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Modern, closed-circuit rebreathers have without a doubt had a major impact on SCUBA industry as we know it today. Whilst largely shrouded in myth and urban legend, the reality about the potential benefits offered by rebreathers is rarely disputed.
Diving with a rebreather requires commitment and diligence. In addition, the training you receive and who you receive it from is vitally important.
Costa has been diving on closed-circuit rebreathers since 1999, and as his primary SCUBA unit, uses an Inspiration with Vision electronics.
Having safely completed over 1000 dives on an Inspiration at depths ranging from 5m to over 100m, he is well aware of the potential risks and more importantly how to safely mitigate them.
Any rebreather instructor is only as good as the experience he/she has using the unit they are teaching.
Costa firmly believes that you cannot be an expert in all rebreather models, which is why he chooses to specialise in only the Inspiration and Evolution rebreathers.
The Inspiration was the first CE approved closed-circuit rebreather and is the most commonly used unit today. The “Inspo” as it is affectionately called by many has dual microprocessor oxygen controllers that automatically maintain a constant partial pressure of oxygen giving outstanding gas duration and an optimum breathing mix at all depths.
The unit comes in two primary configurations, which are with and without Vision electronics.
The original incarnation, the Inspiration Classic is the basic Inspiration rebreather. It has dual microprocessor oxygen controllers and respective consoles, however does not include a HUD or decompression software. In this configuration, the Inspiration requires use of an external dive computer, tables or both to calculate decompression information.
The newer version is the Inspiration with Vision electronics, which incorporates the HUD, full decompression software and other Vision features.
Regardless of which version you choose, both are rated to 40m with air diluent and 100m with heliox.
Further information about the Inspiration can be found at Ambient Pressure Diving.
As it’s name suggests, the Evolution was developed after the Inspiration and only comes configured with Vision electronics. The unit is smaller and lighter than the Inspiration, however this does come at the expense of scrubber and cylinder size.
Ultimately, the Evolution’s size and weight make it ideal for those wanting a smaller unit, however one should understand the limitations of the smaller scrubber and cylinders before purchasing.
Like its big brother, the “Evo” is rated to 40m with air diluent and 100m with heliox.
Further information about the Evolution can be found at Ambient Pressure Diving.
Regardless of which rebreather you choose, quality training is critical. Being taught by an instructor who has significant experience diving the particular unit you want to use is commonly held as the most crucial factor in rebreather training.
Understanding a unit’s failure points and how to respond to problems that may arise will ultimately save your life. An experienced instructor can help you understand not only what to do, but how to avoid it.
For further information on rebreather courses please contact us.
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