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Tom, In response to your response, I'll respond with this response: You said regarding my NOT having a caustic cocktail: "(your lucky or have weird taste buds)" My response: Really? I've never run out of air underwater either - does that make me "lucky" or just skilled? You said regarding my time on the rebreather: "Would you like to compare some dive log time on rebreathers" My response: No. You have far more time in the water than I do, that's for sure. The rumor has it that you taught Jesus how to snorkel. Does that mean that I don't know shit? Gee, I wonder if I could tell Jacques Cousteau a thing or two about rebreathers? I wonder if he ever dived mixed gas on a BioMarine unit? If he didn't, would it be presumptious of me to give him some pointers so he doesn't "sleep with the fishes" like Luco Brazzi? You tell me. For the record, I have a lot of respect for people who have a lot of experience. I do not, however, slavishly listen to every word they utter with a frozen look of awe and wonder, as they reveal each pearl of wisdom to my lowly self. But the bottom line fact is that the sea floor is littered with dudes who "knew it all" because they had more "experience" than others. You said in response to flooding: "Well guy there are things that can cause a unit toi flood other than spitting out the mouth peivce in the open position. Try following someone with no experience on the units and they do not keep a seal on the mouthpeice (not wearing full face) try pin holes in the hoses or any loss of water intergity." My response: Who taught the bozo in front of you that isn't keeping a good grip on his mouthpiece? When it comes to rebreathers, dude, that is as basic as mask clearing is to open water. What about the pinhole? Did the guy perform a positive/negative pressure test on the unit while on the boat? He didn't? Again, who is his instructor? Tom, you know the answers to these questions. 1) The guy should be taught to keep the mouthpiece firmly in his mouth at all times. If he needs a break, he should be taught why they put a DSV in the mouthpiece, so he can flip it, and take a break for a second to readjust his jaw. If he can't keep a reg in his mouth, why is he in the water? 2) If he didn't do a positive/negative pressure test on the unit prior to diving, he is an idiot, or was trained improperly. Period. In response to my concerns regarding Instructors, you said: "Most of the folks we would train have experience on fully closed systems the majority on biomarine units from military days. plus others we would cross train and yes they would have to own a system or a quite similar system and be cross trained on this one and maintain currency in its use. Andrea Smith the first army guy to use the ccr 1000 who has a couple of hundred hours on rebreathers mostly the biomarine would be one. Joey Ditori who is current on the 15, 16 and upcoming 19 (he is a EOD and training officer in the Navy) Billy Deans, myself etc. I think we can match your background on rebreathers and may actually satisfy your ideals. IANTD takes rebreathers seriously." My response: They sound like fine divers, and I'm sure they will make good instructors. You better take rebreathers seriously, because with the volume off units that are going to be out there once Dick ships, the likelyhood of someone doing something stupid grows proportionally. As for new rebreather technology: I will endeavor to learn more about this unit you are touting, but for my ass, I'll stick with something that tells me my PPO2 constantly. Tom, the only issue that I have is that sooooo many "experienced" divers like to make a lot of this new technology sound sooooo complex and dangerous because it makes them look like tough, macho divers who face death with every dive. This is simply not so. There are a few guys out there who are pushing the envelope and indeed doing very dangerous things, but they use equipment that they know they can trust. In the world of rebreathers, there are so many people who speak from limited knowledge, or in some cases, no knowledge at all. It's like a paramedic telling a doctor how to perform brain surgery. Sure, he might sound like he knows what he is talking about, but he is really unqualified to speak at all. Whenever I hear someone talking shit about rebreathers, and they don't own one or use one on a regular basis, I'll speak out, based upon my own experiences. If I am not familiar with a certain subject, I'll keep quiet and listen. But if you expect me to defer to you because your beard is grayer than mine, you're lookin' at the wrong dude... I have found on the internet that often the written word comes across as much harsher than intended, and as such, I want to add this final note: I have a lot of respect for divers of your experience, and the above is not written with disdain or rancor. But I will forcefully argue my beliefs and positions, even with someone as notable as you when I feel that I am right. Kevin HeyyDude PS. On the subject of a "younger" man teaching an "older" man something: Dude, you just gotta work on your typing skills. When you post a response, insert a couple of line breaks so it is easier to read. And don't tell me you can't do it - I broke my dad of that habit, and he's 65 and took up computers for the first time 2 years ago. He still can't type, but his "hunt and peck" skills are improving daily... <grin>
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