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How many rebreather divers are there?
- Thread starter Scubaroo
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My only experience with rebreathers is watching a guy setup his rebreather at the local quarry. He wanted to use it because I think he is one of those guys who has to have everything..you know..all the toys.
Well to my point....we waited over a half hour for this guy to setup his gizmo...he was playing around with all the hoses and the bags etc etc.
We were just doing a dive to 30-40 feet to check out a boat..I was already at 1500psi from a pervious dive so we werent staying down very long at all.
way to much work for hardly any return. I can see if your a photopgraphy/videography and working in the ocean and wanted some serious bottom time..but that was simply ridiculous.
Well to my point....we waited over a half hour for this guy to setup his gizmo...he was playing around with all the hoses and the bags etc etc.
We were just doing a dive to 30-40 feet to check out a boat..I was already at 1500psi from a pervious dive so we werent staying down very long at all.
way to much work for hardly any return. I can see if your a photopgraphy/videography and working in the ocean and wanted some serious bottom time..but that was simply ridiculous.
Then he wasn't trained on the unit and shouldn't have been using it
Pre dive routine for Inspiration is 3 mins (and thats if you have to calibrate it), and breath from it as you go to the waters edge.
Al the big stuff is done way before the dive site and a full replace sofnolime, cylinders and full check can be done in 15 mins.
A trained rebreather diver has it all tested and set up way before dive time.
Another rebreather myth perpetuated by the ignorant I'm afraid
Pre dive routine for Inspiration is 3 mins (and thats if you have to calibrate it), and breath from it as you go to the waters edge.
Al the big stuff is done way before the dive site and a full replace sofnolime, cylinders and full check can be done in 15 mins.
A trained rebreather diver has it all tested and set up way before dive time.
Another rebreather myth perpetuated by the ignorant I'm afraid
I agree, the setup is best done the night before.. But I always do pos and neg pressure tests before I use the unit, especially after traveling with it.. (even though it may not show all leaks 
)
but this doesn't necessarily take up more time.. the tests can be performed while you are getting everything else in order..
I set up the neg pressure test get my accessories in order, then set up the pos test and get into my dry suit.. BY the time I'm ready to get into my unit, sufficient time has passed and it wasn't really any extra time..
o'ring, obviously you aren't a RB diver, before you constantly put down units especially CCRs, find an experienced trainer and at least do an intro to ccr class.. you still may not like the units but at least you'll understand why people do and if trained properly why CCR divers have more bailout options available than either SCR or OC divers.. I'll even bet that when you try it in a pool you will really hate it, most people do at first since all you OC skills really screw you up on a CCR and you have to learn from scratch..
RB divers fall into a few categories
newbies with under 50 or so hours, most generally respect the units and don't push it but you do get those idiots who are very experienced OC divers and try to do the same dives as they did on oc..
the overly confident RB diver someone who has times ranging from 30 or so hours to maybe a hundred who never had a problem on their units, this is the groups that worries me the most since they may get complacent and start to skip steps.
the pesimistic rb diver, someone who has had some time on unit probably at least 50 hours, and has minor issues with their unit, these people realize the need for predive tests and respect the unit.. The best RB divers generally come from here..
The "expert", someone who has lots of hours on the unit and thinks he knows everything.. Stay away from this accident waiting to happen... Noone is an expert, the best rb divers are always learning and practicing their skills.. I teach all levels of CCR and I still do drills on a regular basis..
I don't think I ever though of myself as an "expert" but from personal experience around 100 hours I felt quite confortable and felt I could handle anything, by 200 hours I considered myself a RB diver and mentally enter the water with the attitude "this device can fail at any time". This attitude keeps you mentally prepared for the unlikely event of a problem.. I feel much more prepared than I was ever on OC scuba when an eqpt failure (which is probably more likely) hits you by surprise.
Too many non Rb divers are always pushing the "electonics" failure crap.. I good rb diver always knows what he/she is breathing.. I know I CAN fly the unit blindly and maintain a fairly stable PO2 without the aid of ANY electronics.. It takes practice and personal awareness.. Again practice, practice, practice...
)but this doesn't necessarily take up more time.. the tests can be performed while you are getting everything else in order..
I set up the neg pressure test get my accessories in order, then set up the pos test and get into my dry suit.. BY the time I'm ready to get into my unit, sufficient time has passed and it wasn't really any extra time..
o'ring, obviously you aren't a RB diver, before you constantly put down units especially CCRs, find an experienced trainer and at least do an intro to ccr class.. you still may not like the units but at least you'll understand why people do and if trained properly why CCR divers have more bailout options available than either SCR or OC divers.. I'll even bet that when you try it in a pool you will really hate it, most people do at first since all you OC skills really screw you up on a CCR and you have to learn from scratch..
RB divers fall into a few categories
newbies with under 50 or so hours, most generally respect the units and don't push it but you do get those idiots who are very experienced OC divers and try to do the same dives as they did on oc..
the overly confident RB diver someone who has times ranging from 30 or so hours to maybe a hundred who never had a problem on their units, this is the groups that worries me the most since they may get complacent and start to skip steps.
the pesimistic rb diver, someone who has had some time on unit probably at least 50 hours, and has minor issues with their unit, these people realize the need for predive tests and respect the unit.. The best RB divers generally come from here..
