Howzit Kev,

I never made any comments specifically about the biomarine units. If I was 
forced to buy CCR gear right now, it would be a Biomarine (what choice 
would I have). The 155, not the less capable 500 which shares most 
components with the 155 but cost $8000 less (how this is possible I don't 
know). Nor did I make any comments regarding electronics and CCR's. 

Now a few quotes:

"The only caveat is that you need to recognize there is a problem before 
you can spend those minutes deciding how best to solve it.  The fundamental 
barrier to rebreathers for the masses is that the killers (too much O2, too 
little O2) are insideous - i.e., not self-evident. Lights out comes with no 
obvious forewarning (jury is still out on the CO2 issues)."

"The trick to consistently staying alive on a rebreather is integrating all 
of the tools (electronics,common sense, a good understanding of physics, 
etc.) and a good amount of discipline."

"But when we are talking rebreathers, we are not just talking technology 
making our lives easier - we're talking technology making each of us 
rebreather divers a damned engineer.  Even if I just want to do 2 hour 
dives to 50 feet, and photograph fish to bore all my dentist friends, I 
still have to understand a tremendous amount of theory and maintenance to 
dive a rebreather."

______________________________________________________________________

Now I see. It is all so clear. This 'more complex to operate' piece of 
gear (albeit more capable) is a "safety advantage" to the average 
sport diver. Right. I got it now, thanks for setting me straight.

I guess it is a matter of semantics. I choose to view CCR gear as having 
different capabilities and its own set of problems and operational 
constraints, but that does not make it safer than open circuit gear. That 
was all I told Heseltin.

>When something goes wrong with a rebreather (like mine, since I know no 
>others) - you have SEVERAL different options at your disposal.  You've 
>also got MINUTES to figure out the problem, as opposed to SECONDS in open 
>circuit.  

Please explain. What options do you have with your unit?

>To say that rebreathers DON'T offer safety advantages to the trained diver 
>is ludicrous, and simply identifies the person stating that as a 
>non-rebreather diver.  

This is correct.

>Not only that, but you have got the POTENTIAL for sooooo much bottom time, 
>that if you were stuck in a wreck (which was the subject talked about in 
>the previous posts), lets say at 130' - you've got probably 4-5 hours to 
>figure a way to get out. 

Being stuck in a wreck has nothing to do with the gear you are wearing, but 
I see what you're trying to say. I guess there are more people out there 
running out of gas and getting stuck than I imagined. 

>1)  You were WELL trained.
>2)  You've got A LOT of time on your rig in safer situations (over 100 hrs.) 
>3)  You don't panic in your situation, you trust that thing on your back.
>4)  Your unit is working properly, since you are sooo dilligent in 
>maintaining it.

Funny, all these caveats apply to open circuit gear too.

>Why re-invent the wheel?  Figure a way to copy the BioMarine design, and 
>go with that.

BZZZZZZ! Sorry, wrong answer. Intelligent progress in rebreather design 
should be encouraged. The 155 is good, but there is always room for 
improvement.

>At the recent rebreather forum, there was a preponderance of BioMarine 
>units.  Not because they have the best marketing, but because they HAVE 
>the technology.

No. Its because the Biomarine is the only unit commonly available. If only 
Ford made cars there would be a preponderance of...... Fords, that's 
correct, at the autoshow this year. Think about it.

>The truth is, Tony, that I'd rather run into an emergency situation while 
>wearing a rebreather than with Open Circuit.  That's because I was trained 
>on how to use every advantage these things have over OC to keep myself 
>alive. As many of you remember, I did have a pretty bad scare a while 
>back, but the unit kept me alive for an HOUR after the problem, while I 
>finished my deco.

Refresh my memory on this incident. Did the unit keep you alive for an hour 
after it failed? Sounds safer to me! If you would have done the dive on OC 
gear, you probably would not have had a high pucker-factor day.

>Diving these things is not for everyone.  You have to be trained, you have 
>to build the confidence that only hours of diving in shallow water can 
>give you, and you have to be capable of dealing with stressful situations, 
>to the same degree that you have to cope with ANY kind of diving activity.

I agree. All those diving the Monitor with rebreathers this upcoming 
summer with Mr. Farb should carefully read and understand what Kevin says 
above.

>It is important to note, that had I had MORE experience with the unit, I 
>probably would have made the dive anyway, since I can control my PPO2 
>manually.

Had you had more experience, I trust you would have installed one of your 
always present extra batteries.

>Bringing up my blown dive on the Monitor really is a lame way to attack 
>the units - I'm still a relatively inexperienced rebreather diver, and as 
>such I'm still running into small gremlins that once figured out and 
>fixed, go immediately into that knowledge database that all of us must 
>acquire in order to become proficient in whatever field we aspire to.

Don't take it so personally. I was trying to make a point about 
reliability, which we all know translates into safety.

>Now, as regards getting women:  The beard helps.  Gotta look like a 
>sea-faring Man-'o-War stud to get the womenz...  Being a studly 
>man-of-the-sea, and a deep water, shark divin', filmmakin', rebreather dude 
>definately is a bonus.

Men who dive rebreathers gets laid more.
Men who get laid more are relaxed and calm, therefore safer.
Ergo:
Men diving rebreathers are safer.
Ok, but my wife is not going to like this new development.

- Tony -

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