Rebreather instead of OC tech ?

[Chris H]

I think OC tech makes a great foundation for the RB.  On the KISS Classic I'm able to use the same BP/wing that I have been using with my OC set up and have actually carried an AL80 on all of my dives thus far not because it was required (the 80 is overkill, bailout is definitely required), but why not?  I usually have an 80 clipped in the same location for an OC dive, and down the road there will only be more bailout tanks needed.

Perhaps the only change I would have made would have been in the amount of OC gear I collected through the years.  The deco/stage 80's and 40's and their associated regulators can and will be used with the RB as bailout, offboard and storage tanks.  The many sets of steel doubles I have can also be used for gas storage, but the steel tanks require much more effort to keep in diving order than the AL tanks, and the steels are considerably more expensive.  Frankly, I hate double 130s.  They are OK in the water, which admittedly is where they are supposed to be used, but my bent wedding ring makes a small statement to the damage they can do while handling them.

I'm really looking forward to being able to do a weeks worth of diving with a few sets of 19s and two or three bail out tanks and then relaxing in a chair while the OC guys spend the next several hours refilling their tanks for the next day's dive.