Line skills

[InTheDrink]

Yup, that's me!

Wow, I nearly felt famous by proxy

When watching it with my buddy I was like 'I *think* I know this person' I think she's TSandM on SB. Fame at last. Kinddof. Anyhow, strange seeing you as a human being but you speak as nicely to the camera as you type to the board.

J

 

[InTheDrink]

Don't think for a second that you're going to save money diving shallow with a rebreather. Remember you have to repack sorb (or specialty cartridges on the DR unit) , replace sensors, and fix who knows what else (I see more people locally working on rebreathers than diving them it seems). You'll save money if you're breathing high helium mixes, but I just don't see any value in shallow RB diving. Actually I think you can dive OC cheaper than RB on 30-50ft dives if you have a decent SAC rate from what I've been told by a friend who dives a RB.

Also for the cost of a rebreather, you could easily purchase several AL80's or HP130's to get filled once a week and swap tanks each day. The HP130's could easily be doubled up for cave trips and AL80s would make great stage bottles. You're going to need the AL80's for rebreather bailout anyways.

I think you've found a tool you want (the breather) and you're struggling to find a problem that it fixes. I don't mean that in a rude way, I'm willing to bet a large portion of rebreathers are used for just that reason.

Money is less the issue than fills or logistics thereof.

I also think you're completely correct in that I've maybe found a tool I want that doesn't yet have a use. But doubles will create exactly as much trouble for me at home so I need to consider the long game. I just don't have space for multiple tanks at home and wont get away with trying this. It seems to be one of the major down sides of tech diving - you need to buy another house for kit.

Anyhow, as I've said, I'll try to progress as quick as I can and that will be much slower than I want. And I take on board all statements and appreciate them too. I'm fully aware of how little I know so I'm not going to over extend myself. At the same time, I will embrace challenge.

J

 

[rjack321]

Money is less the issue than fills or logistics thereof.

I also think you're completely correct in that I've maybe found a tool I want that doesn't yet have a use. But doubles will create exactly as much trouble for me at home so I need to consider the long game. I just don't have space for multiple tanks at home and wont get away with trying this. It seems to be one of the major down sides of tech diving - you need to buy another house for kit.

Anyhow, as I've said, I'll try to progress as quick as I can and that will be much slower than I want. And I take on board all statements and appreciate them too. I'm fully aware of how little I know so I'm not going to over extend myself. At the same time, I will embrace challenge.

J

The inspo will take up as much room at a set of 16L doubles (or more). Then you'll have to have bailout anyway. Getting a CCR to save space is a new one for me.

 

[rjack321]

Concise summary but absolutely correct and I'm not saying that my conclusion would differ from yours either. My plan was/is somewhat slower than what might be available to me now. I'll see where it goes and I won't push myself more than I feel is safe. When it comes to diving I am actually very safe.

Thx,
J

While you may feel "safe" & most dives consider themselves "safe", the reality is that you have alot to learn about where the grey zone starts and how wide it is. You don't know anything about overheads for instance (deco or rocks).

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

If you're still scouting for an instructor, I can recommend mine whole-heartedly. His name is Paul Heinerth, and he's not only a terrific instructor but also 'good people', which is a pretty rare and wonderful commodity these days! I can email you his contact details, if you want them. He offers classes in both Mexico and Florida on a pretty regular basis.

 

[BabyDuck]

i know nothing about rebreathers, but ask around to those who do - the planning, sorb packing, and checklist times are looong. you might get less of a dive day in every day then you'd think.

doing drysuit, doubles or rb, and cave in a year is a recipe for disaster. please don't let us read an incident thread starring you!

 

[Fish-R-Man]

Here is another instructor that I would highly recommend. His name is Alberto and he and his wife Barbara own Pluto Dive in Playa del Carmen.

Scuba diving in Playa del Carmen, cenotes and ocean diving | Pluto Dive

He is by far the most thorough instructor that I have taken classes with so far. I have been diving with them for a number of years now and have always had a good experience. I think Alberto lives for these caves...

Its starting to sound like your lining up for a Las Vegas Buffet. Try not to overfill your plate. You can always go back for seconds!

 

[b1gcountry]

Good luck with your Drysuit, Rebreather Cavern-full cave exploration and cartography class with decompression procedures.

Is it just me, or is this getting kinda ridiculous?

What ever happened to just going out and having fun diving?

Tom

 

[InTheDrink]

Good luck with your Drysuit, Rebreather Cavern-full cave exploration and cartography class with decompression procedures.

Is it just me, or is this getting kinda ridiculous?

What ever happened to just going out and having fun diving?

Tom

Agree entirely. I think my eyes were getting bigger than my appetite.

I'm gonna stick to learning to dive dry, cavern (hopefully cenotes) and just getting better generally. RB is pretty common around here but it's not something I really need nor can afford. But the temptation of just going all out was, er, tempting. I'll hang back and work on things at a sensible pace. But yeah, ridiculous indeed. Hopefully though in a year or two's time I hope there'll be nothing ridiculous about it.

J

 

[InTheDrink]

i know nothing about rebreathers, but ask around to those who do - the planning, sorb packing, and checklist times are looong. you might get less of a dive day in every day then you'd think.

doing drysuit, doubles or rb, and cave in a year is a recipe for disaster. please don't let us read an incident thread starring you!

Yeah, as per my last post, I've realised I was getting ahead of myself. I checked out my buddy's rebreather today and it looked lovely. But it did look like a lot of hassle for the vast majority of dives I'll be doing.

In my defence my buddy was gunning (and still is) for full cave and rebreather. But he has a lot more experience and dives than me. I think I'll just work on the basics and once I've worked them out take a view.

Cheers and thanks for the reality check.

J

edit: and oh! my Pathfinder turned up today. I'm looking forward to playing with it! Blackwood - your vids will now be getting some good use, so thanks for sending them along.