Rebreather Pro

Now THIS is Technical Diving

Cave diving with Brian Kakuk in no mount restriction.

More pics and videos from Brian Kakuk, Marc Laukien and Jill Heinerth, coming soon to Rebreather Pro. -- Robert

Digital Underwater Photography: Eye Candy

Jill has been in Bahamas with Brian Kakuk and Marc Laukien gathering video and stills.

Endorsement from a photo pro!

From Solomon Baksh , Publisher, Deep Blue Publications Limited 

"I purchased your book "Digital Underwater Photography: Jill Heinerth's Guide to Digital Underwater Photography" last week and once I started reading it I simply could not put it down. In fact I completed reading the entire book in 2 days. Even though I am a professional underwater photographer and have written several dive guides for a UK publisher I am of the opinion that no professional underwater photographer knows everything. I certainly learned a lot from your book. What's volume 2 about?"

Wow. Thanks Solomon!

Survival Doesn't Have to be Pretty

If your accelerator got stuck, would you know what to do?

The news these days is filled with horror stories of people on cell phones with a 911 operator, panicking as they speed down the highway, out of control. Unfortunately, some of these cases ended in fiery crashes when neither the driver, the passengers nor the operator thought to switch the car into neutral.

If your solenoid valve on your rebreather stuck open, would you know what to do? If a hose blew on the oxygen tank, could you react in an instinctive way?
Last July, the rear tire tread came off my van at 65 miles per hour on the Florida turnpike. Although the urge was there, I know instinctively, that using the brakes would send us into an irrecoverable roll. Many years of driving on snowy Canadian roads, gave me the manual practice that still left its imprint after 15 years in America. We skidded down the highway sideways while I continued to try to steer us out of the skid and ease to the shoulder and out of traffic. By the time we impacted the soft shoulder, we were less than half speed. Although we rolled, I think it might have ended much worse.
Anyone that has dived rebreathers for a long time will share that they have had bad days when either the equipment failed or they made stupid mistakes. If your skills are well practiced and manual responses are instinctual, then your chances of survival will be far greater. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but survival doesn’t have to be pretty… just effective. Jill Heinerth

Rebreather Pro Podcast with Jill Heinerth Feb. 2010

Show Notes: Jill Heinerth with Robert McClellan

Jill's Guide: Digital Underwater Photography

PBS NOVA Extreme Cave Diving

Bahamas Caves with Brian Kakuk

Man Camp

Lizard people and Aliens in the Bermuda Triangle on Coast to Coast AM

Florida Caves Flooded

Kenny Broad, Wes Skiles, Nathan Skiles

Motorcycle Sofnolime delivery and more.

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Megalodon News Update

Innerspace Systems (Megalodon) has lots of exciting news these days. They have been testing the new miniature Predator and Pathfinder rebreathers with great results. The Predator was tested to the US Navy specs and it got 90 minutes at 132 fsw in 72 F water. The Pathfinder got 256 minutes at 132 at 50F water. Awesome stuff for two units that weigh 24 and 38 pounds respectively!
Leon Scamahorn will be showing these new units at the Beneath the Sea Dive Show in New Jersey in March. They are also put the polish on a new 6000 square foot facility as their business expands.
Check out the Meg rebreather in action on "Extreme Cave Diving" on NOVA this Tuesday, February 9th on PBS stations. It is showing at 8 pm EST, but check your local listings for other air times. We'll have the DVDs of this show on the release date in May and we'll keep you posted on availability. -- Jill Heinerth

Jill Heinerth Digital Underwater Photography Book

Jill's new book "DIGITAL UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY" is rolling off the presses and we are taking orders. Please click on the book cover in the sidebar for more about this digital photography guide and to get ordering information. Available as a printed book ($24.95) or as a downloaded eBook (14.95). Please order today!  Thanks, Jill and Robert

NOVA/PBS Extreme Cave Diving expanded previews and websites are up!

PBS has created some terrific web sites with video and heaps of behind-the-scenes information about the upcoming NOVA special Extreme Cave Diving, to air on February 9th at 8pm Eastern time. Check it out here.

Diving Ojamo Mine in Finland

Ojamo Mine is a vast, flooded mine with an entry through a lake. The facilities are excellent, including a safe dock entry, warming hut, dressing trailer and fire pit. Exploration has been completed down to the 138 meter level, although deeper levels exist. Ice is controlled in the dock area by running a small compressor to keep an entry pool open. A safety diver is always dressed and prepared to respond to overdue divers and several safety bottles are cached in critical locations in the passages. The dive itself feels like a natural cave, but he artifacts of mining are scattered through the cave, making it feel like a wreck dive too. Rebreathers and scooters are used by many divers here in order to reach distant passages like Hell's Gate, where I had the fortunate opportunity to dive with Janne Halonen, Janne Suhonen and Antti Apunen.

Top: A beautiful example of the photography of Janne Suhonen and his team at Ojamo Mine.

Below: Janne Halonen preps his Inspiration Vision rebreather for diving in Ojamo Mine near Helsinki, Finland.