On Wednesday, April 11, 2001 12:01 PM, Crusty Russ wrote:

> Ooooo, good point...a rebreather never entered my mind.  BTW: a few of
> the local shops are really pushing the rebreather stuff.  Is this going
> on everywhere right now?

I think so!  And they seem to be proliferating like rabbits!  :-)

It seems to me, however, that a great many of the manufacturers have misread
the market's needs.  Despite - at the basic level - their apparent
simplicity they are more complex to use; require greater care and attention
than most of us give to our open circuit gear; and are less forgiving of
operator error than open circuit gear.

They also require - to be used properly - far more training than is the case
on open circuit.  (And unit specific training, at that!)

They may be fine for, say, some underwater photographers, or certain
categories of scientific and exploration diving, but they also have their
limitations.  However, and in order to recoup their R&D costs, some
manufacturers are engaged in huge promotional campaigns to convince the
mainstream diving public that they represent future trends in diving and
that they're simple and easy to use!  (The principle certainly is!  All
you've got to remember is to breathe in and out - and one or two other
things!) :-)

I tend to doubt that they will ever really catch on.  If that was the case
then nobody would ever have bothered with open circuit in the first place!
:-)

And with so many models coming on to the market, it's difficult to know
which to choose - and where to go for proper and qualified training.  In
that regard, one of the biggest stumbling blocks that I see is not so much
the cost of the unit but the cost of the training itself.  Which, to be
effective, would need to be considerably higher than people are prepared to
pay for even open water training!

There's also the question of - once being trained - how frequently people
would use the unit!

We've become accustomed to open-water 'C' cards without expiry dates.
That, it seems to me, is something that's also a little more problematic
with, (because of the need for essential skills to become second nature),
rebreathers.

Trialling them under controlled conditions is one thing - and can be fun.
But for many people it also highlights the fact that - for the type of
diving that they enjoy - a rebreather is less effective than a tank and
reg.!  :-)

That's my 2 cents worth!  :-)

Strike