Rebreather Scuba Diving – Not Just for Technical Divers

Imagine just floating and watching a parrot fish or a grouper in a cleaning station. While you are there, you see the little fish swimming in and out of the gills while small shrimp crawl around on the fish; their claws snapping at unseen items and yet content to continue their work. At the same time, there are other fish swimming next to you apparently unaware of your presence or more like unconcerned – except of course for the Damsel fish that keeps swimming around eyeing you like an unwanted visitor to his neighborhood. This entire time, the grouper just sits there waiting for the cleaning process to be complete, never very concerned about your presence. As the grouper swims away you slide your hand into the cleaning station and the shrimp crawl onto your hand for a quick cleaning…

This is a scene experienced by rebreather divers on a regular basis. The fish are less concerned by your presence when the bubbles are eliminated. For underwater photographers, this means that you have new opportunities for exceptional photographs simply because there are more photographic opportunities available to you. Recently, I was talking with Chris Parsons from Nauticam and he was relating a story about one of his favorite local dive sites. He said he gets a lot of strange looks when he jumps in the water with his rebreather… the water depth is only about 20 fsw to 25 fsw. But he said “I just love my rebreather – I can get much closer to the subject.”

One of the things I love to do is swim with a school of fish. Tarpon or snappers will often let me join the school and swim in circles with them. It simply amazes new rebreather divers when I am able to do this. On another dive in Grand Cayman, Dave and I watched mating squid up close and personal. It was a really fun experience (of course I didn’t have the camera then).

A rebreather offers photographers a number of advantages including:

• ability to get closer to the subject matter,
• Longer bottom times (i.e. more photographs),
• Neutral buoyancy even while breathing, and
• The Marine life behavior is not modified because of the bubbles.
• And let’s not forget, you look cool in a rebreather!

So, what if you are not a photographer? Can a recreational diver benefit from a rebreather? Remember a rebreather is the great equalizer. A student of mine once commented that the reason he started rebreather diving was so he could stay in the water as long as the better divers. He was a big guy with large lungs. Instead of being the first one back on the boat, he wanted to be the last one on the boat. So, a rebreather enabled him to achieve his goal.

Rebreathers have allowed technical divers to make some incredible dives and participate in some awesome adventures. However, they have also allowed for some not-so-technical divers to achieve their goals and open up new worlds. Some of the photographs taken by rebreather divers rival those made by seasoned professionals and new fish behaviors have been watched and documented.

Rebreathers are here to stay and units like the Pathfinder from Inner Space Systems are making it easier and more affordable for all divers. So what are you waiting for? Come join the revolution before you are left behind!

Eric’s Father used to say that Odessa (where Eric grew up) was the hub of water in the state. You can drive 500 miles in any direction and hit water but there was nothing in-between. So it is not surprising that Eric moved to the coast to be nearer to water and trees. An avid diver and sailor, Eric loves being on the water. He serves as the Managing Director for Oceanic Ventures, Houston’s premier Scuba Diving facility where he teaches both recreational and technical diving. He is also an accomplished author, photographer and sailor.