Tek diving and photography

[BigJetDriver]

Manos once bubbled...
>> using a rebreather is no more dangerous than diving with nitrox <<

Not quite true. Rebreathers are much more complicate (sic) devices comparing to your regs and tanks. They also need great care and maintenance.

One of your aims is also to simplify equipment Nitrox will Not make
your equipment more complicate.

I do uw photography in wrecks deeper than 50m with average bt. 30-35 minutes. I never used a rebreather unless my subject is marine life. But again start from the basics , do your Nitrox , course learn how to decompress in water if you want to dive deeper and longer .

Nitrox and rebreathers will not take you deeper , you will need
proper training and the use of triox or trimix to acomplish that.

Manos.
www.dir.cy.net

Manos actually got it right by quoting this statement: >>using a rebreather is no more dangerous than diving with nitrox <<

Using a rebreather is just like doing any kind of technical diving. It has its own unique characteristics. It is actually more like flying an airplane than diving in this respect: If you learn to do your pre-flight checks and checklists religiously, check your gauges while you fly (dive), and do your postflight checks and checklists properly, it is no more complicated than any deep-diving task or than utilization of "breathing gases other than air"!

You may not be ready, at your current stage of training, to jump into rebreather use, and I would go with some of the other writers here who have recommended further technical training first. I will just mention, however, that the greatest living underwater photographers now use rebreathers of some variety for their work. They WILL take you deeper, longer, and fish are just FRIENDLIER when you are using a CCR.

Manos forgot to mention that he is a Luddite from the Amish Diving Society, Int'l. (We don't need no stinking machines!) and unfortunately believes that decompression is a race to the surface, which is, of course, a very bad way of looking at the proposition (Reference previous post on this Board by Manos wherein he stated that he laughed at the other divers because he hit the boat ahead of them.) :nono:

 

[ScubaSky]

One thing that really wasn't addressed? I think:
is the fact that you may be able to have longer bottom times while using Nitrox, but your depth is limited due to PO2 levels. you will run into the same problem with a rebreather. What depths are you looking at diving?

Another thing to remember IMO is that photography gets a lot tougher the deeper you go I prefer to take my photos in the 0 - 70 ft range, which Nitrox is the best option to increase you bottom time. Besides the fact that re-breathers are typically EXPENSIVE!

 

[BigJetDriver]

ScubaSky once bubbled...
One thing that really wasn't addressed? I think:
is the fact that you may be able to have longer bottom times while using Nitrox, but your depth is limited due to PO2 levels. you will run into the same problem with a rebreather. What depths are you looking at diving?

Another thing to remember IMO is that photography gets a lot tougher the deeper you go I prefer to take my photos in the 0 - 70 ft range, which Nitrox is the best option to increase you bottom time. Besides the fact that re-breathers are typically EXPENSIVE!

These are actually good points to bring up, ScubaSky! Your depth would be limited to 130 fsw on NN32, but you are quite right that most of the most colorful subjects for photography are in the 0 to 70 (ish) fsw range. Nitrox will give you more bottom time, and a rebreather even more so! You are right, however, when you point out that the buggers ARE expensive!

 

[flw]

BigJetDriver69 once bubbled...

<SNIP GOOD STUFF>
Manos forgot to mention that he is a Luddite from the Amish Diving Society, Int'l. (We don't need no stinking machines!) and unfortunately believes that decompression is a race to the surface, which is, of course, a very bad way of looking at the proposition (Reference previous post on this Board by Manos wherein he stated that he laughed at the other divers because he hit the boat ahead of them.) :nono:

But for a giggle, did you notice, that in spite of that if you looked at his 73m/13 minute dive his RT was 70 minutes - hardly a raced deco, so perhaps he just talks so ( which is worse )

 

[Albion]

all bleat about being picked on for no reason then this guy pops up in a discussion about extending bottom times to recemend DIR-F

flw once bubbled...



But for a giggle, did you notice, that in spite of that if you looked at his 73m/13 minute dive his RT was 70 minutes - hardly a raced deco, so perhaps he just talks so ( which is worse )

 

[BigJetDriver]

gxdoyle once bubbled...
I use a Draeger rebreather for underwater photography and find that for SHALLOW diving - around reefs etc - it is great. The equipment makes you more streamlined in the water and the benefits of less bubbles when trying to get close to fish are well known.

IMHO, using a rebreather is no more dangerous than diving with nitrox. The problems of oxygen toxicity and running out of gas are the same whichever way you dive. ..Plan your dive, dive your plan and you'll be fine. A good nitrox computer with a depth alarm is a useful backup - but no replacement for not being an idiot.

HOWEVER, then you start running into the problem of your gear not being able to go as deep as you. I have yet to see any housings that a manufacturer will rate beyond 80 metres.

GX,

Sorry I missed this the first time around. A couple of questions if I may:

(1) While I do not dive the Draeger, as a CCR diver I am often asked about it. How is the parts and service situation out in the field---(Way out in the field, so to speak, judging by your location!)---these days? Are you having any trouble getting support? People here in the US are having trouble, judging by the number of complaints, since the change-over.

(2) Have you checked with Gates for housings? Their housings are rated for 300 fsw, and a lot of divers say they will go deeper. Just a thought.

 

[gxdoyle]

Better late than never!

Thanks for the advice on housings - I will check it out. I have a new EOS 10D that I am desparate to get underwater.

Regarding the Drager. We have not noticed the problems that you mention. I find the unit extremely simple to operate and maintain. The design is very straightforward and with proper maintenance, parts replacement is not often required.

That said...I am switching over to the Inspiration CCR almost immediately (although there is a 12 week wait for a unit and I have not put my order in yet)..and in fact am now in Australia doing some more training / diving on the Inspiration.

Compared to the Draeger the Inspiration is (a) enormously complicated and (b) mind-blowingly expensive and my interest in it is only for deep diving to (a) save on the cost of Helium and (b) preserve the wrecks we dive by greatly reducing the amount of o2 released into the wrecks. I was diving on a wreck in Thailand..the King Cruiser..a few weeks ago when it began collapsing in on itself due to accelerated corrision from so many OC Nitrox divers filling the place with o2.

Greg

 

[BigJetDriver]

gxdoyle once bubbled...
......and (b) preserve the wrecks we dive by greatly reducing the amount of o2 released into the wrecks. I was diving on a wreck in Thailand..the King Cruiser..a few weeks ago when it began collapsing in on itself due to accelerated corrosion from so many OC Nitrox divers filling the place with o2.
Greg

Really incredible! That's one use for CCR's I had never thought of!:wacko:

Cheers, mate! Let us all know how you are enjoying your diving with your new Turtle (in a few weeks)!