By Steve Lewis If you dive a Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR), there’s a good chance that during the next few months, you’re going to be hearing more and more about mouthpiece retaining straps. Even if you don’t dive a CCR, you’ll probably notice the campaign and by the time …

By Steve Lewis There are few simple questions more difficult to answer than “How much is a rebreather?” More so if the person asking advice is a rebreather newbie about to buy their first unit. On the face of it, all that’s required is a straight dollar amount. Let’s …

Words and Photography by Jill Heinerth   Rebreathers offer an entirely new way to enjoy the underwater world. Whether it is the technology that attracts you or the potential to swim free without making bubbles, the decision to enter the domain of rebreather diving is a significant one. You …

  By Dr. David Sawatzky Rebreathers are becoming ever more common in the diving community, and in diving fatality records.  I wanted to write a column on rebreather fatalities but immediately realized that it would make no sense to most divers unless they had a good, basic understanding of …

By Steve Lewis So, you’re looking at taking the big step into rebreathers, are you? Let’s chat. It’s okay, your secrets are safe with me. I’ll admit it, I have owned a few rebreathers myself. At last count, there have been twelve. But no worries, I am getting better, …

Text by Jill Heinerth Ask a rebreather diver what drives their rebreather and they will undoubtedly tell you, the oxygen sensors. These annually disposable devices are critical to creating a safe breathing loop and yet when not functioning properly can reduce a $10,000 investment in life support to a …

Dive Rite O2ptima Rebreather $8,500 This fully closed circuit, constant P02, electronically-driven rebreather features built-in decompression ability. Dive Rite’s O2ptima is great for overhead environments where immediate surfacing is not always possible, and it will appeal to open water and wreck divers too.  Features include 5-litre total loop volume counter …

Statistics show that almost always the cause is diver error By Dr. David Sawatzky In the last column I outlined how rebreathers work. There are many brands available and more coming on the market though the basic concepts for all of them are the same.  Rebreathers are complicated. There …

An explorer begets the Explorer, the new Hollis Gear semi-closed unit that just may change and reinvigorate sport diving  Text by Michael Menduno   Kevin Gurr has been passionate about computing and rebreathers since his first rebreather dive in 1987. The prolific 54-year old British explorer, tech instructor and …

Second in series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. Dr. Andrew Fock, head of hyperbaric medicine at The Albert Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, himself an accomplished rebreather diver, took the RF3 stage Saturday morning with an important and sobering presentation on the risks of rebreather diving, …

Kim Mikusch Smith from Canadian KISS Rebreathers talks about safety, accessibility and why you should be interested in rebreather diving. For full article on Rebreathers and the Future of Diving, see DIVER Vol37 Issue 3 or click here. For more information on KISS Rebreathers click here.      

Rebreathers are rapidly growing in popularity, below is a list of international manufacturers. If you know one we don’t, send a web link to mail@divermag.com Ambient Pressure CCR 2000 Divematics Draeger ExtendAir HB Technology Innerspace Systems Corp Kiss Rebreathers rEvo rebreathers Silent Diving Steam Machines Titan Dive Gear VR …

By Michael Menduno 1680: Giovanni Borelli conceives the closed circuit rebreather. Believed recirculating air through copper tube cooled by seawater would allow impurities to condense. 1726: Stephan Hale developed a device for surviving mine disasters. The helmet contained a flannel liner soaked in sea salt and tartar as a …

Sixth in series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. The diving media and interested Rebreather Forum participants were treated to a preview of the lovechild spawned by Poseidon and Dr. Bill Stone, CEO of Stone Aerospace. Called the Poseidon TECH (DIVER Volume 37 Number 4), the …

Fifth in series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. Similar to 02 sensing problems discussed in a previous RF3 report posted here, divers must contend with issues concerning PCO2, which has been dubbed the “dark matter of rebreather diving.” High PCO2s (0.03 bar and above) can …

Fourth in series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. In addition to training and creating a culture that reinforces safe rebreather diving practices, experts agree that a number of safety issues might be resolved through better engineering of the equipment itself. Indeed, this is the thinking …

Third in series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. Veteran explorers and educators Jill Heinerth and Terrence Tysell chaired an open discussion on training at the Rebreather Forum, encouraging participants to present views on a host of training related topics. In keeping with the RF3 theme, …

First in a series of reports on Rebreather Forum 3 by Michael Menduno. Rebreather Forum 3 staged in Orlando, Florida, saw the convergence of a rebreather diving ‘who’s who’ to discuss and debate this life support system that is hailed as the future of diving by some and anything …

The world’s largest dive training agency thinks they are, and they’ve developed courses for the rec and tec diver alike. Here, the agency’s Vice President of Rebreather Technologies, Mark Caney, weighs in on PADI’s new direction, the rise of a new ‘Type-R’ recreational rebreather, and the voice of opposition. …

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the world’s largest scuba training agency, has expanded its course offerings in recent months to include recreational rebreather instruction. What follows is the continuation of an interview with Mark Caney, PADI’s Vice President of Rebreather Technologies, published in the current issue of …

Jarrod Jablonski talks with Michael Menduno   Credit Where Credit Is Due In my interview with explorer Jarrod Jablonski in DIVER Vol. 37 Number 1, I incorrectly stated that Jablonski and his team from Global Underwater Explorers were the first to video the USS Atlanta in 430 feet (130m) …

Reserves are going down, which may mean prices go up? And how might that affect the future of mixed gas technical diving? The answer is up in the air. Text by Jeremy Heywood and Lee Newman   The future of mixed gas technical diving may be uncertain due to …