Rebreather Pro

Have you got your Rebreather Forum 3 tickets yet?

RF3 is quickly approaching. There are some good deals on early ticket purchases. Click here. 

 

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/

Requested Rebreather Topics

 

I’m preparing for a speaking engagement at Baltictech in Poland  this fall and asked the moderators what topics were of interest to divers in the Baltic. They gave me a great list. Some of these topics have been covered in the past on RebreatherPro.com, but it looks like a good time to reprise some key articles and bring them up to date. I’m going to target this list for my blog posts for the next month or so. Stay tuned… and if you can, come and see the presentations at Baltictech 2011 in Gydna, Poland!

 

To BOV or Not to BOV

 BOVs can be handy devices, allowing you to leave the rebreather loop in your mouth if you need to switch to open circuit. I’ve owned rebreathers with integrated BOVs and others without. PADI/DSAT has recently determined that they will require all recreational and technical rebreathers used in their training programs to have installed BOVs operable with one hand. That pretty much sets the bar for all manufacturers to meet.

Keep the following principles in mind:

They are easy to switch to open circuit, but don’t be hasty and switch back until you are certain you know what is going on. Sanity “breaths” are a misnomer. One or two breaths will not change to PO2 in your body. You need to take your time. If a problem is solvable and safe, then there may be ways to switch back to the loop. However, if you switched because you felt funny, its smarter to stay off the loop and get your brain back in gear.

They MUST be hooked to a meaningful gas supply or they are useless. If your BOV is plumbed to your onboard diluent, then you still have to switch to your offboard tank. 

You must test your BOV underwater every time you dive to ensure it is functioning properly.

You should carry a second stage on your offboard tank for other divers or for BOV failures.

Is your BOV tested and proven to be “Class A” for the depths and workload you intend on using it at? Are the sliders, connectors and convenience items that you added going to restrict flow at depth?

One issue you may experience with BOVs is an increased drag in high flow and scootering situations. A streamlined design is critical in these applications.

To BOV or not BOV is a big question. I suggest mapping out a risk/benefit list and checking all the variables before making the choice that is right for you. --  Jill Heinerth

 

Steve Lewis on Rebreather Fatalities

Our friend and colleague, Steve Lewis, of Pelagian and TDI-SDI with some thoughtful analysis on CCR fatality statistics, and Jill's intentional stick-poking! Mandatory reading for anyone diving, or considering rebreathers. Find it here.

Video: Jill Heinerth Rebreather Diving Summit

2010 NACD Cave Summit - Jill Heinerth (47 minutes) from Curt Bowen on Vimeo.

Here is an entire page of Rebreather Summit conference speaker videos from Curt Bowen at VIMEO. Thanks to Rebreatherworld.com and the NACD.

Bob Ferguson: Rebreather Diver

 

Bob Ferguson, from South Carolina, during  the in-water side of the NACD Rebreather Summit. Bob and Amy Ferguson are amazing divers, and great ambassadors for the sport of cave diving!

Rebreather Summit Pics

Some quick pics from today's NACD Rebreather Summit. Click on thumbnails.

Best head gear on a cold Florida morning award goes to Joel Clark of Light Monkey! Good guy, GREAT lights...

 

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Report from EuroTek Dive Conference

The Eurotek conference was held Oct 16-17 in Birmingham, England. Organized by Leigh Bishop, Roz Lunn, Mark Dixon and Crispin Brake, the show offered perhaps the best gathering of technical diving experts ever assembled. With four large conference rooms offering concurrent sessions and a significant representation of manufacturers and displays, there was far more information and eye candy than could be absorbed in the short weekend.

Saturday night’s evening gala dinner even saw a sometimes rag tag assembly of cave and wreck divers sporting tuxedos and ball gowns. Dedicated to the memory of diving luminary Carl Spencer, there were many opportunities to reflect on his significant contributions to wreck exploration as well as learn lessons from his untimely death on the Britannic Expedition of 2009.

In my view, the conference was incredibly polished and professional while offering numerous opportunities for informal discussions between divers, medical experts, engineers, manufacturers and pioneers. The speaker list was an international A-list and attendees hailed from over seventeen countries by my count. Attending conferences such as Eurotek offer priceless opportunities to brainstorm and learn from each other in a very open and casual manner. The delegates and presenters packed a single hotel close to the Convention Hall, allowing for many chances to meet in the bar, chat over breakfast and find a rare moment for a bit of sleep. (In fact my only complaint was not having any time to sleep because of all the great opportunities for discussion). In addition to offering my own seminars, I had a chance to attend several presentations by other excellent speakers. Presentations covered expeditions, wrecks, mines and caves around the world as well as technical topics such as in water recompression, modern deco advancements, rebreather diving, accident analysis and panel discussions.

I can’t begin to offer enough positive praise for this event. In the coming weeks, I will write additional blog posts about relevant presentations and discussions I had during the event.