Rebreather Training...

[gene1340]

Hi,
I was in the same boat as you last year. I am fortunate enough that I have a boat which I, and several buddies dive off of. Several guys switched over to rebreathers before I did, so I had the benefit of inspecting their rigs while they were diving off of my boat. I had it narrowed down to the Megalodon, the Hammerhead, or the Optima. Mostly because of the parts issues and the were all made here in the states.
After seeing 4 different mfr's units on my boat (APD, Optima, Megalodon, Hammerhead), I ruled the Optima out. I ruled the APD out because it was from overseas and didn't want to deal with that headache. I ruled the Optima out because I didn't care for the cartridges it took and because I do mostly boat dives it just didn't look like it would hold up to the rigors of boat diving like the Hammerhead or Meg. The Hammerhead and the Meg both are robust, well designed machines.
I had decided it was too much of an investment because I had just bought the boat, but then changed my mind and started on a search for used machines. I was patient and lo and behold I picked up a used Copis I Megalodon for $3000! Patience pays off.
So to answer your original question, I bought mine first. But you need to decide what you want out of your unit based on the type diving you do and your diving habits. The two brands that you picked you can't go wrong with. As a matter of fact, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the bigger brands. Innerspace is in your backyard, so I would think the Meg would be well worth looking into.
My two cents,
Gene

 

[jepuskar]

I ruled the APD out because it was from overseas and didn't want to deal with that headache. Gene

Doesn't Silent Diving in New Hampshire service APD units as they are the distributor?

 

[padiscubapro]

Doesn't Silent Diving in New Hampshire service APD units as they are the distributor?

yes and no..

Some stuff is serviceded "locallY" other stuff requires it to go back to the factory (at least last time I checked)

right now getting stuff serviced by JM (and/or DR) and Innerspace are considerably faster than anyone else. both are trying real hard to make the shipping the longest part of the repair time..

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

There are a number of solid rebreathers on the market today. Each has something that makes it a great choice among its competitors. However, none will have every known positive feature of the best models while also costing the least of the models out there. So, it becomes a question of determining what features are the most important for your type of diving based upon a realistic budget. That will at least narrow down your candidates.

Some units can start off less expensive. However, if you start adding computers and other additions onto them over time, you can end out spending more than if you had just selected a model that has those features from the beginning. You also have to consider that you may decide to start doing different dives down the road (deeper, cave, etc.) than you think you will. So, if you buy a good but basic unit, you might later have to sell that for another or spend unreasonable amounts to upgrade to what you should have gotten from the beginning (bang-for-the-buckwise, that is). Think about why you are getting a rebreather for today and for tomorrow when making your decision if you don't want to spend a lot more money in the long run.

I will be demonstrating the Dive Rite Optima at the Advanced Diver Magazine CCR seminar and demo in Tampa. After I attended one of these seminars a few years ago, that was what finally broke the tie between a couple of different units that I was considering. (In case you haven't figured it out, the Optima won :doh2:.) If you are in the process of conducting your research, you really will get a lot out of these seminars, and the seminars really help to put your mind at ease about the decision since you will be with a group that is also in the same station in the decision process as you are.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

Steve,

If you come back out to Hawaii I can show you aroud the COPIS II Meg I am diving.....

I can only comment on this unit, but it has performed flawlessly since May 08...

 

[sea2summit]

I just did my CCR cert on the rEvo. Few parts, very little operator maintenance.

Optima or Meg I'd go with the Meg. I'm a manual guy all the way and I don't want to be out of the CCR business if the company manufacturing my canister goes bankrupt. Mel Clark at silent scuba (Everett, WA) has a new meg for sale cheap (make that really cheap) might touch bases with her.

I flew from GA to WA to get instructed by her for MOD 1 and I will tell you it was worth every penny.

Josh

 

[Gill Envy]

Rhone, I know exactly how you feel. I first owned an eCCR, many of which are expected to take a journey back the hatchery once a year.

I found that manual versions generally are not expected to head back for overhauls, the owner can do pretty much all upkeep... I think the Apocolypse is the exception since it has more electronic gismos on it than the average mCCR.

the tear down of the copis meg is pretty user friendly, it does require that you are comfortable with dismanteling and adjusting tings on your own, which really is best done first by looking over the shoulder of someone with the proper training. here in Seattle we are fortunate to have many knowledgable Gurus to apprentice with.

ISC offers a training course for folks who need first hand training in field service skills.

g

I come at it from a slightly different angle: I would love to move across to rebreathers, but the nearest place to service them is a 45 minute plane journey away (plus I have to pass customs and immigration).

But try getting a straight answer to the question: so, which rebreather is easiest to do the majority of the maintenance yourself on...?

 

[Gill Envy]

hey fishboy, you live within a rebreather meca, no need to wait for a try out. there are many instructors around here who will gladly hook you up with your very own one on one try out. I recommend Mel Clark with Silentscuba, I also found Gred at silent world in Bellevue to be very nice and informed about the AP products, he also carries the KISS rebreathers and has ready access to a pool.

definitely recommend trying out as many as you can before getting the training, since the training is unit specific, it took me 6 months of obsessive focus to come to a decision, and about a year to change my mind, sell the unit and buy a new one. they do hold their value pretty well but yes, ouch, that hurt.

I'm a happy copis meg diver now, i'd probably be happy on the rEvo, classic Kiss or the pelagean... If I can't take it appart and replace the offending widget, I pretty much don't want to have anything to do with it.

It's not just a matter of safety, I don't ever want to be on another dive trip where a funny electronic controller malfuction that I can't fix keeps me from diving... It's just not worth the chance for me, a manual injection system reduces the chances of that significantly.

keeping the conroller between the ears removes many failure points and forces you to do what you should be doing anyway... paying attention, all the time!

g

So I think I may start heading in the rebreather direction later this year. I have narrowed down my choice between the Meg and the Optima, but have yet to decide which (or come up with the money, but that's another issue).

This leads me to my question, did you purchase your rebreather prior to taking your class, or did you wait until after you were trained on the unit?

I have dove the Dolphin/Atlantis a couple of years ago and wasn't impressed then (I know, entirely different machines), but I am still afraid of dropping the $10K investment and then ditching it on e-Bay for half the price.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

I don't want to be out of the CCR business if the company manufacturing my canister goes bankrupt.

I think that this statement is unjustified. Dive Rite is a company that manufactures lots of different dive equipment (not just one product) that is sold around the world. It is not a garage based operation that is run by one person.

Micropore, the manufacturer of the Extend Air Cartridge, provides this technology to the dive industry, the commercial dive industry, and the naval industries for use in submarines.

 

[Thalassamania]

...

It's not just a matter of safety, I don't ever want to be on another dive trip where a funny electronic controller malfuction that I can't fix keeps me from diving... It's just not worth the chance for me, a manual injection system reduces the chances of that significantly.

keeping the conroller between the ears removes many failure points and forces you to do what you should be doing anyway... paying attention, all the time!

g

That's really good advice. It's a debate that makes me wonder just what to do as I get my MK-15 back together. The new Cys-Lunar (Poseidon) stuff has me thinking though ... will that be a better way to go?

I think that this statement is unjustified. Dive Rite is a company that manufactures lots of different dive equipment (not just one product) that is sold around the world. It is not a garage based operation that is run by one person.

Micropore, the manufacturer of the Extend Air Cartridge, provides this technology to the dive industry, the commercial dive industry, and the naval industries for use in submarines.

I think that some of the cartridges are used in anesthesia machines also, anyone know if that's true and which ones? That would guarantee a reliable supply.