Getting into semi closed rebreathers

[sunkmail]

For that money you could look a (second hand) classic/sport KISS for CCR. With training you should have change.

For example:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gear-equipment-classifieds/238628-kiss-sport-53-a.html $3000

Training is around $1500 in my area

$7000 - $4500 = $2500 left over

That should buy you all the bells and whistles you need to get going.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Price should not be the controlling factor in the decision about which unit to purchase. Features and your intended use both today and in the future should be the considerations for your decision as to which unit to buy.

Spend some time doing research and test dives of various units. Make your decision once you find the right unit for yourself. If you don't have the money for that unit, save enough until you have the money instead of buying something that is less expensive just because you can get it for a great price.

If you are not already a subscriber, order Back Issue 25 of Advanced Diver Magazine. Read my article, "Transition to Rebreather Diving." That is a good place to start your research.

BTW, after doing the leg work, I decided that the Dive Rite Optima would be the right unit for me. I purchased one of the first production units in the end of 2005. Been diving it ever since, and I am completely satisfied with it because it is the right unit for the kind of diving that I like to do.

 

[sunkmail]

Price should not be the controlling factor in the decision about which unit to purchase. Features and your intended use both today and in the future should be the considerations for your decision as to which unit to buy.

The example I gave wasn't meant to sell that particular unit. I just used it to show that a CCR can be more affordable than a SCR.

Myself? I dive a KISS Classic. I like the manual style
(Electronics aren't an upgrade, they're a different sub-product in the CCR world)

Depending on what the OP wants to do, the KISS Sport may be his thing, it may not be. I agree, do your own research, and find what fits you best.

 

[WD8CDH]

I vote for KISS style rebreathers too. I have had quite a few hours on SCR, eCCR and mCCR. and have always gone back to mCCR (With PPO2 monitoring of course). I eventually converted my SCRs to mCCR and fly my eCCRs as mCCR.

 

[Mr.X]

Note - the original poster is 16 yrs of age. I always tell my teen students - save for college first. Enjoy diving by getting the basics. By the time someone finishes college there will be a dearth of newer, better RB's from which to choose ; developmentally the young adult diver will be better able to handle the rigors & nuances of wreck diving off NJ. Some of these deeper wrecks in NJ are no walks in the park. It's cold, dark and often lumpy. I have seen enough instances of grown men eating it on these wrecks.

Having trained kids in the past - teens & young adults need a whole lot of physical and mental development before jumping into the quasi-tech arena of RB diving. Also from a legal perspective instructors have a SUPER high liability with younger divers. Also, teen males are also easily impressed by gear, stories and older male role models. Sometimes they wanna' become someone of importance fast! Hence, in my eyes - take yer' time and build experience first.

Additionally, I am more than familiar with a instance where a instructor felt his teen was ready to tackle depth and tech. He felt his "qualifications" as an instructor, and by extrapolation - his son's ability were above average. That mentality coupled with poor planning, lack of experience ended up in a dual fatality at depth. Sadly, I had met the father a year before and thought he was fast-tracking himself. I was not surprised, but sorrowed when I heard the news. That incident only made me more conservative in my approach with regards to technical dive training.

X

 

[Gill Envy]

hey there southjerseydiver , it's very difficult from the other side of the country to give you advice about this since determing if you have the focus and self discipline required for SCR/CCR at such a young age really requires that you find the right instructor to take you under their wing and see what you are ready for and what really is required in terms of gear to meet your needs, SCR/CCR may be way overkill for what you need and while it's cool it's also a bit of a pain in the arse at times and just may not be worth it for what you are doing just yet.

My instructor started diving when she was 12, if you are interested, you can PM me and i'll give you contact info for her, she may just know of someone in your area who would make a good fit for you.

All the proper cautions aside, what I would give to be your age at this moment in diving history! If you love the water, have passion and a lot more discipline than I did at your age, perhaps it's not too early and even if it is, you are probably just a few short years away from it... all the while the training and gear will be improving.

personally I would scrap the SCR idea... frankly it's an outmoded technology with a lot of the hastles of CCR diving and not nearly the advantages and it seems that the models are basically going out of production, so getting replacement parts is soon to be an issue.

