Recreational Rebreathers?

[fsardone]

Hello Barracuda,
a recreational diver is the kind of diver that likes not to deal with the equipment, has the diving 'sherpas' move his stuff on the boat, does not do check and doesn't care about maintenance intervals.
If you can be a recreational diver diving like a technical diver (planning, maintenance, pre and post dive care, attention to details, strictly following procedure, accepting no deviance from standard) then you can dive a rebreather safely. But, in my view, if you do so you are a tech diver doing recreational range dives ...
A tech diver is not defined by equipment and depth and environment but by his attitude toward diving.

To dive a rebreather you need a tech diver mind set (after all is a tech piece of equipment ...)
There is no shortcut in reb diving. Taking away controls from a reb pilot (because he is a rec diver) only means you have less options when the brown smelly thing hits the fast spinning rotor ... I would not board a plane where there is only an auto pilot and in case breaks there is a parachute. Would you? But I am a pilot of both planes and rebs.

Cheers

 

[t-mac]

Thanks, Fabio. I guess I'm at least a step removed from your definition of a rec diver. I don't like anyone handling my gear, I mostly dive "alone" with just my RDB and I care deeply about how my gear works and keeping it maintained. We like to be very independent and take our safety very seriously. I recognize that the rebreather carries with it even more of a commitment in that regard. I am not a pilot, but I am a sailor and while things do not happen as quickly on a sailboat, I find that sailors and pilots have similar attention to detail, a need to fully understand how things work and a desire to be self-reliant. I think these traits are positive with respect to the potential to dive a rebreather.

 

[fsardone]

In my view then there is no issue in handling a reb.
You take the MOD 1 use air diluent and live happily diving within 45 meters with a full reb (not a crippled one, with no manual addition valves for oxy and diluent and other concoctions preventing you from handling an emergency).
Also I would recommend to dive with an s40 (for no deco dives with EAN 28/30) as bailout, either plugged in the OCB or as an independent bottle.

 

[muzikbiz22]

a recreational diver is the kind of diver that likes not to deal with the equipment, has the diving 'sherpas' move his stuff on the boat, does not do check and doesn't care about maintenance intervals.

Severely false and inaccurate.

 

[fsardone]

We probably dive from different boats.

 

[TechDeep]

My opinion, but it seems to me that this thread has drifted way off into the weeds.

I have an Explorer, and a Megalodon. I actually just bought the Explorer, and have had my Meg for 2 years now. To me it's all about depth, and to a certain extent, the amount of time you want or need to stay down. I believe the OP is asking about recreational rebreathers. To me, all this about defining who is and who isn't a tec or rec diver probably belongs in its own thread.

Also to the OP, you will likely hear many an opinion about rec rebreathers from folks who have no experience diving them. I would take those with a grain of salt. My experience has been that the Hollis Explorer fills a niche very well. It's not crippled because it doesn't have an MAV, and dealing with an emergency or failure is no more difficult that any other type of diving. There are various ways to bailout, and the subject is well covered in any training class worth its salt. You plan for emergencies before the dive, and take adequate bailout gas based on the dive you are doing. As with any form of diving, if you just strap one of these things on and jump in, it's not likely to go well.

I have found that using my Meg is overkill for a recreational dive, which I define as 130 ft. or less. Dealing with getting a pure O2 fill in a remote area can be a pain in the butt that you may not really need to deal with. Getting a 40% Nitrox fill in a steel 40 and being good to go could make the difference between doing a rec dive, or no dive. Also, I've been on a lot of boats with a lot of "real" rebreather divers, and every time, I have seen at least one reabreather diver miss at least one dive because of issues with his rig.

By the same token, you wouldn't want to take a Hollis Explorer into a cave at 200 feet or more.

I think the Explorer is great for the type of diving it is designed for. When I'm on a boat and the dive is in the 60 - 120 ft. range, it's typically a two tank dive with a surface interval. I'm able to jump in, stay down a couple of hours if I want, and I'm usually getting back on the boat while the rest of the divers are on their second dive. I can get my gear broken down and I'm good to go. I do have a solo cert, which I highly recommend, whether you ever plan on diving solo or not.

So for the OP, my advise would be to think about the type of diving you will be doing, and plan accordingly. That's what I do, and it's worked out pretty well so far. If you do end up diving an Explorer, there are lots of places online (here, Rebreather World, Facebook, etc.) where you can go to share your experiences and learn from others as well. Best of luck, don't forget to have some fun while you're at it!

 

[t-mac]

Thanks, TechDeep. Exactly the perspective I was seeking. Tom

 

[TechDeep]

No problem, if you have any questions, just let me know. I'd be glad to help. Just an FYI, I found mine used for $2500 on Rebreather World, but I see them from time to time in the used rebreather listing at Add Helium. Add Helium and other authorized dealers are required to sell only to divers already trained on the unit, or who have training lined up. If you buy from an individual, please get training. Aside from the safety aspect, you do pick up a lot in training that is really useful as far as getting the most out of whatever you decide to go with.

 

[t-mac]

Training - definitely! $2500 - wow! Thanks again!

 

[fsardone]

@TechDeep
When I was mentioning crippled reb, I was specifically thinking to full mixed gas sold as 'recreational' rebreathers because of full automation.
Due to my limited experience (I only know mixed gas rebreathers ECCR) I did not even consider pscr or hybrid scr, thank you because you opened a window for me too!
I came to rebreathers from hypoxic trimix so using nitrox as operating gas was subconsciusly ruled out.

On the other end I still believe that a rebreather cannot be approached with the idea of strapping it on switch it on and jump in (as you also pointed out). I still sustain that difference between rec and tech is in the mindset, not depth or lenght of dives.