DSAT/PADI TecRec - Rebreather Diver

The goals of the course are:
• To develop the students knowledge of Semi- Closed Rebreathers-when to use one-different types available Semi- Closed Rrebreather accessories, their maintenance and minor repairs.
• To develop the student's ability to perform the skills needed, or that may be needed, when diving with a semiclosed rebreather.
To enable a student to plan, organize and conduct dives using a semiclosed rebreather.

Semi-Closed Rebreather divers are qualified to:
• Dive with a Dolphin Semi-Closed Rebreather and obtain fills and carbon dioxide absorbent without further direct instructor supervision.

Entry Requirements:

Minimum Age:

18 years

The Atlantis/Dolphin is a very simple piece of equipment. It has been designed to use Nitrox mixtures in a pre mixed cylinder to maximize the duration of recreational dives. It is not intended, nor designed to handle decompression dives, and we personally recommend a depth limit of 30 metres on the unit. The system works on a constant flow rate which means that the pre mixed Nitrox continually flows through a small jet into the breathing loop. The diver simply decides the maximum dive depth, and then selects the appropriate jet size to give enough gas to breathe at the target depth. The diver then cross references a look up chart to determine what the final 02% will be in the loop, and then plans the dive.

The deeper the dive, the bigger the jet will need to be to give enough gas, so therefore the available duration will naturally decrease with deeper dives. This is the reason why we recommend a 30 metres maximum depth, as the unit doesn't give sufficient dive duration below this depth. For shallow water diving it is ideal. In 20 metres of water, the SCR should give you nearly 2 hours of in water time, more than enough, and also good value from the inboard 5 litre Nitrox cylinder. For bailout you can fit an external 2 or 3 litre pony cylinder which for no decompression dives is ideal. There are no electronics to monitor, and the diver simply concentrates on the dive, and monitors a standard contents gauge as per normal OC diving. The scrubber canister should give up to 3 hours duration, which is normally enough for a weekends diving. The training course mainly concentrates on swimming the unit on a variety of dives. Skills are very simple, mainly revolving around OC bailout, mouthpiece recovery, cleaning of the unit, and scrubber repacking.

The Draeger Dolphin is a Semi-Closed Circuit Nitrox (oxygen enriched air) Rebreather.
According to the dosage connected mixed gases can be used at oxygen volume percentages:

It is designed and manufactured for recreational diving, and must not be used at depths greater than 130'. The Dolphin has several distinct advantages over traditional open circuit scuba equipment.It allows the diver to spend a greater time underwater at a given depth due to its far more efficient utilization of oxygen;the quantity of bubbles release from the unit is vastly diminished as compared to open circuit units; and the use of the nitrox mixtures approved with the Dolphin can provide for extended bottom times at the appropriate depth for each mixture in contrast to simple air. Nevertheless, because the Dolphin is a Rebreather, which by definition recirculates the diver's expired air to remove carbon dioxide and add Nitrox, there are significant hazards with its use that must be thoroughly understood and proper training is necessary before the unit be used with an acceptable margin of safety.

Our ANDI/NRC program qualifies Nitrox divers to rent, purchase and dive the Draeger Dolphin SCR