Should I try a rebreather?

[clownfishsydney]

With less than 24 dives experience, a great way to die before you get to 50 dives. Just learn how to dive first and once you have a few hundred dives and more knowledge, then revisit this question.

 

[npole]

With less than 24 dives experience, a great way to die before you get to 50 dives. Just learn how to dive first and once you have a few hundred dives and more knowledge, then revisit this question.

So you are a CCR diver and because of your experience, you can determine that someone with less than 24 dives will risk to die for trying a rebreather?

 

[doctormike]

So you are a CCR diver and because of your experience, you can determine that someone with less than 24 dives will risk to die for trying a rebreather?

He didn't say that. That's a straw man argument.

The OP's question was about whether he should switch to a rebreather. I think that most people will agree that an OC diver with less than 24 dives should get more diving experience before considering that option.

We all risk that, whether we are diving CCR or OC. The question is what you can to do reasonably manage that risk. There are some people who are more at risk on OC than others are on a rebreather.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Regarding rebreathers and marine biology: Reread @MichaelMc s post; there's a lot of wisdom there.

If you're still in high school, focus on math and chemistry. Most of the marine biologist "wannabes" I see fail can't do algebra.

If you have time and money to spare, get your Rescue certification. Most US universities will require it. Keep diving. They'll also require current dives to maintain academic diving credentials. Mine requires 12 a year with at least one in the last 6 months for standard SCUBA.

I may be biased because I work on plants in cold, dark water where there's no point in going really deep and staying down for extended periods is either uncomfortable or requires heating systems. In my world, I only know a couple of people who use rebreathers for work. One is in Hawaii and working on deep water reefs. She gave up her University tech rating because maintaining it was onerous and expensive. The other was transitioning to retirement and doing lots of underwater photography. He didn't want to spook the fish. However, he never used a rebreather for useful work before he retired.

In contrast, there are a lot of marine biologists out there who never dive. ROVs are replacing a lot of the "jobs" divers used to do. Many marine biologists work in the intertidal. Others drop probes, cameras, and ROVs off ships. Some study large scale phenomena such that a diver in the water at one place and time isn't useful.

That's not to say rebreathers aren't ever a useful tool. Some projects absolutely require them. But where you're at, strong algebra skills are more important to your long term success in marine biology. Take as much math, chemistry, and physics as you can. Surprisingly, the biology is less critical before college. And Rescue certification is a higher priority than rebreather if you want to increase your dive education.

 

[uwxplorer]

I've seen rebreathers in my local dive shop, and was asked about them on the survey for this site, but I've never used one before, I mainly use the standard regulator system with a yoke valve. Would a rebreather make my dives last longer or could I go deeper? Would it be easier to use than a regulator? What level of certification do I need in order to use one? And would I need to know how to use one if I'm going into the Marine Biology field?
Thanks in advance!

Good questions! Time to think this through during the next couple of years...

 

[BioLumiLuna]

Read the link below carefully. It's a pretty long read. While there is some science-diving specific material which may be of special interest to your question, there is also a TON of useful information in that document for non-science divers.

https://www.omao.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Rebreathers and Scientific Diving Proceedings 2016.pdf

Thanks for the info, and as someone who reads Steven King books a long read isn't an issue for me

 

[Superlyte27]

Thanks for the info, and as someone who reads Steven King books a long read isn't an issue for me

And just like Stephen King books, the ending sucks too.

 

[kelemvor]

On OC you go look at fish. On CCR fish come look at you.

CCR Manufacturers should put that into a commercial

I am curious if you ever actually tried one in the pool with an instructor?

No, I never got there. There are a few shops that do rebreather "try" dives in my area. However they charge several hundred dollars to do it. I figured since I'd decided against RB that I wouldn't spend that much.

 

[Gareth J]

I am curious if you ever actually tried one the pool with an instructor?

No, I never got there. There are a few shops that do rebreather "try" dives in my area. However they charge several hundred dollars to do it. I figured since I'd decided against RB that I wouldn't spend that much.

Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES ever try a rebreather, especially in open water (the sea)!!!!!!!!

I went on a free course... it cost me a fortune, I bought one!
I went on a pilot course, that was run to test the course materials. I only went to learn about them because so many of the people I was diving with where using them.
The first day, the weather was so bad we could only do lectures and assemble the units. By the end of the day I was certain I was going to die. The materials had been prepared by a team, it was the first time they had run all the lectures back to back on a course. The instructor team realised the word death was somewhat over used.

The second day we actually got in the water, by dive two I new I wanted one!

Gareth

 

[BioLumiLuna]

And just like Stephen King books, the ending sucks too.

Lol, while I disagree (considering I love his novels) I can agree with that aspect of the document