kodo65 wrote:Hi!
I'm an aspiring uw video/photographer who's currently planning a 3-4 months trip to Asia and Australia in beginning 2017. I've beginning to look at various solutions to the "bubble interference" introduced by classic OC gear. I've considered going the daaaaaaaark
RB-route but having had some discussions with RB-divers I feel a little reluctant to go that route - not because I don't want to, I probably will in the future, BUT I realise that I WILL run into logistic issues when diving remote destinations in terms of scrubber material and O2 supply. In one of the forums an RB-diver mentioned the Argonaut Kraken and having read about it on this site and watched some videos it starts to make sense to me. I don't find the air bubbles escaping from the back as intrusive as the ones appearing in front as with ordinary OC gear - furthermore I think it is a piece of art and I really appreciate good workmanship and it is clear to me that the Kraken is not a massproduced "mumbo jumbo"- it is beautiful in it's vintage styling!
Now, having given you a brief background of what I'm looking for - COULD the Kraken be the way to go? Is it a HUGE difference in terms of WOB compared to traditional OC gear?
Many thanks in advance and happy and safe diving to you all:)
Not to get too far off topic but you will want to also consider these when comparing the 2 very different set ups you mention:
- cost of training, for a rebreather you are looking at $2K plus consumables (you have mentioned those)
- cost of equipment, a CCR will cost you between $5-$10k on average
- cost of annual maintenance or a course to learn to do it yourself from the manufacturer
- and probably the most important, a
consistent use of the equipment and techniques to stay current-
these are not don-n-go units.
So as I say to anyone "thinking" about getting into rebreathers, this is a very heavy investment both in terms of $$, skill-set and time.
Unless you are going to use one on a very regular basis or have a very good reason to get into one,
they just aren't worth the time and expense, period.
Go with a double hoser and then progress into a rebreather if you absolutely have to, rebreathers aren't vanity dive gear setups and people who call them toys need to wake up- they can kill you if you become complacent, and have done so in the past. Do a lot of research (there are a lot of really
bad designs floating around the interweb so be careful) and ask a lot of questions. Become proficient on the idea of diving in a constant PO2 environment and what that means, it is not the same as diving open circuit.