A New Day for Rebreather Diving
The rebreather market has finally hit a critical mass. In the early days, a few brave manufacturers put everything on the line and with current knowledge, put the best product out there that they possibly could. When I began instructing CCR, well over a decade ago, we also did the best we could with current knowledge. Thanks to a lot of hard-fought information, the rebreather market has grown and flourished to the point that it is now a financially viable enterprise. With that viability, comes a new future for divers. We now have enough purchasing power to demand the products and features that we want to see. A responsive manufacturer, will try to meet those demands.
In the early days of CCR diving, we were test-diving, but today we have sophisticated standards and data that prove the efficiency and safety of commercial products. In the past we have chalked up accidents to so called, “human error.” But, in our human-ness, are we not allowed to make mistakes? Is human-error, better thought of as human nature? The tragic loss of many good instructors, qualified divers and experienced professionals attests to the fact that, on a bad day, we get distracted. We make mistakes.
With a growing marketplace, it then seems reasonable that we should ask for more. More safety. More proof. Published data. Proper testing. We can demand that simple diver mistakes should be engineered-out of a life support device. That device should support life on a good day, a bad day and when we are a little out of practice. I’m not advocating irresponsibility on the part of a diver. I am instead suggesting that the diver and manufacturer create a partnership that delivers safer equipment and more incident-free dives.
With this in mind, I recently took a Sentinel rebreather class from Kevin Gurr and was impressed beyond my wildest imagination. I found him to not only be an excellent and responsive instructor but also a brilliant engineer that was truly concerned about making rebreather diving safer. I have learned to be a better diver through his instruction. I have learned to be a better instructor through his mentoring and I have embraced the Sentinel rebreather as my tool for the future. As a creative professional that takes rebreathers to some very hairy places, I found this unit to offer significantly more safety features, but still present an easy user interface. I feel a lot safer shooting pictures and making movies with the Sentinel.
Even if you are not in the market for a new rebreather, I suggest you take a close look at the features and test data for your rebreather. Take an afternoon to learn about how the various CE or ISO certifications are conducted and what they mean to you. Take a moment to research your manufacturer’s website and find out if all the information you need is there. Are there safety notices, test data and information links? Careful review the data regarding canister duration for various depths and be extremely cautious about exceeding any of those limits. If you don’t have a CO2 monitor on your rebreather, you are playing a dangerous chess game. Finally, ask yourself, “is my life support system adequate for my diving practices? Are the inherent risks worth taking?”
Nobody should perish for a simple mistake. We should demand more.
