What is the best Rebreather?

[berk]

ok, so it would need to be filled a couple times an a vacation then. Do you bring your own or are resorts able to do that?

I have been to some more off the beaten path dive areas. Usually if they have nitrox, they have some sort of O2. You can decant their O2 if you bring a whip and some fillings.

I have been faced with 20-30 dives with O2 for just 5-10. You can make up for that by flushing the loop more often with a sling bottle of nitrox, but it cuts down on the fun factor.

The sorb is clutch, but you can usually check that as baggage or ship it ahead easier than tanks etc.

If you are going somewhere warm/easy a good number of people stretch their sorb due to high water temp and low work levels.

-matt

 

[Rhone Man]

Can I ask a similarly niave question? Possibly hijacking - if so, I'm sorry.

Why are CCR divers so trenchantly opposed to SCRs? I see a lot of upsides in using an SCR, but CCR divers seem to go berzerk at the suggestion.

 

[berk]

That doesn't seem right. SCR's are pretty sweet. You end up using more gas; they are in a sense more like a gas extender, but often there are no electronics to worry about.

I'm sure there are plenty of threads on here about Draeger Dolphins, which might be the most common rebreather of all.

-matt

 

[down4fun]

While depth does not play a role on your gas consumption (or little on the diluent side), the limiting factor of most units is the sorb. Most manufactures are giving around 3h on one fill.

depends on the unit and water temp. In florida's warm water with new sorb in both cassettes i can get 5 hours on a rEvo

 

[lemon]

Can I ask a similarly niave question? Possibly hijacking - if so, I'm sorry.

Why are CCR divers so trenchantly opposed to SCRs? I see a lot of upsides in using an SCR, but CCR divers seem to go berzerk at the suggestion.

not sure that this is really the case - at least not in my experience. within my group of dive buddies we have ccr, scr and oc divers. to each their own.

i suspect there is a small minority of divers who are biased by their equipment selection and investment who believe their way is the best way. personally, i wouldnt put too much stock in any divers opinion if they go berzerk about anything gear related...

opinions and preferences are one thing but to reflexively dismiss other diving technologies comes off as overly dogmatic to me. some divers probably have personal agendas when it comes to discussing pros and cons of different types of gear - even if that agenda is to convince themselves that they are smarter and more "right" in their gear selection...

 

[Rhone Man]

That doesn't seem right. SCR's are pretty sweet. You end up using more gas; they are in a sense more like a gas extender, but often there are no electronics to worry about.

not sure that this is really the case - at least not in my experience. within my group of dive buddies we have ccr, scr and oc divers. to each their own.

Thanks. I occasionally lurk in the rebreather world forums (always trying to learn something new) and it seemed to me that people always poured buckets of cold water on the idea of using a SCRs. I guess they may be a bit more hard core CCR in that forum.

 

[Gill Envy]

Can I ask a similarly niave question? Possibly hijacking - if so, I'm sorry.

Why are CCR divers so trenchantly opposed to SCRs? I see a lot of upsides in using an SCR, but CCR divers seem to go berzerk at the suggestion.

It seems to me that SCR is virtually non-existant compared to OC and CCR. My guess is that it's because SCR involves a lot of the hassle of CCR with a fraction of the benefits. It seems like SCR's are sometimes the stepping stone to CCR's, a way for someone to get their feet whet in the technology for less $$ to see if they like it, people seem to see it as a safer option as well, a cautious next step in the direction of CCR's. Whether it's worth it depends on you.

I skipped the step and have no regrets. My guess is that some folks try SCR and don't get a good taste of the full advantages of CCR so they turn back to OC... would they have felt differently if they'd gone straight to CCR? There are many paths up the hill!

g

 

[Amphiprion]

Its been a while since I looked into SCRs. From what I remember, you are dealing with a variable p02 since you are not adding 02 into the loop. This means like OC you are only have your perfect gas mix at a certain depth during your dive. I believe this means no accelerated deco on the SCR. You still have to worry about hypercapnia and hypoxia however. In summary you get most of the risks associated with a CCR but fewer of the benefits...unless a less expensive unit is a benefit.

 

[bigblue_hi]

Hi I just wanted to point out that while scrubber life is often cited as a limitation in rebreather diving time, CNS clock is also something that should not be ignored. If you're diving 1.3 PO2 then 3 hours of diving = 100% clock - which is roughly what most scrubbers will give you.

happy diving.