August 2012    Download the Entire Issue (PDF)

Vol. 27, No. 8   What's this?

Improving Rebreather Safety: Part I

up to 10 times more dangerous than open-circuit diving

from the August, 2012 issue of Undercurrent  

Subscriber Content Preview
Only active subscribers can view the whole article

How can rebreather diving be made safer? That was the core question at numerous presentations and discussions at Rebreather Forum 3 (RF3), held in Orlando last May. Sponsored by PADI, Divers Alert Network and the American Academy of Underwater Scientists, the conclave brought together more than 400 industry insiders from the diving, scientific, media and government communities, along with photographers and consumers, to talk rebreathers and hopefully help steer the topic forward.

In his opening remarks, PADI CEO Drew Richardson proposed that the number-one goal of RF3 be contributing to rebreather diving safety and reducing incidents. The issue is of critical importance when manufacturers like Poseidon Diving Systems and Hollis, in conjunction with PADI and other training agencies, are now promoting rebreathers for recreational divers, which is a source of controversy. The concern is that rebreathers may be too complex and time consuming for a typical openwater diver who is still mastering basic diving skills. However, PADI has developed a simplified diving protocol using rebreathers designed specifically for recreational use that it believes will prove effective.

Though no one knows the actual risks, there have been more than 200 reported rebreather fatalities worldwide since 1998, about 10 per year before 2005 and about 20 per year since then. On average, there are about 110 scuba diving fatalities annually in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Europe combined. Given that there are millions of open-circuit divers compared to, at most, 15,000 closed-circuit divers, the fatality rate for rebreather diving is significantly higher than its open-circuit counterpart, as industry insiders are all too aware.

During one open session, Andrew Fock, head of hyperbaric medicine at the Albert Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, asked the audience, "How many people in this room believe that the current rebreather safety record is acceptable?" No one raised a hand....