The thread moved on while I was on the phone ...
daniel f aleman:
Questions by expert divers remain on the overall safety of rebreathers; as you well know. If experts die using them, and nobody can figure out why, what chances for we?
Just a few thoughts here:
- as pointed out, an expert OC diver does
not translate into an expert RB diver
- expert OC divers have lost their lives in dive accidents, too
- determining the cause of an RB fatality is considerably harder as the most important piece of evidence is usually gone. The gas in the loop.
- determining the cause of any accident involving lost divers is nearly impossible, no matter what they dive with
That aside, there are few statements made by Gaschef that I don't agree with in the first place.
- RB equipment is rarely if ever used commercially these days
- training a commercial diver in the two schools out here in CA does
not include any rebreather training at all because of that. Instead the curriculum includes training like nitrox and mixed gas diving, gas mixing, surface supplied gas diving, UW welding, hyperbaric chamber operation, ROV operation and such. Obviously all that will take a while
- same for military training, turning a soldier or sailor into a LAR V user does not take four years, nor does turning one into a MK16/MK27 operator. Turning anyone into an EOD diver, consolidated diver, seabee or UDT/SEAL obviously is more involved than just getting him proficient on a single piece of equipment, the UBA.
And while I'm at it:
- O2 CCR are
predominantly used by the military, but in
normal use by other government agencies for research and/or law enforcement. They are also used by private and public researchers, as well as "civilians". Several dive agencies offer training and certifications on O2 CCRs such as the OMGs and Drägers
- SCR start relative inexpensive, but have a very broad range, to over $10K
- all rebreathers require a good grasp of nitrox, that's why adv nitrox is a requirement
- not all CCRs are electronically controlled. The Sport and Classic Kiss are manually controlled, so is the CE certified Aquatek Voyager. Only very few CCRs have onboard deco, the O2ptima and the Ouroboros stock, the Vision equiped Inspiration and Evolution optionallly. The two Kisses, two Megs, Steam Machine, Classic Inspiration don't offer integrated deco
- the max depth is
not unlimited, not even theoretically. It is usually past the limit of the diver, though
- the majority of recreational users dive a max depth of 40 meters. Past that the dives aren't recreational anymore
- while max depth possible is generally classified on military rebreathers, both the USN and manufacturer have set a limit of 190 feet for normal CCR dive operations. Protocol is elaborate and available in the USN dive manual
Sorry chief, didn't mean to step all over you or your post, but I'm having a lousy day and ol' Danny Boy didn't do anything to improve it. The bottom line of your post I agree with entirely:
As with all diving equipment, it is not the equipment that is dangerous but the user
NAUI's USS Perry Expedition
