Rebreather training - Where are all the bubbles?
Rebreathers in one form or another have been about for more 100 years. The basic principle is to clean your exhaled air of carbon dioxide, bring the oxygen content of the exhaled gas up to a level that can support life and then pass it back to the user.

Sounds simple, but it has taken many years of design work and testing to get where we are today. On today's market there is probably 10 or more rebreathers of different shapes and forms available to the general public. This does not count the many types of military rebreathers.

On the UK market the big 9 are:-

Ambient Pressure Diving Ltd. Inspiration and it's little brother the Evolution eCCR
Dräger's Dolphin and little brother the Ray mSCR
KISS Manufacturing's KISS and Travel KISS mCCR
San-O-Sub/Mares/Northern Diver Azimuth mSCR
Delta-P/CCR Technology Ouroboros eCCR
Megladon Electronic eCCR

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These can then be split into two distinct types Closed Circuit Rebreathers (CCR) and Semi Closed Rebreathers (SCR). AP Diving's Inspiration and Evolution are electronic  CCR's. While the KISS units are manual CCR's. The Azimuth and the Dräger units are mechanical SCR units. You will also see that I have added either a lower case 'm' or 'e' to their designation. This is to indicate if they are Manual/Mechanically or Electronically controlled.

CCR's tend only to add oxygen to the breathing loop as required and therefore at a constant depth no bubble should be given by the unit. On the other hand the SCR units work by usually adding a constant stream of Enriched Air (Nitrox or EAN) to the breathing loop, therefore if the oxygen in the loop is not used at the same rate as the injection bubbles will be given off every so often.

Out of the units listed above I believe that only the Inspiration, Evolution, Dolphin, Ray and Azimuth have CE approval - As of January 2006.

All of the units, with the exception of the Drager range can be easily converted to Trimix (A mixture of Helium, Oxygen and Nitrogen. Helium is added to replace some of the Nitrogen and therefore reducing the Nitrogen's Narcotic effect) with correct training and understanding. Drager Dolphin and Ray have always been popular with the DIY style diver. These units are commonly converted to Closed Circuit (CCR) mode. Doing such an extensive modification takes you out side of the Box. Therefore you are on your own and no one will take responsibility for you, including me.

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Training
At Rebreather-Training.com we can offer you training on the Dräger Dolphin through PADI's Semi Closed Rebreather Speciality program. The course has just a couple of prerequisites minimum age 15 years, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and PADI Enriched Air Diver but all of these could be combined with the course if need be. Please contact us for a written quotation.

We can offer TDI Closed Circuit Rebreather Course Module 1 for A P Diving Limited's Inspiration, Inspiration with Vision electronics and the Evolution closed circuit rebreather range. The prerequisites for this course is minimum 18 years of age, 70 logged dives and TDI or IANTD Advanced Nitrox or equivalent (Can be combined with course). Please contact us for a written quotation.

All our courses include use of a suitable rebreather (Saves the large investment if you are not sure), Sofnolime 797 or Spherasorb 2174, gases, Manuals and final registration with PADI/TDI. 

For a specification on the APD (Ambient Pressure Diving) Limited Inspiration and Evolution range with and without Vision electronics - Click here. Technical specification for the Evolution Click here and for Inspiration Click here.

For all your rebreather - Dräger Dolphin training, Evolution rebreather training, Inspiration rebreather training in Malaysia, Sabah, Borneo or Singapore please contact either info@rebreather-training.com or info@borneodream.com

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Drager Dolphin SCR

APD Inspiration & Evolution CCR

Jetsam KISS CCR

Azimuth SCR

CCR Tech. Ouroboros CCR