Good for you, I have been diving for 25 years and I got myself a rebreather last year and I'm loving it. If you don't think you need one, you probably don't.
Cheers
Al
How Soon Before Everyone is Using a Rebreather?
- Thread starter SFLDiver3445
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Good for you, I have been diving for 25 years and I got myself a rebreather last year and I'm loving it. If you don't think you need one, you probably don't.
Cheers
Al
Hello all, great thread, I am thinking about making the big change from open to closed circuit. What units should I seriously consider? Is the Poseidon Mk II Discovery any good? I don’t want to start a war of words; I just want a flow of opinions and advice.
Thanks
Bat
Thanks
Bat
I have been on a few six packs where I was the only open circuit. Of course I knew all of them but I have no plans on ever diving with a CCR. I also have sat in on the CCR classes just because I was hanging out at my LDS when the class was being taught.
OP
SFLDiver3445
Contributor
Your question is a common one and unfortunately, there's not one answer. Gill Envy posted a great thread that provides a breakdown of most of the major rebreathers currently on the market. This thread should be a good starting point for you:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/rebreathers/210392-comparison-contrast-available-rebreathers.html
I can however, give you some of the questions you want to ask, but I'm sure you will have many more questions throughout the course of making your decision:
* Do I have the right mindset to make the switch to a rebreather (i.e., attention to detail, prepared for increased prep. time before each dive, prepared for initial and ongoing costs, etc.)?
* Will the rebreather I choose compliment the type of diving I do or will do?
* Do I have access to a qualified/experienced instructor who primarily dives the unit he/she will train me on?
* Will I have local expert support/parts for the rebreather I choose?
* Are there other local divers diving the rebreather I choose so I can dive with them and we can learn from them?
* Do I want a manual or electronic rebreather?
This should give you a good starting point to begin your research. If you haven't already, definitely spend some time on Rebreather World (Rebreather World - Rebreathers for Scuba Diving - the next step), because the amount of information on there is priceless, plus, pretty much everyone who dives a regreather is on there, so you can always find someone to answer your questions on there.
Good luck to you!
Buy Mastering Rebreathers by Jeff Bozanic. Read my recent article in Issue 25 ofAdvanced Diver Magazine, "Transition to Rebreather Diving." There are also some excellent articles in the RebreatherWorld.com Library. With the information in these resources, you will know enough to get started on the path.
Thanks for your help. I will make good use of this information
Bat
Bat
Walt Stearns
Contributor
Plenty of good points.
To paraphrase what I wrote in Issue 6 of the Underwater Journal, it was only a decade ago, divers looking for closed circuit technology where left few options.
Most existing systems were sold almost exclusively to the military and commercial diving corporations.
Sports divers wanting such systems had to acquire an ex-military Mk 15 or 16, go directly to Cis Lunar or Biomarine and lay down between $15,000 to $20,000, attend a rigorous training course, and purchase either a Cis Lunar Mk V or Biomarine Mk 15.5.
It wasnt till 1997 that the worlds first production closed circuit rebreather finially entered the scene. The Inspiration from Ambient Pressure Diving was that it was the first production grade, completely closed, electronic rebreather intended largely for the civilian market. In the short number years that followed the Inspiration has been joined by the Megladon, Prism, KISS, Ouroboros, well you get the picture.
Today, it is estimated that there are well over 12,000 CCRs in civilian use around the world. Some are homemade, but the majority are engineered and manufactured by legitimate rebreather providers.
To drive the point further that rebreathers are not only here to still, but growing rapidly in popularity for some of the same reasons diving with Nitrox did in the beginning to get more out of your dives, was the evident by the number of systems on display at the 2007 DEMA show.
With so many rebreathers now on the market, and still more to come, there is no disputing the impact these devices will have on the sport in years to come. Which raises the question of whether or not rebreathers will be well suited to the recreational diving community. And while some answer with an enthusiastic yes, others will raise the red flag, referring to rebreathers as the dark side.
Dark side of diving or not, the technology going into rebreather design, manufacturing and training could very soon make it feasible for anyone getting in or already a certified diver to go that route with no more difficulty than going open circuit at its present level.
