Recreational Rebreather!?!?!?!?

[adamp69]

Hey guys. The owner of my LDS has been trying to gain interest in the Hollis Explorer. He wants to start selling them and providing training. I dont know alot about rebreathers. I know the basics of how they work. But i can't really figure out what makes the Explorer a hybrid. Are there Bubbles or not?? lol. To me, the unit looks a little bulky. I'm just wondering if its something i want to bother with.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

Go big or Go home....why buy something twice?

 

[Doppler]

what kind of diving interests you? The Explorer is a semi-closed rebreather... a gas extender.

 

[adamp69]

Go big or Go home....why buy something twice?

what do you mean? That i should buy a different RB? thats what i'm wondering. Is the Explorer worth buying? or should i just spend the extra bucks on a full blown kit? and if so, whats a good unit? I do a fair bit of wreck diving. And Open ocean diving with alot of marine life.

 

[Dive-aholic]

The Hollis Explorer is a semi closed rebreather that is limited to 2 hours of bottom time at recreational depths. While it may have its place for some divers, that's pretty limiting for many. For about the same price you can get a fully closed circuit rebreather. For a bit less you can get a semi closed rebreather that is more compact and will give you much longer bottom time and allow you to take it as deep as you're trained to dive.

 

[kelemvor]

Are there Bubbles or not??

I recently was looking at one. Yes, there are bubbles but not with every exhale like with OC. The computer decides when the unit needs to "burp". My opinion was that it's way too limited given the cheaper (than cc) but still hefty price tag. You still get the risks of a rebreather as well.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

what do you mean? That i should buy a different RB? thats what i'm wondering. Is the Explorer worth buying? or should i just spend the extra bucks on a full blown kit? and if so, whats a good unit? I do a fair bit of wreck diving. And Open ocean diving with alot of marine life.

Like Dive-aholic said, it's a very limited machine for the price. You can get some very capable units that are tried and true depending on your short and long term goals.

 

[Garth]

I would wait on the explorer. It may need a little work. It sounds like there is a scrubber issue trending right now or should I say a duration of dive issue. In short people aren't getting 2 hours from the unit.

I even heard of people working around the safety features in order to dive which is incredibly stupid and unnecessary if you buy the right rebreather for the type of diving you were doing.

Beyond wreck diving I would think about the type of diving you're doing in relation to duration and depth.
Are you regularly going to 130 feet or beyond?
Are you doing multiple dives in one day totaling more than two hours?
Will you be in in overhead environment?

If the OP is a diver looking for a rebreather I would suggest talking to somebody who knows something about rebreathers. If you are somebody who works for the shop whose owner is asking you to investigate the explorer then I would talk to somebody who sells explorer's.

Tell them what your needs are and see what they say and let us know what they come up..


Garth

 

[kwinter]

For a very simple gas extender (semi-closed) with a lower cost and without the complications of electronics, check out the GEM from KISS before you make a decision. A very different approach than the Explorer and one that has been established for several years with a good track record. I am just having a hard time seeing the right place for the Explorer in the market.

 

[Diver0001]

I can't really see what benefit a rebreather would have to the typical recreational diver. They're expensive to buy and the training is expensive. For technical diving, I totally get it. Optimizing deco times and they're much cheaper to run than open-circuit trimix.....

Curiosity is one thing but unless the prices have fallen drastically since I looked into it, a person could make a lot of dive trips for the amount of money it would take to get started.

Thoughts?

R..