Rebreather Pro

New RebreatherPro Podcast

We have published another thrilling podcast episode at RebreatherPro Podcast.  This show talks about the CCR training process.  All our podcast episodes are available for free by clicking on the "PODCAST" button in the sidebar.  Please subscribe and all future episodes of our show will be delivered automatically. And--(drum roll please...)--the RebreatherPro podcast is available in the Apple iTunes store by searching "RebreatherPro",  and you can subscribe on iTunes as well.
(Yes, that is legendary Hollywood producer/director James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator) taking a little diving direction from Jill. Click on pic to enlarge.

Optima Rebreather Checklist

Mark Derrick's Dive Rite Optima checklist--new and improved six parts!

Download diverite_100.pdf

Rebreathers at NSS-CDS Workshop

RebreatherPro's Beth Murphy checks in with a report from the recent NSS-CDS workshop-

Hello All: I hope you had a great holiday weekend!  It was really a pleasure to meet many of you at the NSSCDS Annual Workshop in Marianna this weekend.  For those who didn’t attend or were unaware, Curt Bowen, of Advanced Diver Magazine, RebreatherPro.com, Dive Rite, OxyCheq, KISS, and Golem Gear all sponsored a Cave Rebreather Event on Sunday at Jackson Blue Park.  It was an opportunity for rebreather divers to bring their rigs and share modifications they had made as pioneers in rebreather diving and was as entertaining as it was instructional!  I wanted to share a couple of photos of two rigs in particular that captured my attention.  Forest Wilson has designed a one-tube wonder and Jason Richards has modified a fire fighting unit.  Have a look!

Jill filmed the event and will be posting a video on the site shortly.  I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s up. --Beth
 

TV Coverage of NSS-CDS Workshop

A nice little TV news piece featuring Kelly Jessop and Jill Heinerth.  Link here.

Expedition Files: The Modern Explorer Pt. 2

As underwater explorers step carefully into the next millennium of discovery, there are many lessons to be learned. Confidence in technology can be extraordinary, yet we must be careful to not become overly self-assured. Simulation dives are a strategic part of dive planning. All potential failures must be rehearsed and solutions must become second nature. Technology is not a replacement for adequate training. Every mission must be approached with the idea that the team might have to deal with the worst possible scenario. No individual is invincible. No equipment is flawless. No team can save you from your own decisions.

Keeping that in mind, I like to consider something that astronaut Gene Cernan once said.  Click below to continue this article. He contended that the word "impossible" must be removed from mankind's vocabulary. "There should not be boundaries on the limits of man's aspirations to explore new frontiers. As technology improves, the essence of human endeavor will always be expanded."
--Jill Heinerth

Ask Jill: I’m coming to High Springs for training. Where should I stay?

Question: I’m coming to High Springs for training. Where should I stay?

Answer: There are lots of options in the region from camping up to world-class bed and breakfast facilities. Here are some contacts and current information for diver-friendly lodging:

Camping
Ginnie Springs offers tent and rv camping and has a couple rental cottages.
Ginnie Springs Outdoors, LLC
7300 NE Ginnie Springs Road, High Springs, FL 32643
Phone: 386-454-7188
www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com

Motel
The High Springs Country Inn
http://www.highspringscountryinn.com
386-454-1565
The most popular dive motel in the area. Very inexpensive and close to good food options. Click below for more of this article.

Rebreather Pro: Pete Nawrocky on CCR Diving

       The first look at a Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) can be a bit surreal; the primary components look something found in a sci-fi movie. The large breathing hoses, small HP tanks filled with Oxygen and a diluent gas. A “scrubber” canister, counter lungs and on some units multiple computers. Of course since this is a type of SCUBA gear it also requires a harness arrangement coupled with a Buoyancy bladder. So what’s the attraction? After all the only thing divers want to do is spend time underwater.
    Open Circuit SCUBA is the most common technology used by divers; it is simple, reliable and easy to use. The SCUBA Regulator reduces the pressure from the high pressure in the tank down to ambient pressure so the diver can breathe. The exhaled gas is then released into the water column, basically wasted. Now this isn’t a bad thing but in order to make longer dives it is necessary to carry a larger gas supply. Double 80 cu/ft tanks weigh approx. 90lbs. and create more drag for the diver and also require more effort to swim. The sound created by the exhaled gas is loud and noisy, occasionally scaring away the fish we came to see.

NSS-CDS Workshop May 24-26

Join us this weekend at the NSS-CDS workshop in Marianna Florida.  More info.

Expedition Files: The Modern Explorer

Throughout history, humankind has been fascinated by places that are beyond their reach. Early seafarers struck out across the oceans to find places unknown. As the map of the earth unfolded, adventurers took to the mountains and the skies - climbing higher, sailing farther, and soaring into the vastness of space. Society has always placed a great value conquering the unknown. I recall as a child watching the astronauts with great fascination as they stepped on the moon. Every child in my class had dreams of flying into space or following Jacques Cousteau into the depths. Click below to continue.