Just look what the digital revolution did to photography. It wasnt even ten years ago that digital will never replace film was the belief. Whats a film camera worth these days?
Walt Stearns
Editor-in-Chief
wstearns@uwjournal.com
Underwaterjournal
To paraphrase what I wrote in Issue 6 of the Underwater Journal, it was only a decade ago, divers looking for closed circuit technology where left few options.
Most existing systems were sold almost exclusively to the military and commercial diving corporations.
Sports divers wanting such systems had to acquire an ex-military Mk 15 or 16, go directly to Cis Lunar or Biomarine and lay down between $15,000 to $20,000, attend a rigorous training course, and purchase either a Cis Lunar Mk V or Biomarine Mk 15.5.
It wasnt till 1997 that the worlds first production closed circuit rebreather finially entered the scene. The Inspiration from Ambient Pressure Diving was that it was the first production grade, completely closed, electronic rebreather intended largely for the civilian market. In the short number years that followed the Inspiration has been joined by the Megladon, Prism, KISS, Ouroboros, well you get the picture.
Today, it is estimated that there are well over 12,000 CCRs in civilian use around the world. Some are homemade, but the majority are engineered and manufactured by legitimate rebreather providers.
To drive the point further that rebreathers are not only here to still, but growing rapidly in popularity for some of the same reasons diving with Nitrox did in the beginning to get more out of your dives, was the evident by the number of systems on display at the 2007 DEMA show.
With so many rebreathers now on the market, and still more to come, there is no disputing the impact these devices will have on the sport in years to come. Which raises the question of whether or not rebreathers will be well suited to the recreational diving community. And while some answer with an enthusiastic yes, others will raise the red flag, referring to rebreathers as the dark side.
Dark side of diving or not, the technology going into rebreather design, manufacturing and training could very soon make it feasible for anyone getting in or already a certified diver to go that route with no more difficulty than going open circuit at its present level.
Just look what the digital revolution did to photography. It wasnt even ten years ago that digital will never replace film was the belief. Whats a film camera worth these days?
Walt Stearns
Editor-in-Chief
wstearns@uwjournal.com
Underwaterjournal
OP
SFLDiver3445
Contributor
"Ten years ago"? Even going back only three or four years ago, I knew some underwater photographers that were claiming they would never make the transition to digital photography. Today, I don't know anyone that does underwater photography on a regular basis that still uses film.
The mindset of most divers will change, especially when manufacturers no longer begin producing the same variety in open-circuit technology and instead begins focusing their lines towards more rebreather technology - Change is inevitable!
History is filled with folks who have fought change. Personally, I'm glad manufacturers no longer manufacture film cameras for the masses, because I like the convenience and added benefits of using my digital camera!
Many may disagree, but here's a prediction: 15 to 20 years from now, and maybe sooner, 99% of all entry-level divers will be certified utilizing closed-circuit technology!
Walt Stearns
Contributor
Your right, history is filled with folks who have fought change. Even in the present there is resistance.
While I still enjoy a little bit of nostalgia, when I am not using my diving my Sport KISS I often use a doublehouse regulator, there is also lot to be said about technology. I make my living as a professional photography, although some of the higher end camera manufactures still make bodies for film, I switched entirely to digital back in 03 and never regretted (ever) doing it.
The choices as pretty much here, and getting better with each passing year, but it really comes down to interest and motivation on a personal level to go there.
Walt Stearns
Editor-in-Chief
wstearns@uwjournal.com
Underwaterjournal
While I still enjoy a little bit of nostalgia, when I am not using my diving my Sport KISS I often use a doublehouse regulator, there is also lot to be said about technology. I make my living as a professional photography, although some of the higher end camera manufactures still make bodies for film, I switched entirely to digital back in 03 and never regretted (ever) doing it.
The choices as pretty much here, and getting better with each passing year, but it really comes down to interest and motivation on a personal level to go there.
Walt Stearns
Editor-in-Chief
wstearns@uwjournal.com
Underwaterjournal
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