Rebreather for Recreational Diving

If we talk about rebreather we get very often confused with Technical Diving. But what does Technical Diving mean? One of the possible definitions can be found in various diving magazine. But do we all have the same understanding for this definition? I do not think so. Does Technical Diving mean "Technical Diving" or "diving with technical equipment" Nobody can give a real answer; it is a new way of SCUBA diving which covers different types of diving:

- cave diving - wreck diving - extreme deep diving - underwater photography and -filming - scientific diving

Or does Technical Diving mean

- 7 cylinders filled with different gases, either filled with NITROX, HELIOX or Trimix, Neon or Argon - different regulators in different colours for the different gases - oxygen decompression - redundancy system with electronic control

Or does Technical Diving stand for a computerised and full-triple-redundant self-mixing rebreather system for deep-diving?

And if it does :

- Does the unit control the diver ? - or: - Is the diver responsible for the dive, and does he know how the "machine" is working ?

Diving is one of the last adventures. The thrill of gliding weightless in the three-dimensional space and the personal discovery of many colours, forms and life in the sea fascinates the diver. Rebreathers give us a new experience in the underwater world. But we shall not always associate rebreathers with deep or extreme diving. Most recreational divers are diving in a depth between 15 and 20 meters. Rebreathers are offering a lot of advantages in the shallow water area up to 50 meters. After having mastered this technology in a safe way we can consider going deeper.

Technical Diving with rebreathers requires a careful and progressive step by step introduction to the Recreational diving market. In this connection we have to consider the following three important subjects:

1.The rebreather technology should be very simple to handle, operate, use and maintain.

2.The rebreather training for educated recreational divers has to be done by an accepted and proven training organisation. The training courses will be the key to the introduction of rebreathers.

3.We have to build up the gas logistics and availability of approviate mixing equipment, so that NITROX is mixed in a safe way in each diving centre all over the world.

Now it is very important to open the market for rebreather in a very safe manner. Otherwise the use of rebreathers in the recreational market could abruptly be stopped after the first accident. Today people all over the world are using Dräger equipment in medical technology, safety technology, in aviation and aerospace technology as well as for diving. Wherever human respiration is threatened, Dräger has the suitable solution - that's our tradition. We have put our whole experience of breathing technology, more than two years of time, and especially our rebreather know how into the Dolphin. We are now in a position to introduce rebreathers to the recreational market.