Posted by testimonials on May 27, 2005 at 12:22:24:
In Reply to: RMS Empress of Ireland shipwreck trip - July 2 through July 10, 2005 posted by Kevin on May 18, 2005 at 08:01:33:
http://www.steammachines.com/ag0-Testimonials.asp
From Kevin Rottner, May 2004
Purchasing a PRISM rebreather from Steam Machines is the single best investment I have ever made in my safety, comfort and shear enjoyment underwater. I have been fortunate enough to dive my unit all over the world, from the warm sunlit water of Mexico, Honduras and Hawaii to frigid dark waters of British Columbia and Quebec. The unit has performed flawlessly during shallow wreck diving in five feet of mud to deep technical wrecks on three continents.
After very careful research I chose the PRISM for many factors that other rebreathers simply did not offer. In addition to extensive discussion with other rebreather divers, and watching rebreather diving being conducted under a wide variety of conditions, I test dove many units. Important factors I enjoy with my PRISM are outstanding work of breathing, simplistic ease of maintenance, unparalleled reliability in the field, absolute flexibility of cylinder choices, elegance of design, unmatched overall compactness and lower travel weight than any other ECCRs resulting in less hassles and no overweight or oversize charges (the unit minus the cylinders can be transported as carry-on!). Its just plain user-friendly and FUN TO DIVE!
There are many critical safety features that finalized my decision to purchase the PRISM. Just a few of these safety features include a completely and truly redundant monitoring system, which can allow the diver to fly the unit manually without even the battery installed. Not a slave or secondary, this completely independent and redundant system runs directly off the voltage of the cells. Large water traps in the breathing loop at critical locations virtually eliminate the possibility of flooding the loop. Fully potted electronics set in resin are flood proof. Clear see-through canister acts as both an insulator to keep your breathing gas warm and allows you or your buddy to visually inspect the scrubber both before and after dives, and your buddy on dives, with out any disassembly. Not a single tool or piece of equipment is required to assemble, calibrate or predive the PRISM. Excellent and un-matched scrubber performance allows the diver many hours of continuous use before changing. The safety and security of an oxygen addition solenoid outside the breathing loop, and a battery also placed outside the breathing loop were two critical design features I considered very important. From the simplicity of a standard 9 volt battery that runs the electronics to the universally available and rugged Scuba Pro components this rebreather uses time-tested and reliable components. The small HUD ( Heads Up Display ) mounted on the mouthpiece provides immediate access to critical information in the lower corner of your field of vision.
On a recent technical trip aboard the Nautilus Explorer, to the deep wrecks and reefs of British Columbia, I dove side by side with just about every other rebreather out there. The PRISM outperformed every other unit by leaps and bounds. I saw first hand the electronics failures, hose failures and multiple daily scrubber changes that plagued the other units. There was no need to disassemble my PRISM between dives to calibrate electronics, drain the units of salt water, squeeze the salt water out of chamois cloths inside the head, or refill cylinders. I actually had to assist other divers into their rebreather before quickly slipping into my PRISM and joining them on the swim step. All this from a unit smaller and lighter than others.
As a technical diver I believe in best mix for each and every dive. I used to be confronted with the problem of mixing and blending when we were not sure of the depths of the dive sites, when we hunt for new wrecks. Sometimes conditions and visibility will cause you to select sites of different depths than initially planned for. With the PRISM you get best mix automatically at every single depth you are at. All this without blending, filling and hauling multiple cylinders from your garage, to dive shop, to car, to boat, and then all back again at the end of the day.
As a SCUBA instructor I was very pleased with the thorough training, having completed the course over two weekends of classroom, pool and ocean diving. Matt Elder took the time and patience to go over every aspect of rebreather diving in the real world, and the PRISM unit specifically.
Ive used the PRISM on fun, shallow, beach dives with friends, off private boats, on the many local wrecks of Southern California; I have traveled with the unit on family vacations and made expeditions to some very remote dive locations to film documentaries on wrecks. I have enjoyed traveling with less gear, less supplies, less set up, breakdown and maintenance time than with any open circuit gear previously utilized for these types of diving. The PRISM has always performed, and is a pleasure to dive.
The decision to purchase a rebreather is simple. Closed circuit diving affords the diver warm, moist air, no more sore throat, a normalized breathing pattern, best mix at every depth level, fantastic extension of time underwater, minimized decompression obligation, substantially reduced gas bills, is qualified for using helium mixes, silence underwater allowing a whole new perspective on wildlife, and the freedom from previously acceptable hassles and limitations of open circuit SCUBA.
The decision of WHICH rebreather to buy is just as simple. Do your homework. Join the revolution. Join the PRISM revolution.
Kevin Rottner
Los Angeles, CA