Rebreather Books

[The Natural]

Any good books out there on rebreathers? I'm interested in them and I'm going to take an Intro to the Inspiration rebreather in the pool at my dive shop this winter. I want to get a good understand of all the working parts, concepts and the different brands and models all that jazz.

 

[wedivebc]

Any good books out there on rebreathers? I'm interested in them and I'm going to take an Intro to the Inspiration rebreather in the pool at my dive shop this winter. I want to get a good understand of all the working parts, concepts and the different brands and models all that jazz.

Jeff Bozanic's "Mastering Rebreathers" is probably the best book out there for general rebreather knowledge

Plenty of online rebreather knowledge here www.rebreatherworld.com

 

[caveseeker7]

Steve Barsky's "Simple Guide to Rebreathers" if you can track down a copy. It's out of print.
Bozanic's book is much more in depth, but just about the only RB not featured is the Inspiration.
Still, it's currently the best book out there.

Plenty of Inspiration info, including a sobering analysis of accidents, can be found on
the Diver Mole - Your Insoiration Buddy website.

Mad Dog Expeditions and Ken's Science Store made an excellent video/DVD called "Rebreather Video Volume 1". It covers the basics about rebreathers and a close look at five different models, the Cis-Lunar MK-5p, MK15.5, Dräger Dolphin, SMI PRISM Topaz and of course the Inspiration. A review by me is somewhere here in the archives, as well as a copy of it on Rebreather World.

IANTD's Joe Dituri also made a DVD called Rebreather FUNdamentals, it's available through the agency, Dive Rite Express and on e-bay. A review again can be found at Rebreather World.

The Winter 2004 issue of IANTD 's Nitrox Diver Magazine had CCRs as their main subject, covering a dozen models and two CO2-related articles on that are very intresting.

Ron Micjan has several teardowns as well as a chart comparing rebreathers on his tmi website .

 

[teksimple]

ANTD's Tek Closed Circuit Rebreather manual that just came out this year is worth reading. Though certainly more has more technical calculations, etc. than Bozanic's book, I found it invaluable for information on CO2 breakthrough, O2 toxicity, and dive planning.

I learned lots of interesting stuff such as:

"The first and most basic point is that molecular oxygen is not toxic!!"

That means that oxygen itself is not toxic to the body and brain, but the by-product of high oxygen partial pressure: free radicals, is. This explains why O2 toxicity has such a varying degree of effect on people. Some people can handle 2.5 PO2 no problem (which used to be the standard for the Navy in the 30's), others have convulsed at 1.8. It certainly highlights the possibility that free-radical scavenging anti-oxidants, such as polyphenols and alpha-lipoic acid, may have an effect on an individuals oxygen tolerance.

To me, Bozanic's book glosses over a lot of stuff, though it should be a prerequisite for the IANTD tech manual. I would highly recommend the IANTD book it to anyone interested in continuing their rebreather education. It is available at DiveRiteExpress