The "expert", someone who has lots of hours on the unit and thinks he knows everything.. Stay away from this accident waiting to happen... Noone is an expert, the best rb divers are always learning and practicing their skills.. I teach all levels of CCR and I still do drills on a regular basis..
I don't think I ever though of myself as an "expert" but from personal experience around 100 hours I felt quite confortable and felt I could handle anything, by 200 hours I considered myself a RB diver and mentally enter the water with the attitude "this device can fail at any time". This attitude keeps you mentally prepared for the unlikely event of a problem.. I feel much more prepared than I was ever on OC scuba when an eqpt failure (which is probably more likely) hits you by surprise.
Too many non Rb divers are always pushing the "electonics" failure crap.. I good rb diver always knows what he/she is breathing.. I know I CAN fly the unit blindly and maintain a fairly stable PO2 without the aid of ANY electronics.. It takes practice and personal awareness.. Again practice, practice, practice...
I was kidding and am totally unexperienced with rebreathers...I just like playing with madmole
Thats why I didn't reply to the obvious bait
It is a sore subject. There is a lot of nonsense spouted about rebreathers, which gets turned into "fact" by the equally uninformed
Those that understand them know that they are the future of diving and that in a few years most of you will be looking back to those bad old days of cold bubble diving. The units still have a way to go yet before they can be used by the open water brigade. But they are entering the mainstream
Heck the BSAC are even going to be running classes on them next year, and most branches have one or 2 in regular use. They do seem much more pervasive in the UK than the US though. mainly as the main bulk manufacturers of the affordable and usable units are all in Europe. You see them at every dive site here now
It is a sore subject. There is a lot of nonsense spouted about rebreathers, which gets turned into "fact" by the equally uninformed
Those that understand them know that they are the future of diving and that in a few years most of you will be looking back to those bad old days of cold bubble diving. The units still have a way to go yet before they can be used by the open water brigade. But they are entering the mainstream
Heck the BSAC are even going to be running classes on them next year, and most branches have one or 2 in regular use. They do seem much more pervasive in the UK than the US though. mainly as the main bulk manufacturers of the affordable and usable units are all in Europe. You see them at every dive site here now
OP
Scubaroo
Contributor
That was the reason I initially kicked off this thread - the technology is maturing, and they are becoming more accessable. I'm not about to plonk down the cash for a rebreather or training on one, but it's definitely something I want to work towards. By the time I get around to moving back to Australia (I promise I will one day O-ring) I reckon I'll have done a lot more dives, have some more advanced nitrox and possibly trimix training, and then I'll be thinking long and hard about dropping the cash for one. Especially given the cost of trimix diving in Australia. I'd probably look at the SCR/Nitrox ones like the Dolphin as a first rebreather though.
if you properly equip a dolphin you are almost in the price range of an Inspiration.. If getting oxygen is a point of contention, Your better off getting an Azimuth than a dolphin, as it will be upgradeable to a CCR..
learning an SCR before a CCR isn't necessary and infact may turn you off.. I dove the drager a few times and really didn't like it that much.. also with many ageniices OC trimix is not a prerequisite for CCR trimix.. I know with ANDI that full trimix traing can be done on a CCR (with some OC skills), this doesn't cut down the number of required dives just that the dives that would have been done on OC can now be done on the RB under supervision, plus the required dives for the CCR trimix cert.
learning an SCR before a CCR isn't necessary and infact may turn you off.. I dove the drager a few times and really didn't like it that much.. also with many ageniices OC trimix is not a prerequisite for CCR trimix.. I know with ANDI that full trimix traing can be done on a CCR (with some OC skills), this doesn't cut down the number of required dives just that the dives that would have been done on OC can now be done on the RB under supervision, plus the required dives for the CCR trimix cert.
Okiecaver
Contributor
My buddy and I are getting LAR Vs aftter Xmas and will be practicing with those until spring. Believe it not, there's an Inspiration instructor in Eastern OK that I plan on talking to alot, plus one of my cave buddies uses a Dolphin he adapted to using Heliair as a diluent.
Ive seen Inspirations used in the Missouri caves and envied them not having to lug overfilled 104s about, so I'm pretty set on doing the conversion sometime.
Dive safe
Brock
Okiecaver
Contributor
madmole once bubbled...
Thats why I didn't reply to the obvious bait
It is a sore subject. There is a lot of nonsense spouted about rebreathers, which gets turned into "fact" by the equally uninformed
Those that understand them know that they are the future of diving and that in a few years most of you will be looking back to those bad old days of cold bubble diving. The units still have a way to go yet before they can be used by the open water brigade. But they are entering the mainstream
Heck the BSAC are even going to be running classes on them next year, and most branches have one or 2 in regular use. They do seem much more pervasive in the UK than the US though. mainly as the main bulk manufacturers of the affordable and usable units are all in Europe. You see them at every dive site here now
I KNEW there was a reason why I like Brit Divers and it wasnt just because of the the Pub Deco Stops.
Seriously, I'll be checking out every nook and cranny of your site.
Dive safe
Brock
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