Rebreathers at Truk

[Mr. Bubble]

Has anyone seen the "DIscovering Wrecks" on the Military channel? I tried to stay up last night (til 11 ) ) but could'nt make it. I caught most of it. They were using rebreathers to dive on Truk lagoon. It got me thinking about rebreathers in gemeral. I have always thought I would like to go rebreather, but after scratching the surface, I found that there are a few hitches along with it. It would seem that they would be ideal for wreck diving, deep diving and photography. But, I have learned that they are a pain in the :mooner: to keep up with. That they are not all that safe, and many bugs need to be worked out of them still. Even cave divers recommend using them only when aboslutely neccessary. So, .......whats the deal? crazy, too risky...or, cool as hell, have fun doing things that you could'nt have done on open circuit?

WHats the best link for rebreathers?

THanks,
Mr. B

 

[Scubastud16]

Check out the "Rebreather World" forums. There is much to learn, and a lot of false info on the net (aka Scubaboard). People don't understand them and are scared, so they talk trash about them. Get diving on one, it's an incredible experience.

 

[diver 85]

Has anyone seen the "DIscovering Wrecks" on the Military channel? I tried to stay up last night (til 11 ) ) but could'nt make it. I caught most of it. They were using rebreathers to dive on Truk lagoon. It got me thinking about rebreathers in gemeral. I have always thought I would like to go rebreather, but after scratching the surface, I found that there are a few hitches along with it. It would seem that they would be ideal for wreck diving, deep diving and photography. But, I have learned that they are a pain in the :mooner: to keep up with. That they are not all that safe, and many bugs need to be worked out of them still. Even cave divers recommend using them only when aboslutely neccessary. So, .......whats the deal? crazy, too risky...or, cool as hell, have fun doing things that you could'nt have done on open circuit?

WHats the best link for rebreathers?

THanks,
Mr. B

dvr is your best friend.......I'm going to watch it sometime in the next day or 2.......

 

[caveseeker7]

While Rebreather World is IMHO the best place on the web for rebreathers a whole bunch of us frequent other forums, may it be Scubaoard, Decostop, Dive-Oz or any of dozends of local boards.

Mr. B, rebreathers have their pros and cons, if you read up on them you should be able to judge if they're for you or not. They're certainly not for everyone as they do require more attention before, during and after the dive than open circuit gear. And while they carry several additional risks, those are not necessarily unique to rebreathers. Just more likely to occur. On the other hand there is usually more time to deal with problems, and sometimes several options to do so.

I highly recommend some reading, there are several good articles in the RBW library.
Also, "A Learner's Guide To Closed-Circuit Rebreather Operations" by Richard L. Pyle. Every once in a blue moon he visits SB, and his Learner's Guide is a standard.

Finally, Jeff Bozanik's "Mastering Rebreathers" is a good book covering many aspects of rebreathers. It's been out for several years so it's not up to date in regards to the units on the market today (or back then, actually, the Inspiration isn't covered).

Last but not least several manufacturers have operating manuals online, from Dräger SCRs to Jetsam and rEvo manually controlled CCRs to Ambient Pressure Inspiration/Evolution and C2R Ouroboros electronically controlled CCRs.

Oughta keep you out of trouble for a while.

 

[Hyper-limits]

Ditto, to caveseeker7 post.

Most of the concern that you bring are exactly the same one I had before I moved to CCR.
Rebreather have advantage and disavantage, they take more time to set up and cost a little to dive with than OC, and of course it cost a lot to buy the unit. But the kind of diving that you can do with them is unbelievable. They always will be more dangerous to dive than OC, but with the proper training and experience I find it to be quite safe. I don't dive OC anymore if I don't have too.
The only problem is if you buy one you will have to change your name from Mr Bubble to Mr NO Bubbles

Cheers

Al

 

[PacketSniffer]

<snip> Even cave divers recommend using them only when aboslutely neccessary.

You've been given some great info. Once you equip yourself with the knowledge, you'll look back and see just how foolish some of the common thoughts against rebreathers really are.


Personally, I wouldn't be in a cave *without* a rebreather.

 

[John_B]

I'm not an RB diver (and I hope its OK to post in here). But isn't it next to impossilble to get He in places like Chuuk? Would those guys had to have gotten it shipped in by boat or something?

John

 

[Hyper-limits]

I'm not an RB diver (and I hope its OK to post in here). But isn't it next to impossilble to get He in places like Chuuk? Would those guys had to have gotten it shipped in by boat or something?

John

That right, it is expensive to ship helium to Truk, with a RB you use a lot less of it. That probably one of the main reason why the divers in Discovering Wrecks TV Show used them.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

I recently completed training for a Dive Rite Optima Rebreather I purchased and have completed over 20 dives on it so far. Prior to that, I have done all types of diving, including deep wreck diving on trimix, and I am also certified as a PADI Open Water Instructor.

You are correct in that the rebreather takes a lot more set-up and breakdown time than normal open circuit. The initial cost and ongoing costs are also much greater than normal oc scuba, and while diving, you also have much more to worry about.

However, the amount of versatility that it provides is awesome. For example, the other day we did a dive in 140 feet of water and was able to stay down for approx. 45minutes, with limited narcosis, b/c I had a lite trimix mix as my diluent. Sure, I still had to deal with the decompression, but that's not a problem with the rebreather. With my unit, I carry enough gas to stay down approx 4 hours, regardless of the depth, and the way I have my rebreather is configured, I only carry 26 cubic feet of gas within the rebreather, so it is reletively lite (approx 40+ pounds). When I'm on a boat doing a 3 tank dive, I do not have to switch tanks between dives. I also do not exhale any bubbles, so the marine life is generally not so intidated by my presence.

With regards to safety, it's really not as unsafe as you have been led to believe. With proper training, you are taught to be conscious of everything you must be monitoring during the dive, and it becomes habit. Also, I ALWAYS carry sidemounted bail-out tanks with enough gas to complete all decompression and get me back to the surface, so if I have any type of problem, I simply bail-out. The extra time in preparing your gear, is because you are assembling the unit from scratch each time, and confirming that each componect is secure and working as it should be - how often have you really done that with your oc gear? Also, as priviously mentioned, if you do have a problem underwater, you generally have several different opions to deal with the problem, which if you develop good habits through proper training, it ends up being much safer than open circuit scuba.

With my rebreather, I dive with three computers and four independent sensors monitoring my oxygen (P02) at all times, and I have a small heads-up display located at the right hand corner in front of my mask, signaling my current oxygen (P02) at all times.

Many manufacturers are offering rebreather experiences from time to time, where you can get in a pool and try one out. If your are at all curious, give it a try. If you decide to go with it, you will end up spending LOTS of cash, but if you can swing it, YOU WILL NOT REGET IT - I HAVEN'T!

Safe Diving,