Geo7
Contributor
I'd suggest the rebreather fearmongering is a positive thing if kept in a balanced perspective. It should not keep people out of this sport, but instead should instill the respect this activity requires.
What I see here is that the rebreather community is trying to be honest about the risks. And that is a good thing which can't be praised enough. We know that in airplane piloting a little mistake can be fatal. Similar with riding a motorbike or cave diving. The different risk between open water OC diving within traditional limits compared to CCR diving (even shallow) is not obvious to a non-rebreather diver, so I am glad to see at least part of the industry being upfront about it.
I am sure the traditional agencies now offering "type-R machines" to the masses by telling them this is not tech diving (see the Mk6 brochures for example) have to struggle in order to incorporate the brutal honesty from this thread into their marketing. And I believe the majority of recreational divers do not really want to commit to what it takes to safely dive a CCR, or any deep diving, or any cave diving. These divers just deserve to be told that CCR is a different animal in many respects, including risks, and decide if they want to tech dive, or rather put on a tank with no hassle and enjoy observing nature using the more forgiving OC gear. The openly stated danger has not harmed the cave diving industry. Rather it seems to be thriving, and the cave community does not seem to tolerate any deviance from the rules.
To paraphrase what the experienced CCR divers here are trying to say: "rebreather diving is safe as long as you remember that it is dangerous" (yup, stole this somewhere).
What I see here is that the rebreather community is trying to be honest about the risks. And that is a good thing which can't be praised enough. We know that in airplane piloting a little mistake can be fatal. Similar with riding a motorbike or cave diving. The different risk between open water OC diving within traditional limits compared to CCR diving (even shallow) is not obvious to a non-rebreather diver, so I am glad to see at least part of the industry being upfront about it.
I am sure the traditional agencies now offering "type-R machines" to the masses by telling them this is not tech diving (see the Mk6 brochures for example) have to struggle in order to incorporate the brutal honesty from this thread into their marketing. And I believe the majority of recreational divers do not really want to commit to what it takes to safely dive a CCR, or any deep diving, or any cave diving. These divers just deserve to be told that CCR is a different animal in many respects, including risks, and decide if they want to tech dive, or rather put on a tank with no hassle and enjoy observing nature using the more forgiving OC gear. The openly stated danger has not harmed the cave diving industry. Rather it seems to be thriving, and the cave community does not seem to tolerate any deviance from the rules.
To paraphrase what the experienced CCR divers here are trying to say: "rebreather diving is safe as long as you remember that it is dangerous" (yup, stole this somewhere).