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Why C02 Scares Dave (Incident Report)
By Dave Sutton on 1 October 2008 - comments
The following story illustrates why I’m afraid of C02. Now bear in mind that I was professionally trained at the university level as a commercial diver (20 weeks of mixed gas diving, as an example: No civil diving school teaches divers like that any more), have been diving for umpteen years (don’t ask), and have seen my fair share of scrapes underwater. I’ve done saturation diving, umbilical fed Rebreather surface supplied mixed gas diving using DIVEX 3000 and General Aquadyne GH-2 Rebreathers, was qualified on the Porpoise Pack (CCR-1000) as a saturation lock-out life support system, have done deep umbilical fed open circuit commercial diving, both air and mixed gas, as well as loads of sport diving both open circuit and Rebreather. I’ve had my band-mask torn off by a sea-turtle swimming the other way in a 36 inch diameter pipe when 500 feet inside the cooling system of a nuclear power plant. I’ve had a GH-2 helmet mated to a Rebreather come right off of my head on a decompression stage in 200 feet of water (in a current, naturally) due to not being latched on correctly by my tender. I’ve had a set of doubles ‘click’ under a steel plate on a wreck and have waited for someone to come and free me in 130 feet of water (I survived), and another hundred smaller events. Bottom line? I’vre been in a number of tough spots, have held my breath in 200 feet of water trying to struggle to get a helmet back on, have had ‘just about it all’ break underwater, and not much bothers me.
Rebreather Community Launch : NoBubbleDiving.com
By Alan Edwards on 28 September 2008 - comments
NoBubbleDiving.com has been set up by a prominent member of the Rebreather Community and will be supported by experts within the field of Rebreather Diving to help save lives my facilitating much needed knowledge transfer on the subject.
Getting into silent diving, the BSAC way
By Mark Milburn on 8 September 2008 - comments
BSAC CCR Mod 1
Earlier this year I bought a second hand APD Classic Inspiration Rebreather, it was at the right price and I knew the previous owner.
So there it sat in my lounge for several months, waiting for me, I didn’t even know if it worked. I waited until most of my summer diving was over to decide who I was going to do the course with, I didn’t want it to intefere with any of my ‘deep’ dives. As far as I know all agencies restrict the Module 1 of CCR qualifications to just 40m, much more like my winter diving plans.
I decided to do the BSAC course with John, a local BSAC National Instructor and regional coach. I knew John from bumping into him several times at Seaways Diving in Penryn, he had recently taught an E.R.D. course to some of my friends. He is very thorough, and that’s what I wanted.
IDA 59 Russian Rebreather and the link to radioactive chip shops!
By Mark Ellyat on 7 September 2008 - comments
I bought this Russian made IDA59 rebreather a few weeks ago on the internet. It caught my eye because it was bundled together with the highly unusual and original submarine escape suit. After doing some homework I found that this rebreather was used on the deepest ever real life submarine escape in July of 1989.
Pelagian DCCCR Rebreather review
By Mark Ellyat on 30 August 2008 - comments
Rebreathers, particularly Closed Circuit Rebreathers (CCR) take a lot of concentration and unprecedented amounts of attention to detail compared with traditional scuba. Watching CCR divers underwater it’s a wonder what they actually get to see considering that 50% of the dive is spent staring at up to three LCD displays waiting for them to potentially read you your last rites. Similar to frying bacon with your shirt off – CCR’s can have some disastrous consequences if you don’t keep on top of things and/or if taken to extremes.
Rebreather CO2 Hit: Carbon Dioxide poisoning
By Alan Edwards on 24 August 2008 - comments [29]
Ever Rebreather diver fears it, there is no warning and when you do get hit, it’s too late. I can tell you now, you cannot simulate a CO2 hit like the one you get when it is an accident. Ok first I need to describe what one is like, then you will get the picture.Like most dive accidents were the chance of nature is not involved, CO2 over load is really a consequence of incidents before the dive, I decided to sun bath in the middle of the Egyptian summer, it was HOT, I even advise not doing this on the site.
Rebreathers: I want that one!
By Mark Chase on 4 August 2008 - comments
The average diver dives for two years in UK conditions then quits and possibly dives every now and again in the clear blue seas of far off shores. Those that stick with diving in the UK often quickly exhaust the love of shallow in shore dives and start to explore in the 30m+ zone where they find better vis and less broken up wreckage. Unfortunately they also find that the gas supply quickly runs low and that air offers a severe penalty in terms of decompression and narcosis. Until recently the choice at this point was Nitrox and accelerated decompression using high percentage oxygen mix to rapidly force out those nasty nitrogen bubbles. Recreational technical diving kicks off at this point and many divers see no need to venture beyond its boundaries. However for some it’s just not enough.
Rebreather Fever on the Inspiration
By Alan Edwards on 30 June 2005 - comments [1]
After my Advanced Nitrox Course and Decompressions procedures course (TDI), I was in 2 minds whether to carry on with open circuit or to move onto Rebreathers.
The mindset I had at the time was to go Open Cirucit (OC) for a couple of years and then to Rebreathers. This approach would have entailed shelling out thousands for a OC tech rig and then even more money for a Rebreather in the future. I would also be starting from fresh, since OC skills or not transferable to CCR-Closed Circuit Rebreathers (much to my annoyance). Also there was so much bad press from the likes of the usual Diver (Advert) mags I was hesitant to be honest!
Aaron at TekStreme advised me to move as quickly as possible to CCR since I would be basically starting from scratch and the move from OC to CCR became harder the more experienced you were in OC.