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> I wonder if any of the people on this list currently or plan to make solo
> rebreather dives. Or would you not want to be caught dead, alone with a
> rebreather underwater :)?
Excellent question (seriously). Two things to consider:
1) Rebreathers are not as conducive to buddy-breathing (redicing one
of the only real benefits of having a buddy for OC scuba).
2) Probably the biggest risk of rebreather diving (at least for
fully-closed systems) is hypoxia-induced blackout, followed closely by
hyperoxia-induced convulsions. Both of these are non-fatal per se if
rectified quickly; so having an attentive buddy could save a life (if the
buddy corrects the O2 managament problem quickly, and the afflicted
diver hasn't already drowned).
I have not yet worked out for myself exactly how the cost/benefit
dynamics of buddies are different for rebreathers ('though I *DO* know
they are different) on various kinds of dives. I've done many solo
rebreather dives, and many buddy rebreather dives, but I need more
real-world experience before I can offer an intelligent opinion. Right
now, I'm leaning towards my long-ingrained solo preference, but my
rebreather companion (a long-time solo diver), is leaning towards more
buddy-oriented diving. He has much more OC experience than I do, but I'm
leading him on rebreather hours.
Aloha,
Rich
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