The Widowmaker
Posted By Pete Mesley on 6 February 2004
After doing my Dolphin SCR course in around 1995, I bought one and within a few seconds I started fiddling with it to transform it into a CCR. Since then, I have been modifying the unit and following in-watertime and customising it to suit my needs. After completing over 300+ hours on the rebreather (and using a mountain of sorb) I finally got it how I wanted!
I always wanted a CCR, but at that stage, I didn’t have the money. I wanted a CCR was for all the same reasons everyone wants one - gas saving; absolute silence; less hassles with transporting gas on trips away etc. But also, what a great project?
If you want to learn about rebreathers - my advice is build your own!! I couldn’t think of a better way to spend those grey weather days indoors thinking about how to better the unit!
This is the “MARK III” Widow Maker, so it has taken a few years to get things the way I want them and now I am very pleased with the unit. In 2000, I completed an expedition to dive a 120 meter ocean liner off the NZ coast. I have certainly been putting the unit through its paces averaging depths of 50-80m. Every dive I do is on a rebreather nowadays; except for technical training dives. It just seems right -why wouldn’t you dive rebreathers?
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This is my unit viewed from the front. I use a diverite Transpac
attached to the backplate. On the unit's right, is the manual O2 feed,
O2 pressure gauge and PPO2 gauges & computers. On the left, is the gas
switching block and manual diluent feed. To reduce the clutter I have
sheathed the hoses. I use three separate sensors, VR3 Mark1 ( remember the old brick???) , Uwatec Oxy 2 and the Drager Oxygauge. |
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