Rebreathers are more complex with far more possible failure points...Morgan D'Antonio - OWSI/Engineer
July 13, 2007 at 02:21:28Rebreathers are more complex with far more possible failure points than the average scuba unit. And the normal hazards of diving have more variables with
rebreathers. For example an open circuit diver on nitrox has a max depth. One variable. But on a rebreather the FO2 is changing. So at any point in a dive your depth could be too low, or conversely your PPO2 could be too high. Two variables. Instead of a very basic and reliable mechanical system. Most rebreathers are mechanical, chemical, and electrical. And all three systems must work flawlessly to keep the diver safe. But more importantly, I think divers on closed circuit rebreathers tend to take more risk. I\'ve known divers who spend 4 hours a day at 200\' just because \"they can\". Except to do that, they go solo. Such diving is no longer \"recreational\". It\'s technical. And yet you can buy and use a rebreather unit without the extensive training that open circuit technical divers receive. All these points make rebreathers
more risky than open circuit. I\'m curious to know if anyone has statistics that can tell us if this is a small increased risk (like using a dry suit) or a large one? | 
