Rebreather Pro

New! Sidemount Diving Video with Jeff Loflin and Jill Heinerth

You can rent or purchase this new sidemount instructional video from Jeff and Jill right here through this player. Stream it, download it, or buy the DVD. Share it with your friends on Facebook,or embed it on your own webpage and we will happily thank you with a 10% commission on all referrals through your site.

Poseiden releases new tech rebreather at RF3.

First pic from Jill Heinerth:

Are you protected? Never dive without protection!

Never dive without protection!

There has been much press in the last year about carbon monoxide poisoning that has caused the deaths of divers within our community. As such, there has been a growth in the CO analyzer market. I recently saw this new product that I think is truly brilliant. Its essentially a condom-type ballon with a CO sensor inside. You inflate the clear balloon and see if the disk inside changes color. Once you break open the package, you have eight hours to use the balloon on as many tanks as you like, unless carbon monoxide is detected. In that case, it may have just saved your life. When you travel to a new place and want some peace of mind in a small package, this device is easy to operate and easy to carry. There is no need for a large device, calibration or anything else. I salute the manufacturers for filling an important need!

www.co-pro.com

Rebreather Divers: Jill Heinerth's travel tips to ease your airline pain

Traveling with a CCR can have its challenges. Some airports are completely familiar with the technology and others are terrified of the wires and sensors! Here is some advice for traveling with your unit.

If you can avoid carrying sorb, it is generally cheaper to get it at your destination. In Florida it is cheap and easy to get at $110 per 45 pound keg. Many other destinations offer sorb and onboard cylinders. It is usually cheaper to rent than pay extra baggage fees. If you are traveling somewhere without support, then you may have to carry sorb in your checked baggage.

Download the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) from the internet for the brand of sorb that you are carrying. Tape the MSDS to the keg and if you feel like being a bit creative, print a sticker on your computer that reads "Safe for Airline Transport" in large block letters and stick it to the keg.

 

I like to put a formal letter in each case of luggage that begins: "Dear TSA Agent..."  Essentially, you want to advise them that this is a diving apparatus known as a rebreather and that it is delicate life support equipment. Put your cell phone and seat assignment on the letter and urge them to call if they have questions. Thank them for their diligence in securing your life support equipment. Put a small bundle of replacement zip ties inside the luggage so they can re-secure the zip pulls or case. If you have a title, logo or company letterhead that looks impressive, put that on the letter. If you have photograph of your smiling face in that diving equipment, print that on the letter. If this is the trip of a lifetime, tell them. Making their job easy, fun and light will increase your chances of getting to the destination with all gear intact.

If you are traveling with your tanks, take the valve out of the tank and place a piece of CLEAR packing tape over the opening of the tank. Only clear tape is acceptable... no plugs... nothing else. Cover the "Oxygen" label with some other duct tape or packing tape. You don't want any labels that say "Oxygen" to be viewable on any part of the unit. Technically, that voids the oxygen-clean status of the tank, but there does not seem to be a way around it at this point in time. You will need to do at least a visual inspection at your destination, so ensure your have an appropriate light to do so.

I have at times resorted to putting a small plastic flower, sticking through the clear tape, out of the tank. I've stood there with TSA agents and argued that I was carrying a unique flower vase rather than a scuba tank. Yes... some folks just don't understand pressure. In fact, Dr. Tom Iliffe, was once instructed to put the valves back in the tanks, then place a scuba regulator on the tank to prove to the agent that there was no pressure in the open tanks!

In any case, don't insult their intelligence. Be patient and give them every tool possible to make your trip easy. But just in case, photograph each piece of baggage outside and inside in the unlikely event you need to track a lost piece or make a claim on insurance. Every bit of evidence will help.

Safe travels! -- Jill Heinerth

PS - Recognizing the growing numbers in dive tourism, the TSA will attend Rebreather Forum 3.0 in Orlando this month. Perhaps we'll have an easier time in the future!

