CCR vs. OC - Holy War or Just Two Worlds?

It is one of the most hotly debated questions in technical diving: Rebreather (CCR) or the classic open circuit (OC) system? Some swear by practically unlimited gas reserves, warm breathing gas, and absolute silence without bubbles. Others love the simplicity, the familiar feedback of bubbles, and the proven system on their back.

At 5bar, we make no secret of it:

Wax has switched and has already accumulated his first 50 diving hours with his JJ-CCR rebreather.

Jet is sticking with his beloved D12 twin tanks and enjoys the bubbling and relaxed, proven diving with open circuit.

Here you can see the first joint dive with both configurations.

What still looks like fun here will, of course, be further explored in this blog series: What are the advantages, what are the disadvantages? Why should one switch – or rather stick with OC? Do you want to go deeper, or do you even need more than an hour of dive time per dive?

A particularly exciting part will, of course, be Wax's journey to becoming a CCR diver: How did he fare during the training? Where did he do his JJ-CCR training? What was challenging, what surprised him – and how much time does it take until you really feel safe with the new system?

We will also speak openly about the costs. Because a rebreather is not only a major investment in terms of purchase: training, service, sensors, Sofnolime, and ongoing maintenance are also part of it. Are the costs really as high as many think? And is the effort ultimately in a reasonable proportion to the possibilities that a CCR offers?

There are probably countless questions that arise.

And that's exactly what we want to find out together in the next posts. We are primarily concerned with these questions:

• How did Wax experience the CCR training, where did he do it, and what challenges were there?

• What does it really cost to get started with CCR diving – and what ongoing costs are added later?

• Will Jet eventually switch to a rebreather, or will he remain loyal to his beloved D12 forever?

• Will both dive with both systems in the end, or will each clearly decide on their own equipment?

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