Rebreathers: Too Much Of A Hassle??

[Ex Con]

I am in the process of being trained on the Azimuth rebreather and I now have some concerns. In the real world of Carribbean diving will bringing this gear on and off the boats daily be a real hassle? What about set up and cleaning? I was told to figure about 1 hour to set up the unit for 2 days diving. Does this make sense? Anybody out there own the Azimuth or Drager and feel its too many headaches? I am a photographer and it would be real nice to have no bubbles but I also don't want to have to drive myself crazy with quantum physics every time I want to dive the rebreather. Any and all responses greatly appreciated!!

 

[TCDiver1]

Originally posted by Ex Con
I am in the process of being trained on the Azimuth rebreather and I now have some concerns. In the real world of Carribbean diving will bringing this gear on and off the boats daily be a real hassle? What about set up and cleaning? I was told to figure about 1 hour to set up the unit for 2 days diving. Does this make sense? Anybody out there own the Azimuth or Drager and feel its too many headaches? I am a photographer and it would be real nice to have no bubbles but I also don't want to have to drive myself crazy with quantum physics every time I want to dive the rebreather. Any and all responses greatly appreciated!!

It's either worth the effort to dive with less bubbles or not. I would think if your a serious photo diver, the benefits would outweigh the cost in time and hassle. But that is a question you have to ask yourself. I own the Drager Dolphin & have gotten dozens of excellent photos & videos i never would have filmed using open circuit. IMHO the extra effort is more than worth it based on the added potential to achieve great shots.

The only thing i have questioned is the financial cost. I'm not sure i would buy the unit, if i had to do it all over again, since there is a LDS that rents them in my area.

As for the complexity of SCR diving, in general, it is pretty basic tech diving. If the concepts are giving you trouble, make sure you train until you are VERY comfortable that you understand them inside & out. Tech diving, even basic tech diving, can be much less forgiving than it's recreational counterpart. Make sure you grill your instructor to the max, and follow all unit procedures, before you hit the water. And remember:

WHEN IN DOUBT .... BAIL OUT!

 

[padiscubapro]

Originally posted by Ex Con
I am in the process of being trained on the Azimuth rebreather and I now have some concerns. In the real world of Carribbean diving will bringing this gear on and off the boats daily be a real hassle? What about set up and cleaning? I was told to figure about 1 hour to set up the unit for 2 days diving. Does this make sense? Anybody out there own the Azimuth or Drager and feel its too many headaches? I am a photographer and it would be real nice to have no bubbles but I also don't want to have to drive myself crazy with quantum physics every time I want to dive the rebreather. Any and all responses greatly appreciated!!

I don't dive an azimuth but I dive an Inspiration.. It takes me about 30 mins to prp the unit for the next day of diving or abut 15 minutes if I'm prepping it for storage.
I have taken pictures and have had encounters that would have been impossible on open circuit and some wouldn't have been possible on an SCR (scrs are still too noisy when high flow rates are required). I know personally I dread the dives I have to do on OC.. Your unit, since its nitrox based will be much easier to travel with since Nitrox is usually readily available.. I dislike OC so much that doing all the leg work to find places for high pressure 100% o2 fills (CCR requires o2) for a trip doesn't even bother me.
Do what you were trained when it comes to an RB don't skip steps.. Loop integreity is extremely important.. dont skip your pos and neg pressure tests, and on your unit the flow rate..
Just because you can breathe a gas doesn't guarentee its life sustaining.. Thats why pre dive checks are important.

 

[Kaffphine]

**NB I don't dive rebreathers, and my only real exposer to them is from the guy I'm gonna talk about.

One guy I regually dive with got an Azimuth a few months ago. In his opinion it's the only rebreather that needs to be built. The biggest thing he likes about the Azimuth is that you can spend an afternoon with a kit and some tools and have a fully CCR. I don't know what kind of time he puts into set-up/maintain at his house, but on the dive site he doesn't take any longer than the rest of us on OC. I don't know about times for other makes, but he's flooded his breathing loop a couple of times dumping that out, drying it, whatever he does doesn't take but a few mins.

 

[madmole]

This post is copied from the Inspiration forums on the relative hassle factors of OC v CCR diving. Dont forget, those who have a rebreather HAVE ALL dived OC. those who OC dive havn't tried a rebreather

quote>>>>>>>>>>>

Been diving my RB quite a bit lately, 50-60m ish dives but yesterday my RB developed a problem so I elected to dive OC. I had forgotten how complicated it is! all that gas switching, worrying about how much gas I am using, making sure I am carrying enough, working out what to carry and when to switch, running backup plans to cover me if I loose a stage gas, prodding the buttons on my VR3 so it knows what gas I am on now. Then theres the actual gas switches, pulling out the (right) reg, turning on the gas, hoping the reg is gonna work ect. ect. ect. Also comparing how much the gas cost compared to CCR!!!

When I am on my rebreather all I have to do is watch the handsets, watch my VR3 and just dive, no drama on the ascent, no gas switching...................... But I am preaching to the converted right?

I agree with Tom RB diving is much safer all you have to do is KNOW YOUR PO2 and understand your unit. All rebreathers have their problems but as they become more mainstream they will also become more reliable. Who remembers Kevin Gurr's Ace Profile? now look at his new VR3, what a difference some improved technology makes.

<<<<<<<<<<<end quote

 

[CCR2002]

am in the process of being trained on the Azimuth rebreather and I now have some concerns. In the real world of Carribbean diving will bringing this gear on and off the boats daily be a real hassle? What about set up and cleaning? I was told to figure about 1 hour to set up the unit for 2 days diving. Does this make sense? Anybody out there own the Azimuth or Drager and feel its too many headaches? I am a photographer and it would be real nice to have no bubbles but I also don't want to have to drive myself crazy with quantum physics every time I want to dive the rebreather. Any and all responses greatly appreciated


Hi Ex Con, if you decide to buy one, u must decide if you are a Rebreather diver or an OC diver, Rebreather diving is a mindset, when I first started using a Rebreather I kept breathing in to control my buoyancy, like you would with OC, guess what it didn’t work, now after 25 hours of diving on the unit im starting not to do that anymore, but if I go over to OC I will have to do it again.

I’m off on holiday in October, there is no Nitrox or o2 on the island so I have to dive OC and I am not looking forward to it. I no longer like OC, its dry, cold, noisy, & on the boat a lot of hassle, with my RB, while everyone else is faffing changing there cylinders for the next dive, im just chilling out on the boat.

I dive my Rebreather all the time, whether I am in 10m or 40m, because I am a Rebreather diver not an OC diver , I go to a shore site & they look at me funny, one guy said it was a bit OTT for a shore dive, but as I have just explained its a mindset, im not saying you cant swap or shouldn’t swap, but I love all the advantages the RB gives me over OC, in the water OC has no advantage over a RB to me.

Out of the water very much yes with the extra time spent preparing the unit, but that comes with the territory, you are either prepared to do it or your not, with a RB any RB there can be no cut corners when it comes to maintenance and preparation

If you think it’s a hassle to go through those procedures with your RB, then I would advise you to reconsider whether a RB is for you.

You will have spent a lot of money on your unit, DIVE IT.
Whenever and wherever you can.


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