I will start with the simple rec dives till my trim and buoyancy are decent again, i'm not in a hurry.
Awesome that you went to truk, i would really like to go there once. But the price is steep. The footage online is really amazing.

 

[Preach]

Also take into consideration what your buddies dive (if any of them are on CC). It obviously shouldn't be the one deciding factor, but i find it highly advantageous to dive with people using the same equipment; it's much easier to find spares when the need arises (especially when travelling) and everyone is in sync with everyone's equipment.

Most of my dives my wife is my buddy, so my buddy will also have the ccr we choose. Altho the instructor is a buddy aswell, she mostly dives the inspiration (but has some other ccr aswell she doesnt teach on).

I seriously doubt that you will be happy diving caves on OC after you are comfortable with your rebreather. 2,5kg scrubber is not limited to 2,5 hours in mx conditions.
As recently trained, I don't recommend try dives before training. It takes like 50 hours to get used to diving rebreathers before you can really appreciate the differences between units. There seems to be nothing wrong with inspiration, people are doing all kinds of diving with them. Still many active divers have switched to other units recently.
Getting a used unit may be a bargain. Otoh updates, maintenance and crossovers easily add up. Total cost before reaching 200 hours and mod2/3 level may not be so much different than bying a new unit.

I like the simplicity of oc in Mexico, You can make long dives easy and after diving go do something nice without doing maintenance like on a ccr. Oc also travels easier by plane. But maybe if i'm really hooked on a ccr my idea of this will change, i don't know .
Ok so next to check if the unit is maintained well, i also need to check what kind of updates it has. I would never buy a rebreather without someone who has expirience with them check it tho. Cause i don't know where to look for myself.

 

[taimen]

I hoped to be dialed in again after like 50 hours, but if i read the comments here its more like 100-150.

At 50 hours you will definitely be comfortable and enjoy diving the ccr.

I like the simplicity of oc in Mexico, You can make long dives easy and after diving go do something nice without doing maintenance like on a ccr. Oc also travels easier by plane. But maybe if i'm really hooked on a ccr my idea of this will change, i don't know .

Diving caves with a CCR is mentally quite different. You will know Anyway inspiration or JJ are on the heavy side for travelling, still they pack into one extra 20kg luggage. Everyone (certified ccr cave diver) I know take their rebreather when going to Mexico.

 

[Vicko]

If you plan to travel with it than a inspiration is a very bad choice, even if you get rid of the box it's pretty bulky ,does not pack well and all the plastic parts can get damaged. Out of the full sized rebreathers Meg and JJ can be packed relatively small (but heavy) and in the event of a plane crash your family will still have a functional rebreather. If your goal is mexico consider something light like a pathfinder, or go sidemount with a sidewinder, both pack well and are a great unit.

 

[RainPilot]

The Poseidon packs down really well for travel. It's also a simple unit for cutting your teeth on, but still good for 150m plus. Instructors in EU are fairly plentiful, if you feel like coming out to the desert sometime I will be happy to take you for some dives. Might be closer to go to Sweden though, Peter Andersson the factory trainer is really very helpful and a great instructor.

The solid state oxygen sensor is definitely a game changer in terms of safety and reliability.

When you read issues about Poseidon service, remember that a lot of that is historically from the North American distributor network, most of those issues are no longer applicable in the US and were never really applicable in EU.

They can also be obtained relatively cheaply used.

 

[1c3d1v3r]

Get training on your first rebreather and dive tens of hours to get experience. Then try dive different units. Don't forget front mount Triton. Then get your second unit which you will dive for several years. An used Inspiration is a good starter rebreather since the availability is good and you get your money back when reselling.

 

[doctormike]

I agree with doing Mod 1 on a rental unit. You really don't understand the tradeoffs between different units until you are certified. Given the cost of getting into CCR diving, the week's rental is definitely worth it. I ended up buying the unit I trained on (JJ) but I'm still glad I did that.

I just got back from a trip to Florida with my JJ - no problem. I pack the head and regs (including bailout reg) into my carryon camera case. The rebreather canister, wing, loop and counterlungs goes in a hard side checked bag. Tanks and sorb I get at the destination.

 

[_Ralph]

Try dives are a great way to experience different styles of units .. Back Mount Counter Lungs (BMCL), Front and Shoulder mounted counter lungs. mCCR, eCCR, hCCR, sidemount CCR...


What they are NOT good at is comparing several similar units.

Nicer demos start well before assembling the units, and end after the units are broken down/cleaned for the day to really see what also is required with CCR diving, and what differences might be between the units and designs.

_R

 

[ND5342]

A used Inspiration is a fine choice for a first rebreather. Plenty on the second hand market which keeps the price down. Just make sure it is not an old Classic with the two handsets. I first learned on one and would probably still be diving it if I had not had an opportunity to switch to a new one at a real low price point. This rebreather was designed with diving deep wrecks in mind. It was the first rebreather of my instructor and he still dives his today (an old Classic modified to the monochrome handset) along with some others.
Some observations:

-Its popularity makes finding spares and support pretty easy around the world.
-It is relatively flood tolerant and pretty robust even if it has a lot of plastic parts.
-Only unit with dual electronic controller
-It comes with a heads up display (HUD) and its own proprietary dive computer. Anything breaks, it is back to England.
-It is bulky! Counterlungs are permanently attached which makes setup, cleaning and maintenance a pain
-It uses a full harness instead of a backplate and DIR webbing which most tech divers are used to.
-If the Yellow Box breaks I would go straight to buying a travel frame which is easier to work with anyway. Lots of good options out there
-Most units on the used market will have over the shoulder (OTS) counterlungs which is not a bad thing, but someone used to diving a slick clean chested back plate and wing will want to switch over to backmounted (BM) counterlungs which is an expensive upgrade on this unit unless buying new. I personally had no problem with this and think it is easier to learn to operate an OTS vs BM rebreather since there is so much to learn as it is.
-The original Bail Out Valve (BOV) is in my opinion the worst design. It requires two hands to make the switch. Fortunately it has been updated with a piece to change to one handed but it still requires a lot of maintenance to move smoothly.

Some of the things already mentioned here I would agree with. Find an instructor who dives the unit of choice pretty regularly and in the kind of dives you want to do. Also picking a unit that others dive in your area gives access to spares and other mentoring opportunities. All rebreathers have compromises. Almost all my rebreather diving friends are diving different units than they started on!

 

[ND5342]

The Poseidon packs down really well for travel. It's also a simple unit for cutting your teeth on, but still good for 150m plus. Instructors in EU are fairly plentiful, if you feel like coming out to the desert sometime I will be happy to take you for some dives. Might be closer to go to Sweden though, Peter Andersson the factory trainer is really very helpful and a great instructor.

The solid state oxygen sensor is definitely a game changer in terms of safety and reliability.

When you read issues about Poseidon service, remember that a lot of that is historically from the North American distributor network, most of those issues are no longer applicable in the US and were never really applicable in EU.

They can also be obtained relatively cheaply used.

This is currently the rebreather I am diving now. Even though it seems to be the red headed step child of the rebreather community, I like it for the diving I currently do. Deep wrecks. I also like how the unit checks out itself upon start up and will not let me dive it until I have repaired any issues. I really like the BOV and vibrating heads up display. Things I am not crazy about is the paddle display and the need to replace batteries as you advance in your training. Also making upgrades like BM counterlungs and inverting the cylinders are not cheap when going through Poseidon. But like RainPilot said they are inexpensive on the used market, break down nicely for traveling and maintenance, and are easy to learn on.