Rebreather Pro

Video: Jill Heinerth Rebreather Message

BOOM!

Things That Go Boom:

 Over a decade ago, I was diving in a Florida cave at 300 feet of depth when a very loud “boom” erupted behind me. The sound was like someone was bashing large SCUBA cylinder against the wall of the cave. In rapid succession, my solenoid began firing erratically and injecting pure oxygen into a loop that was previously stable at 1.2. I quickly shut down the oxygen tank valve and tried to figure out what had occurred. My primary handset was flickering strange information that looked like it was communicating a language akin to Klingon. Luckily my secondary display was unaffected by whatever had just occurred. I use the secondary display to carry me out of the cave and through the many levels of decompression ahead, feathering my tank tank and injecting oxygen as I needed it. To be honest, the exit was relatively routine. I had practiced manual control often and even preferred a hybrid manual approach to conserve oxygen on ascent and deco in any case. After the dive, I stripped out of my rebreather to determine the cause of the loud noise and discovered a gaping hole in the back of my rebreather where a lithium battery had exploded out of the back of the black box. It was still sizzling and popping after all that time in the water. I was grateful for several features of my rebreather. The completely redundant oxygen display offered me an instrument panel with which to fly the rig in manual mode reliably. The batteries were NOT contained within the breathing loop and therefore did not cause an unrecoverable loop failure. Think about your own rebreather. Would it have coped with a leaking or explosive battery? Could you finish this dive on the loop? -- Jill Heinerth

Keeping warm during your dive

Why it is important to keep warm throughout your dive?

When we have adequate thermal protection, we tend to enjoy our dives much more than when we are cold, but adequate thermal protection goes far beyond comfort. Let’s envision a typical deep diving scenario and look at what happens to the human body during that exposure. Even in the coldest water, we seems to be able to tolerate the descent and bottom time adequately. We are working hard on that segment of the dive and moving enough to maintain good circulation. During decompression, our body chills because of inactivity and exposure time. When the body chills, the brain sends a signal to the extremeties to shut down the circulation and put an emphasis on maintaining core temperature. Just when we need to be off-gassing the entire body, our brain is sending a message to prioritize circulation to the body core. If we further chill during a long decompression, the circulation is prioritized to a smaller and smaller, more critical body core and brain.

If you feel that your hands and feet are getting chilled, then that is a signal that they are not just cold, but perhaps not off-gassing properly. Exit the water, move around, and you may be sending a nice cascade of trouble to the rest of your body. This is not an argument for heating the body on decompression though, it is actually a call to keep better constant thermal regulation through both the bottom time AND the decompression.

Its not just about comfort. It is critical to good balanced decompression.

CLICK HERE for an Advanced Diver Magazine feature about Jill's Antarctic cave diving exploration. 

-- Jill Heinerth

When Should I Start CCR Diving

I just received a question from the "Ask Jill" link that is worth sharing.

A reader with a young family was eager to start rebreather diving but was somewhat financially strapped, wondering whether purchasing an older used unit was a good idea. Learning on any rebreather gives you an opportunity to build hours on CCR technology and that knowledge will transfer to other units in the future. However, the most important thing to secure is excellent training and to dedicate yourself to very diligent behavior using checklists at all times. It is a very big decision when you have a young family, because there is additional risk involved with rebreather diving.

Accidents generally result from how we use the equipment rather than equipment failure. So ultimately we have a reasonable ability to control our results. If you choose to buy a used rebreather, you should send it to the manufacturer for assessment and service. There may be small issues or developing problems that you are not trained to detect. The factory should be able to find those problems and fix them, giving you peace of mind to begin your journey.

I'm a tough person to ask about jumping into rebreather diving. I love it, but am very cautious. CCRs are tools, not toys. You need to have a purpose for a CCR, not simply a desire to use one. I don't like suggesting that anyone take on additional risk in life. If I had a young child, I would ask myself... "should I start rebreather diving with something less than I really want?" or "should I wait until I have saved enough money to buy the best unit and training I can afford?" Ultimately only you can answer that question adequately. It is a tough one, but make sure your whole family embraces it and understands why you do what you love! --  Jill Heinerth

Rebreather CO2 Incident

 

CO2 Incident

I’ve posted this video link before, but I want to highlight it again, because there is so much to learn from this incident:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/diving/video/co2video.htm

This time you view it I would like you to consider bailout volume and scrubber ratings. Many people look at the scrubber rating that is verified through CE testing and say, “yeah, but that was in really cold water and at a ventilation rate that only an Olympian could maintain.” The ventilation rate of the diver in this video while using bailout was estimated to be over four times the rate that is tested by CE standards.

