Future rec use of rebreathers...

[chrispete]

This is a question that I've been stewing about for a little while, and decided to go ahead and ask. I was reading some old dive mags (~1990) in which most of the articles state that nitrox would never be used by rec divers because it simply was too dangerous and complex to use. We can all see how wrong they were on this count. I then look at the evolution of computers from something that was considered too complex and expensive to be used at home to things that we depend on and use constantly.

I've read up on rebreathers (out of more curiosity than wanting to dive one) and can see where these units will eventually be much more automated than they are today, with 1000 times more computing power available (i.e. the transmeta processor, running 1gHz, can run on the equivalent of a cell phone battery for 8 hours without a charge), with more redundancy than ever before. With this much complexity, you could have multiple computers monitoring everything in real-time "voting" on courses of action with input from multiple, independent sensors (exactly like the computers on the space shuttle do.) The tech is here today to do it, and I'd figure that the manufacturers are looking toward making their products available to a larger audience.

With this in mind, does anyone think that rebreathers will eventually go the way of nitrox in diving, being widely accepted and widely available to the recreational sector of diving?

 

[Zept]

On the one hand, it seems wasteful to be breathing out so much perfectly good oxygen and watching it bubble away.

On the other hand... a rebreather is always going to be more complicated than a basic tank. It's always going to cost more and require more maintenance, and it's always going to be heavier (which means I'm never going to be able to stand up while wearing one). Against all that, the only benefit I can think of, for simple, shallow, recreational diving, is the reduction in bubbles. Doesn't seem like enough.

I'm sure there's going to be a big increase in rebreather diving over the next decade, especially among photographers, videographers and researchers, and also among tec divers. I find it hard to believe they'll replace open-circuit scuba for rec diving.

And in my neck of the woods, nitrox is still pretty exotic!

Zept

 

[madmole]

My inspiration is lighter and easier to manage than my twinset and is about the same as my single with BCD. I also need less weight when wearing it

Its far cheaper to run than open circiut, costing approxamately £15 pounds for 3 hours of diving whereas the the single would be £24 for 4 fills. Id still have enough gas for another 9 hours and could do another 3 hours for a single scrubber refil for £7

As far off technology. The inspiration has double redundent computers using 3 Oxygen sensors and uses voting logic to monitor them. In provides visual and audible alarms on error conditions. That pretty much meets your decription above

Also if you compare the costs of an Inspiration with those of buying a compelte twinset set up, with 2 DV's, wings, Backplate etc then the initial cost isn't that bad

Yes you do need more knowledge and practice than O/C, and you MUST do the 5 mins of pre dive checks and follow the proceedures. Your supposed to do similar when O/C diving. If you are one of the folks who skip pre dive checks when O/C then rebreathers are NOT for you.

I'm amazed at the lack of knowledge and assumptions made about rebreathers in general (not pointing fingers at you in this case). If youre interested many places offer rebreatehr awareness classes. The BSAC certainly does and goes out of its way to encourage RB owners to run have a go sessions in the pool for fellow club members. This makes these people better buddies for a RB diver and more able to assist. Also thesooner we kill some of the fables about them the better

 

[NJdiver85]

I've been thinking about the same thing. Two weeks ago I was on a dive charter in New Jersey. There were nine divers, and five of them were on rebreathers. It's my guess that they will be extremely common within about 10 years. Regarding the greater complexity for the average diver, diving seems to be getting more technical in general, with more and more divers going for advanced or technical certifications. Rebreathers will be a natural part of this trend.

 

[madmole]

Agreed, only fly in the ointment is the rapid decline in standards of diver eductaion from the major agencies in the persute of money. There will need to be a large increase in standards, or a reversion back to the requirements of 10 years ago when a Sport or open water diver really was

When the RB's are reliable and cheaper I see everyone learning on them from scratch