I would agree with Meng-Tse below. If/when you are ready to go the CCR route, I would highly recommend looking at the sport KISS for where you are at. No matter what one's age, starting out on an mCCR and putting a year or so on it before doing dives below recreational limits seems like a really good way to go to me. there is no rush, it's totally different than OC and takes a lot of getting used to and will likely never feel as solid in terms of buoency as OC.

again, take your time, do it right and find a good instructor to help you figure out what you are ready for and what would really meet your needs for now.

happy and safe diving!

george

For that money you could look a (second hand) classic/sport KISS for CCR. With training you should have change.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I vote for KISS style rebreathers too. I have had quite a few hours on SCR, eCCR and mCCR. and have always gone back to mCCR (With PPO2 monitoring of course). I eventually converted my SCRs to mCCR and fly my eCCRs as mCCR.

I also fly my eCCR manually. I just like having the electronics for a backup. Some examples: Blistering current, and I have to pull myself through the flow/down the anchorline, etc. As a backup in the event of a silt-out that is so bad that I can't even see the HUD right in front of my mask.

There are times that using the electronic control, at least on a temporary basis, is a great convenience or even more important than that. However, most of the time, I like the control that flying the unit manually offers. So, I get the best of both worlds.

 

[Gill Envy]

There are times that using the electronic control, at least on a temporary basis, is a great convenience or even more important than that. However, most of the time, I like the control that flying the unit manually offers. So, I get the best of both worlds.

the best of both worlds or the lesser of both? the inconvenience of manual injection without the assist of the constant flow orifice and all the added failure potentials of the extra electronics like leaving you high and dry on a trip..., and the apparent added risk that goes with it... sorry, howard, I couldn't resist.
:smilepong

Hearing folks renditions of flying their eCCR manually and the way they liken it to an mCCR, it's no wonder they think they need the controller in a pinch. You just can't compare flying an mCCR "manually" to flying an eCCR manually, they are two very different experiences, very different habits and mind sets. flying my eCCR manually was a pain in the butt because I had to push that o2 button so often and I trusted that it would kick in if I screwed up, flying my mCCR manually is much easier due to the constant flow orifice, topping off the o2 occasionally. the fact that I know it won't ever take over for me forces me to make my po2 the primary focus of every dive, it has influenced every step of the dive from set up to break down. Having to take 100% responsibility for myself has permeated every aspect of my diving at this point, something I would not have known until I put quite a few hours on such a unit.

it works for me anyway,
g

 

[WD8CDH]

I am not a real fan of flying an unmodified eCCR as a mCCR without adding a CMF device. You quickly adapt to the part of your metabolic rate that the CMF doesn't supply and checking your PO2 becomes automatic (and not ignored) unlike with eCCR. I usually already know what PO2 to expect and looking at the display is just a check. Knowing my rig and my metabolism is my primary O2 injection control, The displays are my redundant (but required) injection decision control and the HUD is my final redundant decision control.

While I can fly most of my rigs eCCR, I have elected to make the eCCR electronics totally seperate from the displays and the HUD and even isolated from the O2 cells with high value resistors so if it is unplugged or if it fails, the other systems still work.

I guess you could discribe my prefered rigs as KISS style with add on eCCR control that I don't bother to use any more.

 

[WD8CDH]

hey everyone, alittle background info. i am 16 have been diving since i was 13 and dive in new jersey. i have logged alittle over 100 dives and really want to get into rebreathers. diving in jersey is cold and i would love to dive a SCR. my question is do you think it is a good idea, if anyone is intrested im looking towards the drager dolphin

I don't think 16 is too young for starting rebreather diving. That is about how old I was when I started. But as previous posters stated, you MUST have the right instructor. My instructor was a former Navy SEAL instructor and a certified SCUBA sport instructor.

Some of the things you do almost subconsciously with OC is unexpectedly different in RB diving.