It is a terrible cascade when CO2 begins to elevate in the diver. Bailing out as soon as possible is critical or the cascade can lead to the point of unconsciousness… essentially suffocation by over ventilation as this diver experienced.

At some point, any scrubber design can be over-breathed. They all have their extreme limits.

This video is a terrific learning tool and I am grateful to the participating divers and manufacturer who realized it was more important to send a safety message to the community than to worry about the embarrassment of being a part of an incident. -- Jill Heinerth

 

Rebreather Fundamentals Workshop - Sunday March 25 from 9am - 4pm

 

Rebreather Fundamentals Workshop with Rebreather Pro Jill Heinerth -

Sunday March 25 from 9am - 4pm

at the Beneath the Sea Diving Symposium.

Meadowlands Exposition Center, Seacaucus New Jersey

Classroom session: $95 will include many educational resources to take home

Tickets available online at: www.BeneathTheSea.org (space is limited)

Enjoy a full-day academic session with CCR expert Jill Heinerth. Using fascinating stories and a multimedia presentation, Jill will cover all the essentials of rebreather diving.

 

If you are looking to purchase a rebreather, this is an opportunity to learn how to be a wise consumer and make the choice that is right for you.

If you already own a rebreather and want a review of academics, new trends and the future of CCR diving, then this seminar will offer an opportunity to gather new information.

If you want to prevent yourself from joining the ranks of 20 or so people who perish each year on rebreathers, this workshop will inform you about accident analysis and prevention.

If you want a day with an expert who will carefully answer your questions and help you find solutions, then this is your best opportunity to spend a day with Jill.

If you want to see how rebreathers are being used in exciting expeditions around the world, this full-day road show will entertain and motivate you to participate in CCR diving.

The workshop is non-denominational… all training agencies and all manufacturers are welcome. All levels of divers are welcome from recreational through technical divers.

Topics:

Rebreather operations and procedures

Basics, types, operation and essential care

Selecting a rebreather: comparing apples and oranges

Selecting an instructor

Understanding CE testing

Myths and misconceptions about rebreather diving

Carbon dioxide: dangerous and ignored

Reducing oxygen issues

Planning for the future: deep mixed-gas operations

Accident analysis and prevention: beating the complacency trap

Traveling with rebreathers: tips and warnings

Lots of time for questions...and answers

See you there -- Jill

 

BalticTech Conference

Jill Heinerth will be presenting at the BalticTech Conference 19-20 November, 2011 at Hotel Orbis Gdnyia, Poland. Information and reservations here:  http://baltictech.com/home/

Stan Waterman, a diving pioneer and hero

Jill and Stan Waterman, an author, film maker, producer, documentarian, and living legend. Stan received a Pioneer award, and Jill the Wyland Icon award at the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences banquet in Orlando. 

Changing the Social Pressures Around CCR Rebreather Diving

On Wednesday, one of my students had a problem with their heads up display on their rebreather. “Should I dive?” he asked me. My response was that he was at a watershed moment in his diving career. Although he had traveled half way round the world to do this cave dive, this would be the moment that he would define himself as a conservative diver or a high-risk diver. When we jump in the water with a small glitch, we are opening the door for even more egregious bad choices in the future.
I once skipped a dive moments before jumping off a boat because of a similar failure. Colleagues around me teased and pushed, suggesting that I should “just run it in manual” and it was “not a big problem.” I didn’t get in the water that day. Instead I flew home and started a new life, getting married the following week to Robert. The last five years have been the best of my life and I am full of gratitude for every moment. Since that sunny day on a boat in the tropics, more than one of the people on the boat that day had their lives cut short in CCR accidents. They didn’t get to go home to their beloved.
Please help me change the social pressures and culture surrounding CCR diving. Encourage your buddy to abort a dive if things are not perfect. Never jump in the water with a unit that is not fully functional. Bail out is cool. -- Jill Heinerth