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Posted by stephen clark on October 11, 2006 at 19:49:08:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Attn: Stephen Clark posted by JW on October 11, 2006 at 17:35:35:
This is what I wrote:
"There are terrific advantages to diving a CCR... but like driving, if you don't pay close attention you will get your ass handed to you rather abruptly."
I meant the collective "you" as in any rebreather diver, not you personally. I was acknowledging that diving a CCR requires more focus and diligence than diving OC and is riskier.
Besides the quiet, the advantages over scuba are that you can adjust your PO2 as you ascend which reduces deco obligation, you get more bottom time, and you stay a bit warmer.
3 weeks ago I decended into a small grotto which had a crevice on its wall that was filled with lobsters. One by one each lobster walked over to me and started touching me with its antennae and those little pincer thingies. And they hung around! One just sat there right in front of me like a cat waiting to be scratched.
I've had a small sheephead-head butt me on the mask.
I've been in the middle of a baitball and watched the fish take off when scuba divers approached.
Schools of fish will sometimes come over to me and surround me with some of the braver ones getting really close.
On scuba I can see that fish sometimes flinch a little at the exhaust bubbles.
I may be completely mistaken with my perceptions of friendlier fish but underwater film makers usually dive a CCR for the quiet and extended bottom time, aspecially while filming big creatures.
I suspect you have been diving more that a couple of years and are vastly more experienced underwater than I am. I also believe you that you've had wonderful marine life encounters on open circuit. That's great!
Another comment you made,
"the risks greatly outweigh the benefits, particularly for sport divers"
You may be right.
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