Rebreather

Rebreather for Scuba Diving

Have you ever gone scuba diving with a friend or family member? Even if you haven’t, you have probably seen the tanks that the divers have to carry with them while swimming so that they are able to breathe underwater. Recently, there is a new device that scuba divers can take with them while in the water. It’s called a rebreather.

What is a rebreather?

A rebreather is a small electronic device, though a little bit more expensive, that is much smaller than tank. The advantage of this device is that it is much lighter and much more compact than a tank is. Even though these devices are more costly, they are proving to be much more efficient.

How does the rebreather work?

The rebreather works much different than the normal underwater tank does. The rebreather is able to provide gas that has oxygen as well as recycled gas that is exhaled by the scuba diver. As the diver breathes, the body takes in oxygen and produces carbon dioxide. With this device, the exhaled gas is able to be recirculated so that it can be used over and over. The rebreather is able to absorb carbon dioxide so that the diver does not suffer from carbon dioxide poisoning. Through scrubbing, carbon dioxide is absorbed and oxygen is put in its place. Because the device is able to used previously used air, the rebreather is much easier to carry while diving. The recycling of the air makes the volume of the whole device much less.

Who invented the rebreather?

Though the rebreather hasn’t been around for too long, the concept of being able to use previously used oxygen has been around a long time. In 1620, a man named Cornelius Drebbel from England was able to make an oar-powered submarine. As silly as it sounds, studies done on his invention were able to show that the submarine was able to re-oxygenate the air inside of it. Though not done the same was as a rebreather re-oxygenates the air, the concept of using air that has been used for decades.

Getting more into the concept of the rebreather itself, a man named Professor T. Schwann was said to design something similar in 1878 in Belgium. Henry Fleuss is noted for making the first positively known rebreather that was able to store oxygen and also absorb carbon dioxide at the same time. His invention was used to save miners.

What are the advantages of a rebreather?

The biggest advantage is that this device is very economical when it comes to using gas. Another great thing about the rebreather is that it is generally hassle-free. Divers don’t have to worry about carrying big tanks with them to go scuba diving. The rebreather is great because while in use, the diver is only exposed to about 1% of CO2 in the oxygen that is inhaled. The rebreather is also known to be able to produce not as many bubbles. This is great for those who are looking to get close to animals or take picture underwater.

Sea Scooter

The sea scooter, to most people, will no doubt remind them of scuba scenes with James Bond or the all in black world of the technical diver. These DPVs or diver propulsion vehicles are a rarity. This may be because they’re extremely expensive. If you are a water enthusiast who would love to fly around effortlessly underwater without extra propulsion of a drift dive current, this is the toy for you. These are now widely available at many high street stores.

This Sea scooter could be treated as your own personal water propeller, similar to water sports like scuba diving and snorkelling. The scooter is a luminous yellow colour with a black trim and weighs approximately 6kg and stands just over half a meter tall. If you are a gadget fanatic, you will have great fun using your own personal water propeller but a bit of fiddling will be needed first.

At first, you will have to do a little bit of messing and fiddling around with the sea scooter before taking it beneath the waves. It may take a while to figure out how to remove the nose cone but with a little patience and time this is actually quite simple to do. Once the cone has been removed, there is a hollow seal-tight vessel; this is the buoyancy control chamber and assorted weights can be put in here to make the unit neutrally buoyant. Don’t worry, this is a bit of hit and miss as buoyancy changes during descent.

The next step is the inner nose cone. To get at this, you will need a foot pump; this is supplied with the scooter. Once you start pumping, air into the inner chamber, the lid will pop up, giving you access to the battery compartment. It is the next stage of preparation which may be a bit scary for the novice. Charging the battery can take between four and six hours and this is the scary bit, it comes with a warning of possible explosive gas release.

Once the scooter has been charged and reassembled, you are ready to dive. The sea scooter can dive to a respectable 20m, ideally suited to explore a shallow tropical reef, for example. When you have flicked the master switch on, you have to hold down the trigger to help fire the scooter up. The sea scooter has a maximum speed of 2mph. This may seem quite slow but when considering you may want to admire all the marine life the speed is sufficient.

The advantage of owning powered underwater propulsion means not having to use lots of energy kicking your legs around. By using less physical effort, air consumption is greatly reduced. The sea scooters standard battery life is only 40 minutes. If your battery does run out then the scooter can become a cumbersome dead weight, so always check on your battery allowance.

The Sea scooter has really impressed a lot of people with its manoeuvrability with the aqua-dynamic design and handles acting as an effective aqua-plane. It has easy steering and ascent or descent runs very smooth, with doing all the manoeuvres you would wish it to do and can even tow you around a tight turning curve with ease.

 

 

A Guide To Buying Scuba Diving Equipment

By now you have probably had a course in beginning scuba diving and you are wondering what equipment you need to enjoy your new hobby. When you first go to purchase scuba equipment you may feel a bit overwhelmed, so this article will provide some help with the process by offering some tips as to what to purchase.

First you need to remember that there is really no right or wrong choices when it comes to brands as each diver much choose what they are comfortable with. For example I only use ScubaPro equipment and my buddy prefers Oceanic. It really matters not as long as the equipment is in working order and comfortable for you.

*Regulator

The regulator is the breathing apparatus and should have its performance and reliability checked before each and every dive. This means that it should work while you are on your dive no matter how deep you go. It should also be maintenanced on an annual basis. The budget comes into play as well here so be sure and compare the prices of what is available to you.

*Bouyancy Control Device (BCD)

The BCD must not only be comfortable but it must allow for your face to clear the surface of the water. The system should be checked before it is weighted with lead weight. It is important to remember not to use recreational BCD’s for technical diving as it is not designed for it.

*Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG) and Compass.

A dive computer may be less expensive purchasing a depth gauge, a timer and an underwater watch. Not only do dive computers show the intervals of dive and surface times, they guide you through your ascent to the surface as well. There is also information about the consumption of gas and absorption of nitrogen in your blood and lungs.

*Wetsuit

The type of wetsuit will depend on the type and climate of the weather where you are diving. You will want to remain warm during the dive. You can find them from .5mil to 7mil and then there are dry suits as well if you will be doing coldwater dives.

*Dive Mask

When deciding upon one you will want to test every one of them individually to be sure there are no leaks in the mask that might allow water into it. If you require a prescription some of the lenses can be exchanged for your prescription, a scuba dealer will be able to assist you in this.

*Fins

Fins allow you to move through the water more easily. A pair that fits correctly will not put any pressure on the foot. To ensure a proper fit you should were your dive booties to try them on. Split fin technology is now available and preferred by some. Choose a fin that is soft or medium texture. Firmer split fins are for technical dives and you should have a set of spring straps.

*Weight

This is required. Weight can be carried on the waist or in BCD weight pockets. Slab weights, contoured weights and weight bags can be used.

When buying the needed equipment for scuba diving it is important to carefully test each piece to be sure it is in the proper working order. The only equipment that you need to actually purchase before your first dive is snorkel, fins and mask as these are all very personal. The remainder of the equipment can be rented from most scuba shops for a nominal fee.