Curious about Rebreather Forum 3? Here's a podcast with all the information!

Greg the Divemaster interviewed Roz Lunn on Scuba Radio about RF3. The interview is at 26 mins approx. Sign up over in the sidebar and we'll see you there!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.

Guest Article by Rebreather Diving Legend Kevin Gurr

What is Optocon? Why is it important? Why Do I need it?

 Two years ago, recognizing the vulnerabilities of hard wired electronics in rebreathers, VR Technology started developing a paradigm shifting system called Optocon. The goal was to  remove potentially unreliable wiring and connectors within safety critical systems from our Sentinel rebreather and replace them with a much more robust and redundant system. With this change, we delivered a long-term, more reliable system as well as one that was far easier to replace and maintain in a simple modular fashion. 

 

After countless hours of developing, testing and certifying this new technology under CE standards, I want you to understand why we tackled such a challenging issue, so I will try to explain why VR has bothered to spend so long developing the system and why, as a rebreather diver, it is important for you.

CLICK HERE to get the entire article as a .pdf 

 

Jeff Loflin on new Hollis Prism

Pics of Jeff Loflin at Vortex Spring with the new Hollis Prism CCR:

 

Stay tuned for more infor and Jill's review of this cool new unit!

Rebreather Forum 3.0 Most important ever convened

Are you thinking about attending Rebreather Forum 3.0 in Orlando next month?

If not you could be missing the most important conference ever convened for rebreather divers.

Dr. Andrew Fock will share his finding on accident analysis. His abstract might shock some people.

It reads: “Available rebreather fatality case data were reviewed. Rebreather deaths occurred at about 10 times the rate of normal recreational SCUBA diving. No brand of rebreather was over represented and mechanical rebreathers were just as likely to be involved as electronic rebreathers. About two-thirds of fatalities were associated with high risk dives or high risk behavior. Human factors analysis showed multiple points at which the Human Machine Interface (HMI) can result in an error that may lead to a fatality.”

Dr. Simon Mitchell, Phil Short, Martin Robson, Kevin Gurr, Dr. Richard Pyle, Dr. Bill Stone, myself and many others are amongst the presenters and facilitators who all felt this conference was important enough to volunteer and buy their own tickets to the event. I encourage anyone in the community who wants to learn about trends, procedures and safety to attend. - Jill Heinerth

New App for Divers: Be Back Soon

Be Back Soon App

A dear friend from Australia, Des Paroz, has launched a very cool iPhone app you'll want to use in your diving and other social activities. It fills a simple need - to file a dive plan and let people know when you are overdue. The concept is simple, but the interface and execution are even better.

In a nutshell, if you plan to go on a dive (or a blind Internet date, or any other activity,) you can input your event in a simple message window and select up to three people to notify if you are overdue. In the case of a dive, you can post your dive plan and choose an expected time out. Fifteen minutes before deadline, you'll get a push notification to your smart phone with an opportunty to respond, and thus, end further notifications. If you don't respond initially, at the ten and five minute marks two more messages are generated and pushed to your phone.

If you reach your deadline, then your selected message will go out to the contacts you have chosen, letting them know you are overdue and the last location of your phone. In your message you can tell the notified person precisely what action you would like them to take. It could be as simple as "try to call me," or as important as "I'm on my way, get the beer chilled" or a stern as "son, you have missed your curfew and you are in big trouble."

There are certainly many uses for this app outside of diving, but in all seriousness, being able to file a dive plan when you are solo or remote is invaluable. For less than a cup of coffee, you can give peace of mind to your friends and family and get a rescue rolling when there's been a really bad day out.

Here's a link. You can also find it in the iTunes App store.

S-Drills and how they keep you alive

Michael Thornton has offered up this terrific post about S-Drills for CCR and Open Circuit divers. This comprehensive post gives a solid rationale and key tips to ensure that you start your dive "fully functional."

Link here.