Would like a high level overview of CCR costs, weights, and packability for travel.
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fuzzybabybunny
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Can someone point me to the regs that forbid spearing on a rebreather? I can't seem to find it. I'm not hell-bent on fishing or anything, but just curious.
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fuzzybabybunny
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I think one of the things that attracts me is being able to go to more out of the way places and not having to constantly go back and forth between dive shops to fill tanks after one or two days of casual diving. If I can go 10 hours on a single CCR fill, that's at least 5 round trips to a scuba shop if I've got doubles. The cost of gas and time would thus add up. I think a CCR would be neat to bring along if you're road tripping and want to dive in places that don't have scuba infrastructure for a few days. I know that a semi-closed can accomplish much the same thing but a CCR just seems more flexible if you also wanted to work your way to tech diving in the future. Sound reasonable?
Nick Steele
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Not from fwc but fwc is linked from this site. Spearing | eRegulations it states no use of rebreathers in state waters in Florida for spearing.
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@fuzzybabybunny SCR's have done some of the most extreme expedition diving in history thanks to GUE/WKPP. CCR's are more versatile, sure, but it all depends on what you're doing.
CCR scrubbers are on average good for about 6 hours of diving. Some longer, some shorter.
Onboard O2 bottles vary depending on size but are typically 2l or 3l with "normal" rebreathers. Theoretically the 2l should be good for 6 hours and the 3l for about 10 *if filled all the way up*, but practically speaking, especially if conducting multiple dives, you get about 6 hours out of a fill on the 3l. Not going to get 10 without carrying multiple bottles.
Dil usage tends to be about the same, and you still have to carry offboard bailout.
The downside to them though is that you have to carry a lot of ancillary equipment that you don't have to bring for OC scuba, you also have a lot more complicated setup and breakdown time. The CCR is minimally configured as 3 tanks, a backplate/wing, and a rebreather. So you have all that you need for single tank scuba diving, but an extra pair of tanks/regulators, and the rebreather itself. The loop assembly requires proper drying, and a lot of extra maintenance. Not the rig I'd carry for travel. When you do get to a dive shop, you have to rely on them having pure O2 on site, preferably with a booster or those tanks you have for onboard O2 won't last nearly as long when you can only get 1800psi instead of 3000
When you roadtrip, do you have a camper/trailer/pickup truck with a bit of extra space or are you talking air travel? If you do a baby air compressor is probably a much better investment....
CCR scrubbers are on average good for about 6 hours of diving. Some longer, some shorter.
Onboard O2 bottles vary depending on size but are typically 2l or 3l with "normal" rebreathers. Theoretically the 2l should be good for 6 hours and the 3l for about 10 *if filled all the way up*, but practically speaking, especially if conducting multiple dives, you get about 6 hours out of a fill on the 3l. Not going to get 10 without carrying multiple bottles.
Dil usage tends to be about the same, and you still have to carry offboard bailout.
The downside to them though is that you have to carry a lot of ancillary equipment that you don't have to bring for OC scuba, you also have a lot more complicated setup and breakdown time. The CCR is minimally configured as 3 tanks, a backplate/wing, and a rebreather. So you have all that you need for single tank scuba diving, but an extra pair of tanks/regulators, and the rebreather itself. The loop assembly requires proper drying, and a lot of extra maintenance. Not the rig I'd carry for travel. When you do get to a dive shop, you have to rely on them having pure O2 on site, preferably with a booster or those tanks you have for onboard O2 won't last nearly as long when you can only get 1800psi instead of 3000
When you roadtrip, do you have a camper/trailer/pickup truck with a bit of extra space or are you talking air travel? If you do a baby air compressor is probably a much better investment....
@tbone1004 , I am quite sure you might have pointed out the realistic options for small compressors before... If one excludes rebuilts of ancient surplas ware and air gun compressors and limits oneself to (used or new) what is still in production today, parts still available "tomorrow", what is on the market that you might say falls into the "baby compressor class", suitable for travel?
I did a trip from the U.K. to Norway recently diving my JJ. I had three hold bags, one 25kg and two 20kg limits with maybe 2kg to spare. I had a carry on with 10kg, mostly it was clothes and a couple of regulators.
