Triton rebreather or Hollis Prism2. Getting into CCR diving with a recreational diver background.

[Superlyte27]

Apologies for saying this, but this thinking is wrong in so many ways.

1. Rebreathers are technical diving. You may be diving within NDLs, but you are mixing gasses, having to deal with bailout, must use a lot of new skills, have very different planning and preparation needs...
2. You want to dive at the limits of NDLs, for example at 40m/132ft. A rebreather will give you the additional gas time, but you still have to carry sufficient bailout with you -- aka PONY. For this you need to do A LOT OF TRAINING, PRACTICE, PREPARATION AND DIVING otherwise IT WILL KILL YOU.
3. Rebreathers are very expensive. $10k for starters. Need at least one challenging course then YOU MUST dive with other rebreather divers for practice. Lots of practice.
4. Rebreathers need a lot of maintenance and preparation for every dive. OC: check gas, jump in. A rebreather requires hours of preparation which you MUST be pedantic and follow checklists. If you don't do this, it will happily kill you.
5. Rebreathers need high pressure oxygen which isn't commonly available from recreational dive shops.
6. Rebreathers, by their very nature, will encourage you to break the NDLs as there's basically no gas limits. A 40m/132ft dive is 8 minutes using the PADI (air) RDP. Most rebreather divers on here would dive that for an hour or more, with a full runtime of a couple of hours or more. This means that recreational dive boats will give you a hard time when you demand way more dive time than the 40 minutes of all the single tank NDL divers.
7. Rebreathers don't mix with open circuit divers. Sure, you can, but you're on your own as an OC diver hasn't a clue about your unit.
8. You NEVER buy a rebreather based upon the stock levels of a local dive shop. There's so much more to rebreathers than that.

Just dive on a twinset/doubles. Small cost (backplate + wing + twinset + 2 regs). Loads of gas, very few new skills to learn (literally planning and shutdowns). Even learn sidemount.

Sorry to say this, but a rebreather really isn't for you.

Half of everything you just typed is complete nonsense. Maybe not literally half, but close enough.

 

[Wibble]

Half of everything you just typed is complete nonsense. Maybe not literally half, but close enough.

Well that's me told then.

 

[Superlyte27]

Well that's me told then.

Do you own a rebreather? Are you certed on a rebreather?

 

[Wibble]

Do you own a rebreather? Are you certed on a rebreather?

FFS...

Have you read those comments? Does it look like it's written by a bubble blower?

The OP has come over as a normal single tank recreational diver with no decompression or advanced training. As you well know, that is not the starting point for a rebreather with it's massive complexity. The OP would be far better off diving on doubles/sidemount to achieve his goal.

It is a sensible goal, but not for the reasons given.

 

[Superlyte27]

FFS...

Have you read those comments? Does it look like it's written by a bubble blower?

The OP has come over as a normal single tank recreational diver with no decompression or advanced training. As you well know, that is not the starting point for a rebreather with it's massive complexity. The OP would be far better off diving on doubles/sidemount to achieve his goal.

It is a sensible goal, but not for the reasons given.

So be accurate. What you wrote was half non-sense. You can make a point without 40% BS, can’t you?

 

[grantctobin]

But we all know you have issues with Shearwater.

You continue to know not what you speak

 

[Wibble]

So be accurate. What you wrote was half non-sense. You can make a point without 40% BS, can’t you?

How can you be accurate with someone who's not researched the topic? It has to be written in a simple way.

And which of those statements are 40% BS? That rebreathers are fundamentally technical? That they will kill you if you don't take them seriously? That they take a lot of training and practice? That they cost a load of money? That the concept of using CCR to take more gas is flawed?

 

[GiraffeMarineSalvage]

FFS...

Have you read those comments? Does it look like it's written by a bubble blower?

The OP has come over as a normal single tank recreational diver with no decompression or advanced training. As you well know, that is not the starting point for a rebreather with it's massive complexity. The OP would be far better off diving on doubles/sidemount to achieve his goal.

It is a sensible goal, but not for the reasons given.

Overall I agree with much of what you said, although OP may also have not precisely explained goals in terms of delineation between "recreational" vs "tech", ie if willing to pay the premium to get a CCR to be able to enjoy much longer bubble-free dives with a focus on photography and closer interactions with marine life a CCR may still be a great option even if not anticipating dives deeper than 135 feet...
My only CCR is the Triton, and financial cost, required skill development and prep/takedown is of course is dramatically more than OC, but cost along with time preparing and cleaning up after a dive seems to be a lot more manageable than some other CCRs..

 

[Wibble]

Overall I agree with much of what you said, although OP may also have not precisely explained goals in terms of delineation between "recreational" vs "tech", ie if willing to pay the premium to get a CCR to be able to enjoy much longer bubble-free dives with a focus on photography and closer interactions with marine life a CCR may still be a great option even if not anticipating dives deeper than 135 feet...
My only CCR is the Triton, and financial cost, required skill development and prep/takedown is of course is dramatically more than OC, but cost along with time preparing and cleaning up after a dive seems to be a lot more manageable than some other CCRs..

Absolutely. I love my CCR and it's simply the only way I can do the types of dives I do (in the 40m/132ft through 75m/250ft range with extensive decompression) -- given the costs of helium and even oxygen. Just using a CCR for NDLs really isn't a great reason for diving CCR.

Although... how about the SCR options such as the Mares? These are a little easier to use and configure whilst giving many of the benefits from CCR. They're a lot cheaper too, although still need the pedantic preparation and maintenance of a CCR.

 

[Superlyte27]

How can you be accurate with someone who's not researched the topic? It has to be written in a simple way.

And which of those statements are 40% BS? That rebreathers are fundamentally technical? That they will kill you if you don't take them seriously? That they take a lot of training and practice? That they cost a load of money? That the concept of using CCR to take more gas is flawed?

How can you be accurate….?!?!?!?
Dude, accuracy is not contingent on someone’s understanding. Accurate is accurate, period.

Rebreathers aren’t $10k+. Sure they can be, but it’s also possible to buy them for the same prices as a doubles setup. I have 4 I’ll sell for under $5k. There are several new for way less than 10k.

CCR amd OC divers don’t mix?!?! SAYS WHO? We have mixed team diving all day every day here.

Hours to setup?!?!?
I’m certed on most of the common rebreathers. The Sidewinder is the only rebreather I can’t setup in under 15 minutes ready to dive.

Oxygen not available at recreational dive shops?!?!?!. Maybe, but I’ve dove all over the world and haven’t experienced it yet. Every single place I’ve went to, I called ahead to make sure they had sorb and oxygen. No issue so far.

Lots of bailout!?!?!?
How about a recreational dive to 60-80’. The only bailout I take is a AL14. I can’t even tell it’s there, but it’s enough to get me to the surface from 100’ plus, as long as I’m not in deco.

If diving with recreational divers and I have a problem they won’t know what to do!?!?!?!?
This is covered in CCR class about mixed team diving. If I have a problem, hold my hose in my mouth and press THIS button right here until you see bubbles coming from every oriface.

There’s more stuff, but that’s about 40%