GEM recreational rebreather

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Thanks, Adrian -- "takes one to know one"

The GEM is keyed to respiration in that with expiration gas is vented from the mouthpiece. However, the amount is keyed by forcefulness of expiration. The idea would be that if you are working harder and, thus, extracting more oxygen from the loop that you will also be breathing harder which vents more gas and results in more fresh gas being added to the loop. You can "trick" the system by not breathing very forcefully, however. The advantage is that you will have tremendous gas extension. The downside is that the FIO2 in the loop will be lower due to less frequency of fress gas being added.

 

[rjack321]

ahh did not know volume was keyed to force!

 

[Stever222]

I was certified at DiveTech back in April. Fairly straightforward getting the hang of it. Bubbles are minimum do to the 3 small holes that are the exhaust port. Am waiting to receive my own so I can get my instructor ticket on it.

 

[davidcl1]

This new rebreather is going to take open water recreational Nitrox diver by storm. On a standard 80 cu.ft. 36% Nitrox tank I had a 4 hour run time with my max depth of 100 feet with the rest at 65 feet. The rebreather is extremely simple to setup, break down and dive. Within 10 minutes I had setup my equipment and was underwater. Highly recommend this system to the guys who never what to be calling the dive ever again.

It sounds great, but how long has it been out ? I prefer the "tried and true" systems. I wasn't greatly impressed with the KISS website and if you look at the KISS GEM sport package, it looks like you are wearing a vacuum cleaner on your back with huge hoses wreathing your head. How can you see anything with a "hose halo" ? Not to mention that it looks like you have to manually carry your tank. I think I will wait a while before investing in a rebreathing system that looks so awkward. Also, I dive 99% in the tropics wearing a 3mm full wetsuit, and I get chilly after the standard 45 minutes underwater. I would love to meet someone who can stand being underwater for 4 hours straight.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

I agree that the hoses look REALLY long at first, but the system just works. It is very comfortable and trims out nicely. And you don't have to do four hour dives on it. You could take one AL 80 and do four one hour dives or you could take an AL50 (my wife's plan to avoid climbing up the boat ladder with a heavy tank) and do two dives on it. The bubbles are minimal and I always prefer breathing warm moist air to the cold dry air of an open circuit cylinder.

Davidcl1 -- I'm teaching a GEM course later this month at Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, NC. Come by and do a "try dive" in the pool!!!

Doug

 

[down4fun]

I would love to meet someone who can stand being underwater for 4 hours straight.

I don't think i have done any four hour dives, but i have done many three hour runs on a rebreather. Here in florida in the summer it's no problem.

 

[Dive-aholic]

While the actual KISS GEM has only been on the market for about 2 months, the KISS GEM prototypes have been around for about 10 years. There are a few people who have been diving the early systems for quite some time doing exploratory cave diving. Some things have been change to meet market demand, but overall it's a great system. And, even with the long hoses, view is not blocked.

 

[Gnashrak]

Ouch. This make it much less attractive to us PNWers.

Swap the AL80 with an HP80 (or HP120 for extra long dives that will put you in deco), you'll offset the need for more lead

 

[ucfdiver]

I would love to meet someone who can stand being underwater for 4 hours straight.

I've done it multiple times

 

[Tortuga68]

In a wetsuit?