Rebreather Pro

Keen Footwear

On a light note-we at RebreatherPro are proud to announce that Jill was selected as one of the winners of the Keen Footwear "Stand Up" contest.  The contest is for conservationists and environmental educators who, in their daily work, help to support the planet. Jill plans to use her winnings to support her speaking presentations entitled "Beneath Our Feet". And if you don't know about Keens, they are awesome shoes-from waterproof sport sandals to hiking boots, Keens are a quality choice for divers.  I like them so much I got married wearing mine!--Robert

Rebreather Spare Parts

Every rebreather will have a specific set of spare parts that may be needed. Over the years I have had few issues with my Megalodon rebreather, but I carry a couple of necessary items just in case:

*Spare sensors
*Oxygen lubricant
*Toothbrush for cleaning
*Absorbent rags
*Spare regulator
*A few spare o-rings, mainly for regulators
*Small voltmeter
*Spare canister latch
*Spare magnetic buttons for handset
*Allen wrenches
*Screwdriver
*Adjustable wrenches
*Intermediate pressure guage

Hey Bud, Got A Spare Mouthpiece?

Few pre-dive checklists ask the diver to inspect the security of the mouthpiece. The oft forgotten mouthpiece is the most likely source of a catastrophic loop failure. A broken zip tie or torn rubber can result in a complete flood of the breathing loop or inability to retain the mouthpiece block in the diver’s mouth. After experiencing such a failure, Cave explorer Brett Hemphill recommends carrying a spare mouthpiece and tie wrap on every dive. He simply clips the mouthpiece to his rig so it is available if needed. I recommend using Seacure Mouthpieces. These mouthpieces can be easily molded to fit the diver’s bite. I have had some of these mouthpieces on my gear for a decade. The hard plastic and deeper bite tends to sit comfortably in the diver’s mouth. I imagine that if a diver ever became unconscious, that this stiff material might be more secure than soft mouthpieces.

Advanced Diver Magazine

As many of you know Jill has been a frequent contributor to Advanced Diver Magazine.  We are very proud to have ADM as our newest sponsor--but more than that, we are honored to call Curt Bowen and the gang from ADM our friends and colleagues. Check out some of the top Underwater Photography offered by the flagship publication of Technical Diving!--Robert

Gas In Strange Places

Getting Gas in Strange Places (No, we don't mean from the exotic food)

Many tourist destinations are picking up on the trends in technical diving and have oxygen easily available on site. However, if you are the expedition type, you will need to get creative. Some countries require licenses for sale of industrial gases like oxygen and argon and you will be forced to buy from a third party. Dive shops usually have these licenses and can help you secure needed supplies. Fittings in other countries often differ from the standard CGA fittings we use in the US. Carefully research which fittings will be needed for filling from K-bottles and bring them with a portable booster. Here's a link to the one I use.  Quick disconnect fittings are really handy for switching from inert gas fittings to DIN.

If you are using a booster, you will need to rent some large tanks for drive gas. Ensure that your booster is serviced and the drive regulator has been serviced to the correct intermediate pressure to allow for maximum booster efficiency.  Click below to continue this article-Jill

More Checklists

Thanks to Freddy, we have a few more checklists to share.

Download FreddysMegWithmV.pdf

Download FreddysO2cellmV.pdf

The checklists have taken on a life of their own and there is a content-rich thread over at Rebreather World.

Download These Checklists

Here are a half-dozen rebreather checklists. Please submit yours to us at: JillHeinerth@gmail.com

Download Megalodon.pdf (39.1K)

Download CisLunarMK5P.pdf (1642.0K)

Download CopisMeg.pdf (19.2K)

Download KISSClassic.pdf (20.1K)

Download DragerDolphin.pdf (2.7K)

Download KISSSport.pdf (19.7K)

RebreatherPro Tech Tip: Terrence Tysall on Checklists

Terrence Tysall shares his checklist philosophy while on an expedition with Dr. Tom Iliffe, Jim Rozzi and Jill Heinerth at Lanzarote, Canary Islands in Spring 2008.

License to Dive

We want to welcome Amigos Dive Center to the RebreatherPro family. Wayne is one of the most knowledgeable technical divers in  North Florida--and he has the coolest collection of diving related license plates we've ever seen! When in cave country head over to Amigos for your gas and tell him that Jill sent you! (He may let you see his plates...)