rebreather ?

[domino22]

Thought I would never ask this but lately I have thought about it. If you decided to try a rebreather and get the proper training what setup is the best? I have heard/read the halcyon is a real nice setup. But also some others are mentioned. With that said let your feelings be known! I know the $$$ is there but with this question I may be able to make a better decision. Thanks

 

[scubahubby]

For what kind of diving?

You mention Halcyon, are you only willing to look at SCR's or are you interested in CCR's too?

- Ozzy

 

[caveseeker7]

Ozzy is right, without knowing how and where you dive it's hard to give you pointers.

The RB80 is a very goal oriented design that might not work all that well for your kind of diving. It does work extremly well for what it was designed though: deep cave exploration.

 

[Curt McNamee]

Thought I would never ask this but lately I have thought about it. If you decided to try a rebreather and get the proper training what setup is the best? I have heard/read the halcyon is a real nice setup. But also some others are mentioned. With that said let your feelings be known! I know the $$$ is there but with this question I may be able to make a better decision. Thanks

I am currently training on a KISS CCR and it is great. It is only about $5,000, is simple to operate, high quality manufacturing and great customer support. This unit addresses the inherit problems with electronic controls with a simple design that works very well. I am very impressed with it and would recommend it to anyone. Put KISS rebreather into google and you will find all kinds of info on this unit. Searching the web for hours, I have not found any negative input about this unit or its design.

 

[domino22]

For what kind of diving?

You mention Halcyon, are you only willing to look at SCR's or are you interested in CCR's too?

- Ozzy

Not sure was just starting to do some research on them. I understand some can be very costly. I would not use it for cave diving. Was looking at some deeper diving in the future, and would like to get my Advance Nitrox/Deco then Trimix. And talked to a instructor/ rebreather instuctor in Utila and got some info from him. But he was teaching a class on the boat so I had to let him teach his students so I never got all the questions answered. it made me curous so I am looking around for more info. He did tell that I think it was "lime" not the juice type that was used in the scrubber and traveling with that could be a hassle,can anyone explain that? Thanks

 

[caveseeker7]

He did tell that I think it was "lime" not the juice type that was used in the scrubber and traveling with that could be a hassle,can anyone explain that? Thanks

You really are new to Rbs, aren't you?

He was referring to soda lime, which absorbs the CO2 you exhale. That scrubbing process all rebreathers have in common. What's left is to replace the oxygen you metabolized, and that's where differ differ:
Add a pre-mixed gas (based on MOD) either constantly or in tune with your breathing, or just replace the O2 you metabolized, either manually or electronically controlled.

Read through the threads, or use the search function, as the subject of how to get into rebreathers, where to find info, what to read and/or watch all has come up before.

 

[domino22]

You really are new to Rbs, aren't you?

He was referring to soda lime, which absorbs the CO2 you exhale. That scrubbing process all rebreathers have in common. What's left is to replace the oxygen you metabolized, and that's where differ differ:
Add a pre-mixed gas (based on MOD) either constantly or in tune with your breathing, or just replace the O2 you metabolized, either manually or electronically controlled.

Read through the threads, or use the search function, as the subject of how to get into rebreathers, where to find info, what to read and/or watch all has come up before.

Yes new to RB! Just starting to find out about them. Found some good sites this morning from some of y'alls suggestions. I think the ccr type looks the best to me at this point from what I have looked at. Now looking for a place to do my adv nitrox. Would like to do it out of the country and tie it in with a dive trip. Will keep doing research for now.Thanks for all the input.

 

[scubahubby]

Not sure was just starting to do some research on them.

Ill try to find some time to do a longer post and give you some links for your research, Ive got a work crisis at the moment so I have to be brief (I hate spending weekends working, weekends are for diving!).

You mentioned getting your adv nitrox and trimix cert. Do get the adv nitrox certification. If you decide to go the CCR route it is a prerequisite for your CCR certification.

However I would not rush to get your trimix cert for two reasons. First, trimix certification is mode specific. There are different certifications for OC (open circuit, eg scuba) trimix and SCR/CCR (semi-closed circuit rebreather, closed circuit rebreather) trimix, and you do not need OC trimix to get CCR trimix, infact you will have to unlearn a few things they teach you in OC trimix.

The second reason not to rush is that if you make the switch to rebreather diving you will be starting over again from a skill/experience perspective. It does not matter how many OC dives you have done or how deep you have been or what level trimix cert you have, when you start rebreather diving you are starting at ground zero. In fact the more advanced your OC skills, the more you will need to retrain yourself. Obviously there are new skills to learn for rebreather diving. But even the things you may now do automatically on OC, like buoyancy control, are different. You will have to unlearn your old reactions and retrain yourself and your reflexes. You should spend 50 to 100 hours on the rebreather slowly working your way back to max recreational depths before you consider getting CCR trimix certification and going deeper. So if you are seriously considering going the rebreather route, dont rush to get OC trimix certification. It will save you time and $$$ to make the decision and start building up your rebreather experience in recreational depths before going deep on OC.

But dont let this discourage you! About 18 months ago I was at the point where I had been doing 50-100 dives every year, had dove primarily with doubles (from shore, ick) for the preceeding year mostly in the 50m depth range, and was ready to get my trimix cert and start doing some deep diving. After realizing just how much gear is requried (starting with a boat, no shore diving with doubles and 2 or 3 large sling tanks) I knew there had to be a better way and I started researching rebreathers. I have been diving the KISS CCR for the last year and I love it. And I am only now starting to look at getting my CCR normoxic trimix certification. I only force myself to do OC diving now to keep my skills/comfort level intact because I ocassionally assist with basic scuba, advanced scuba, and stress and rescue classes taught at my LDS. Otherwise I would never dive anything but my CCR.

- Ozzy

 

[wedivebc]

Thought I would never ask this but lately I have thought about it. If you decided to try a rebreather and get the proper training what setup is the best? I have heard/read the halcyon is a real nice setup. But also some others are mentioned. With that said let your feelings be known! I know the $$$ is there but with this question I may be able to make a better decision. Thanks

Ron did a good article here http://www.tmishop.com/RB newbies.htm that you might find helpful.
If you are unsure if you will like rebreather diving a Dolphin is an inexpensive unit that will get you used to the benefits and hassles of RB diving. It is somewhat limited though. If you cruise around on the above link you will see what to do about that limitation. A Kiss/Dolphin hybrid is a very useful and not too expensive way to go. Did 2 trimix dives yesterday using 10 cuft trimix and 7 cuft O2. We were on a boat( http://www.divingbccanada.com/ ) with some open circuit trimix divers who used 2 sets of e8 130 doubles and a couple of deco cylinders to do the same bottom time as us.

 

[domino22]

Ron did a good article here http://www.tmishop.com/RB newbies.htm that you might find helpful.
If you are unsure if you will like rebreather diving a Dolphin is an inexpensive unit that will get you used to the benefits and hassles of RB diving. It is somewhat limited though. If you cruise around on the above link you will see what to do about that limitation. A Kiss/Dolphin hybrid is a very useful and not too expensive way to go. Did 2 trimix dives yesterday using 10 cuft trimix and 7 cuft O2. We were on a boat( http://www.divingbccanada.com/ ) with some open circuit trimix divers who used 2 sets of e8 130 doubles and a couple of deco cylinders to do the same bottom time as us.

Thanks wedivebc. Checked out both links good info. But I hope I never need a boat with a heated gear up area! Is the diving that good up there?