This was a setup to dive with up to three bailouts so three OC regs and a suit inflate reg. a drysuit, a couple of undersuits a big torch, all the random redundant stuff and some RB spares. You could probably save 10kg if doing no stop or limited deco. Going somewhere warm then save another 10.
When in the zone I find diving CCR much nicer than OC, however if you are distracted and end up wondering when you last checked your PPO2 it isn’t so good.
If helium is appropriate for a dive CCR is much better. I always get at least 18/35 if it is available and it costs me about £4 extra per fill. I am a bit crap so expect to use a 3l dill each day and might manage two days if not dealing with a buddy who is a yo-yo.
I have two sets of cylinders so I am confident I can do a weekend without the need for fills. O2 can be an issue so I have a 15 and a whip for trips where that might be an issue.
Weight on the back wise, my JJ weight about 35kg plus you need a bailout. My twinset weight more than that. I suppose it depends how far you have to walk, assuming you can stand up. With a twinset and two deco cylinders I find standing up is a challenge, with the JJ it is slightly easier.
In the U.K. you can usually get a trolly to the boat so all you need to do is stand up, walk to the gate and jump off. On the way back there is a lift and a few steps back to the bench. Bad backs don’t seem to be such a barrier and sidemount relatively rare.
For a while I was building hours to progress training, so I dived the rebreather all the time and took it away with me. Now I could choose to do the Red Sea or Malta leaving at home and just use a twinset and do all the same dives really. Would I? How much is excess baggage? On the other hand if I were to go to Truk it is a no brainer.
This was a setup to dive with up to three bailouts so three OC regs and a suit inflate reg. a drysuit, a couple of undersuits a big torch, all the random redundant stuff and some RB spares. You could probably save 10kg if doing no stop or limited deco. Going somewhere warm then save another 10.
When in the zone I find diving CCR much nicer than OC, however if you are distracted and end up wondering when you last checked your PPO2 it isn’t so good.
If helium is appropriate for a dive CCR is much better. I always get at least 18/35 if it is available and it costs me about £4 extra per fill. I am a bit crap so expect to use a 3l dill each day and might manage two days if not dealing with a buddy who is a yo-yo.
I have two sets of cylinders so I am confident I can do a weekend without the need for fills. O2 can be an issue so I have a 15 and a whip for trips where that might be an issue.
Weight on the back wise, my JJ weight about 35kg plus you need a bailout. My twinset weight more than that. I suppose it depends how far you have to walk, assuming you can stand up. With a twinset and two deco cylinders I find standing up is a challenge, with the JJ it is slightly easier.
In the U.K. you can usually get a trolly to the boat so all you need to do is stand up, walk to the gate and jump off. On the way back there is a lift and a few steps back to the bench. Bad backs don’t seem to be such a barrier and sidemount relatively rare.
For a while I was building hours to progress training, so I dived the rebreather all the time and took it away with me. Now I could choose to do the Red Sea or Malta leaving at home and just use a twinset and do all the same dives really. Would I? How much is excess baggage? On the other hand if I were to go to Truk it is a no brainer.
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fuzzybabybunny
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The lightest Coltri compressor is 85lb... is that about the lightest that portable compressors come?
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modern ones yes. You can go lighter if you get a Walter Kidde, but not much. Keep in mind you will always have to keep a keg of sorb with you that is 45lbs.
We'll call a backplate/wing a wash since you need it for either kit
2al80's plus compressor is 180lbs ish.
The SF2 is one of the lighter units out there and it is 40lbs empty, plus a 44lb keg, plus 20lbs for 1 set of onboard tanks, plus at least 1 al80 for bailout at 40lbs, so it's about a wash for weight but with the compressor you never have to go into a dive shop for fills if you don't want to. The CCR you have to find a shop with pure O2, and ideally high pressure O2, and that isn't always easy or even possible depending on where you are in the country. Now you can always use any CCR as an SCR with a rich diluent mix, but it's not exactly the most recommended thing in the world since it makes hypoxia quite high as a risk since you have to remember to exhale, the unit won't for you.
Not trying to talk you out of CCR, but if the goal is traveling around the country out of a vehicle of some sort, a portable compressor and a pair of tanks would be my choice on how to do that, and I own a rebreather...
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