Closed circuit re breather for recreational divers.

So, I am off to get trained on the new Discovery Mk6 re breather in the near future. I understand that it is aimed at the recreational diver to a max depth of 40 meters.

What I have read and seen with re breathers is the need for a bail out bottle which I fully understand.

My questions are,

1. will it be really necessary for a bail out bottle with this type of re breather?

2. If you were interested in taking up this new world of diving with no interest in going beyond 40 meters, would a bail out bottle put you off?

3. Here in OZ, it is very popular to do double dives. Would dive operators allow re breather divers to stay down and meet them at the destination of the second dive with out coming up for the usual hour or so rest before the next dive?

I am just looking for peoples thoughts on this. I am excited about this new era in recreational diving, and it may make the photography side alot more fun and interesting......no bubbles and no noise.

Welcome to the wonderful world of rebreathers, you are going to love it! Here are responses to your questions:

1. Bail out should be carried when diving ALL rebreathers. Within these recreational depths, you can get away with something like a 13 or 19 cubic foot bottle.

2. No way, a bailout bottle gives you that added comfort level of having a known gas you can rely on. You will understand this better as you go through the class and do your skills.

3. I highly doubt the operators will just let you meet them at the second dive site. Operators, or at least here in the states, are MUCH more cautious and aware with RB divers than they are with scuba divers. If you are held to a specific maximum dive time, at least you will know you can take full advantage of the bottom time on each dive thanks to the RB. And, you will be amazed at how much better the photo ops are when diving a rebreather.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Ive been diving and traveling with rebreathers for 7 years now and love it. My main thing is though if I dont have the clear head or mindset to prep and dive my RB, I dive open circuit! Rebreathers and cameras can definitely become overwhelming together, however the Discovery RB is so simple to dive!

Some interesting thoughts on the topic:

http://www.rebreatherworld.com/general-reb...-stupidity.html

And YES YES YES, ALWAYS CARRY BAILOUT!

So, I am off to get trained on the new Discovery Mk6 re breather in the near future. I understand that it is aimed at the recreational diver to a max depth of 40 meters.

 

What I have read and seen with re breathers is the need for a bail out bottle which I fully understand.

 

My questions are,

1. will it be really necessary for a bail out bottle with this type of re breather?

2. If you were interested in taking up this new world of diving with no interest in going beyond 40 meters, would a bail out bottle put you off?

3. Here in OZ, it is very popular to do double dives. Would dive operators allow re breather divers to stay down and meet them at the destination of the second dive with out coming up for the usual hour or so rest before the next dive?

 

I am just looking for peoples thoughts on this. I am excited about this new era in recreational diving, and it may make the photography side alot more fun and interesting......no bubbles and no noise.

1. Absolutely. Something goes wrong with your loop, you don't have the luxury of an alternatate. The bailout bottle goes with you every dive. Rec depths could think about something like a bov and small (13-19cuft) bailout or running larger onboard dil tanks with plumbing for bailout. Either way, yes, bailout on every dive.

2. No, but I'm biased. This question really should be viewed as analogous to the question 'does having to carry an alternate regulator put you off if an integrated inflator is not available?'. A bailout tank for rec depths could be fairly small (think pony bottle, though I think the benefits of slinging a bottle outweigh the convenience of a back-mounted pony).

3. Every where I've been (that's RB-friendly, anyway) is fairly open to RB divers doing one long dive in lieu of two shorter, as long as sites are the same for both dives. If your question is two longer dives without the requisite SI, then no.

No matter how deep or how long you intend to dive you ALWAYS carry bail out gas. The size of the tank will depend on the expected duration of the dive and how long the decompression commitment should you go into deco.

Some agencies don't allow Air Diluent Divers to undertake decompression diving until they step up to Mixed Gas or Mod2. But some do!!

Make sure you get the most for your money and Make sure to check ALL your options before you part with the folding stuff!!

Contact me if you'd like any further info.

Regards,

Lance

Why would you not want to carry a bailout? Why is this of such a big concern?

I'd give it a try with Open Circuit to put yourself at ease about this. A bailout, slung properly, should be nearly unnoticable during your dive. I've worn a big 40cf bailout (but normally use a 30cf) and it's a total non-issue. Diving a rebreather, it is absolutely required. I used one regularly even before I switched to a rebreather full time.

Dave