pitting in aluminum. This can damage aluminum boat decks, seating, or, more importantly, aluminum dive cylin- ders. Thus, it is important to have an absorbent filling area which is easily cleaned. You will also need storage space for infrastructure equipment and consumables like oxygen and absorbent, including used absorbent after it is removed from the rebreather. Assembling rebreathers requires sufficient room to lay out components during the process. Most divers utilize as- sembly checklists, which may be paper, plasticized, or elec- tronic. A dry area is preferred. There are many small parts, which, if they fall or are dropped, may roll under benches, behind cylinders or deck equipment, or may wash out through scuppers, especially if the boat is rocking. A con- tained, clear area, like an assembly table, is ideal for the process. During dive operations, rebreather users typically require additional space as well. In addition to their rebreathers, they will need room for their bailout cylinders, carried for emergencies. On most dive boats I have been on, re- breather divers use about twice the bench space of that used by open circuit divers. Elastic bands or shock cords are often used to retain dive cylinders in place. Other ves- sels use round PVC slots to retain cylinders, or fold out arms which capture cylinders and hold them securely against the vessel walls. These generally do not work well with rebreathers due to their varying sizes, shapes, heights, and widths. A method of securing the units so they do not fall over during boat travel or due to rough seas will be required. Fortunately, once assembled, the rebreathers typically will not require re- filling with gas or absorbent, nor will they need to be worked on between dives. Like rebreather assembly, the breakdown process re- quires adequate space to work. Rebreathers will generally need external rinsing as well as disinfecting the breathing loop components. Batteries may need overnight charging, and parts like breathing hoses, counterlungs, and mouth- pieces may need to be hung or otherwise laid out to drip. This is particularly true of the head containing the oxygen sensors, which should be dried nightly. Some rebreather divers use fans to ensure that the oxygen sensors are dry for the next day’s activity. RETAILING continued
Dive Operations: How do you blend rebreather and open circuit divers? This is probably the most challenging issue faced by destination operators. Divers choose to dive rebreathers because they allow them to do things that they could not do with traditional gear. Photographers want to eliminate bubbles and may wish to avoid diving with open circuit divers. Tech divers may want to go deeper or visit sites inappropriate for the average diver. There are several strategies to deal with these issues. If your location offers shore diving, this may be a non- issue. Just let the rebreather divers pair up and dive in the manner that they want to. The same strategy can be applied if divers are diving directly from the liveaboard vessel. Both recreational and tech divers may wish to remain un- derwater longer. The “standard” 45-minute bottom time limits per dive may not meet their needs. Rebreather divers carry sufficient gas to remain underwater for hours, and because the units provide an optimal nitrox mix for any depth, decompression limits are often much longer or practically nonexistent. If your operation allows it, assign-
ing a separate dive boat for rebreather divers may address this issue. Then, they can plan dives that are longer to specific locations apart from the open circuit divers. Time limits (often two hours) still need to be established and rigorously fol- lowed by the divers. Another strategy that I have employed is to drop the entire dive group (both open circuit and rebreather divers) at the initial site. Then, load the open circuit divers back into the boat at the end of their dive, and move the boat to the second dive
Disassembled rebreathers may be left out overnight, allowing them to dry before as- sembly in the morning.
location. The rebreather divers swim underwater to the second site, re-entering the boat at the end of the “second” dive with the other divers. This option entails potentially greater exposure to the rebreather divers, as they must be capable of navigating from one site to the next, and should they experience equipment or health issues, may not have a boat immediately available to them for surface support. It may also expose the operator to increased liability, and potential concerns should be specifically delineated on li- ability waivers and during pre-dive briefings. A less risky version of this is to remain at the initial site for two hours, allowing the open circuit divers to complete their surface interval while the rebreather divers are still
PAGE TWENTY-TWO | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker