Choosing a Rebreather You want a rebreather but - which one? There are dozens of closed-circuit rebreathers available and they all claim to be the best. Is there one that's better than the other? How do you pick the right unit? What is the best rebreather? There is no single best rebreather. That does [...]
Choptima Updates The Dive Rite O2ptima CM (choptima) has had several updates and upgrade offerings since its release in 2020. I put together a summary of these changes to help divers who purchased a unit years ago, are looking at used units, or are interested in upgrading a new unit with fancy bits. [...]
Choptima CCR Bailout One big benefit of chest mount rebreathers, like the Dive Rite O2ptima CM, is that they attach to existing open circuit systems. You can use them with doubles or sidemount with very few changes. Traditional backmount units require stage style bailout – or backmounting bailout which drastically increases [...]
Most Important CCR Skill Manually maintaining PO2, bailing out, simulated failed electronics- what’s the most important skill for a new rebreather diver? Hint: It’s none of those. Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) diving carries unique risks compared to open circuit (OC) diving. We need unique risk mitigation tools [...]
Rebreather Courses Rebreathers require special training to be used underwater. Training is the first step in learning the crucial procedures that make rebreather diving enjoyable and mitigate risk to an acceptable level. Most rebreather manufacturers won't even sell a unit without the diver being committed to a training course. Even then they [...]
Why Rebreathers? Rebreathers are awesome tools for exploring the underwater world. They have unique benefits and unique risks compared to traditional open circuit scuba equipment. From a diving perspective, the primary benefits of rebreathers are: Extended Dive Times: Rebreathers recycle the gas you breathe out, removing carbon [...]
CCR Class Equipment Guide Below is a list of equipment for use in your CCR training. Please do not shop based on this list alone! This list is generic as a checklist before your course. I suggest buying equipment from your local dive store whenever possible which is why this list [...]
Chest Mount Crossover Experienced CCR divers are adding the Dive Rite O2ptima CM to their dive locker as an addition or a replacement for their current unit. For backmount divers who are comfortable with their unit it’s a great option for small passages. For people wanting an upgrade to a [...]
O2ptima CM Review Dive Rite's Chest Mount I dove the O2ptima CM shortly before it's release in 2020. I realized on that demo dive that the successor to the O2ptima rebreather - the chest mounted "choptima" rebreather - was a big deal. It was small, [...]
