Rebreather Collectors?

[Blue Ring Sting]

Hi All

Basically what the title says. How many rebreather collectors are out there that you know of?

From what it looks like I there there is currently only 1 active collector and wholesaler collecting rare fish and that is Rufus. I don't think Forrest or Chip are still collecting.

Also what goes into a dive? How long does it take you to bring the fish up from the depth?

Why are we not seeing more Abei Angelfish, Masked Angelfish, etc?

Any other information would be great.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Anyone out there? Maybe any rebreather divers in general?

 

[Dmorty217]

Rebreather equipment is very expensive to purchase, so I would suspect that is the main reason why there aren't many people out there doing it. I also would be interested in knowing how deep water angels are brought to the surface to reduce swim bladder issues, also I have to believe that during a dive that not many fish are collected

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Thanks for posting. I know the equipment that we have cost a lot of cash, especially if you will just be doing dives for fun. I have watched Youtube clips of Richard and Forrest collecting and see that every few meters as they decompress they needle the fish to release the gases in the swim bladder. So they are basically bringing the fish up with them. The other option is the deco line, throw a 100 - 120 m line with a weight at the end and collection buckets, put the fish in. Go through your decompression, get back to the boat and slowly bring the fish up over a day or 2.

I am not sure too many guys are interested in bringing fish up when they diving those depths. I inquired last night at dive centres in the Cook Islands but apparently they can only take me out on the boat as there maximum diving depths are like 40 m. The Cooks Islands dont have any deco chamber support so that is what makes it super difficult.

We would like to fly out and spend some weeks there but we are still working out accomodation, flights, etc and from what it looks we will need to fly our own rebreathers and other equipment out.

 

[jazzman7838]

I have watched Youtube clips of Richard and Forrest collecting and see that every few meters as they decompress they needle the fish to release the gases in the swim bladder. So they are basically bringing the fish up with them. The other option is the deco line, throw a 100 - 120 m line with a weight at the end and collection buckets, put the fish in. Go through your decompression, get back to the boat and slowly bring the fish up over a day or 2.

One other option, and probably easier on the fish...

http://montereybayaquarium.typepad.com/sea_notes/2010/11/rockfish-under-pressure.html

Basically a recompression chamber. I've seen video of these rockfish going in, when they are reeled up to the surface from 300-400' their eyes are bulging out and their stomachs are popping out of their mouth from the overinflated swim bladders. Then they quickly recompress them and they go right back to normal. If it's done quickly like within 10 minutes the fish recover nicely and will live on exhibit for years and years. I would think for small tropical fish you'd want to pressurize them at depth and keep them that way until locking them into the chamber. The whole shebang would probably cost you about $2000, a smaller version for say fairy wrasse and pygmy angel sized fish could probably be done cheaper.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

That is actually pretty awesome. Do you know where you can buy a recompression chamber? That would be so much easier than stopping every few meters to needle the fish or sitting hours on the boat.

 

[jazzman7838]

Well, you'd better be stopping every so often anyway! But yes, it would save a lot of time and hassle. You could, theoretically, attach all your containers to a line and then haul them up at once at the end of the dive. No loitering time and no needling.

This is not something you can buy off the shelf. The collections manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Joe Welsh, has built a few and I think maybe some researchers have too. If you have some plumbing know how it would not be terribly difficult to DIY one or have one built for you by say MRC. The heart of the system is a high pressure diaphragm pump and an adjustable pressure relief valve. The rest is pretty standard plumbing fittings and concepts.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Yeah for the safety of myself and dive team. Lol. Thats what I currently use for collections of 30 m. It takes me a few hours to bring fish up properly from about 30 m but from 100 - 120 m I expect it to be more days than hours.

After you posted your previous response I started googling DIY recompression chambers. I will need to do some research and find out what all goes into it and what the cost would be. We are playing a dive either to Mauritius or Cook Islands (depending on collection restrictions) at the end of November or December and this will be pretty nifty to have. I personally think the deco line is much easier. Bringing the fish up slowly over 2 or 3 days and continue checking on them every now and then.

 

[jazzman7838]

The deco line is obviously much simpler. The chamber is nifty if you want to catch and go or you're on a remote site. It is basically a very neat toy, but would cost a fortune to build, ship, and move around in a place like Mauritius. I imagine only useful for folks like Rufus that are catching deep fish very regularly. FYI Joe uses US Navy deco dive tables for saturation divers (we can assume fish are saturated) and it works just fine. I imagine small fish would degas even faster but why not be conservative and play it safe, right?

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

I agree 100%. You know if you collecting fish at those depths, it will be a complete waste if you manage to catch them and bring them up with your massive deco periods and then the fish doesnt make it. Deco line great but very time consuming. I would like to see if I can find one that can accomodate me on my travels. I will need to have a look at the US Navy deco tables. Im out in SA so I dont know how difficult it will be to get them but I will do some research.

 

[freedive43]

It's a learning process without too many shortcuts. If you do decide to pursue this, remember - safety first. No fish is worth dying for.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Rufus that is my main thing. I agree with you 100%. My team of divers can dive between 100 - 150 m and there main concern is that the Cook Islands do not have deco chamber support. I had a discussion with them last night and we spoke about when we can go forward with a dive and we are set for 3 months to plan everything out to the t. We have a lot to learn to do this properly. I appreciate your response and feedback.

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

I've been diving half my life And a 100m+ dive sounds terrifying. Mad props to you folk that do this regularly. Your Peppermints Rufus were simply fantastic. If I were to ever collect I would want a vessel equipped with a chamber... just in case.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

100 m dives are not too terrifying but they can be intimidating. There are a lot of things that are out of your control at those depths but for a dive like that, it takes a long time of planning before you go through with it. I agree with you, Rufus's Peppermints were awesome! Lol. To be extra safe.

We are trying to get a deep sea dive together but so far Mauritius has been turned down at this time, as they have strict collection and export restrictions so that is going to be a bit difficult. We are so far looking at the Cook Islands or Tahiti but we are still planning.

 

[the808state]

There are a few in Australia who mainly do research/exploration dives.

There are a few divers in the Marshalls who dive 250-300 feet on regular compressed air. I do not recommend this at all, though.

 

[fltekdiver]

I'm certified on 3 different types of Re breathers

I use to use them all the time for photography

I'm also full cave certified, tri-mix etc

<~~~ Just look at my name

 

[SaltWaterAdam]

Can someone post some links of the YouTube vids for collecting fish. I'd like to see that

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Compressed air is really risky. Yeah alot of guys are doing deep sea dives for research but none for collection that I know of. I spoke to Chip the other day and most of the guys doing deep dives are researchers/explorers.

Lol. Nice name bud. Where do you do your deep sea dives? See anything interesting on your dives?

There is only one vid on Youtube where fish are being collected and I think that is with Forrest Young and they are collecting the Abei. Its a awesome clip, joking around with helium voices at those depths. It doesnt show too much but it does show the fish being needled as they release the gases. Other than that check out Cairns Marine vids for collecting fish in the Coral Sea.

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

I can see collectors sharing safety tips, but trade secrets on collection probably not as much. Its like asking a chef for his recipe book so you can make his food at home lol.

 

[Blue Ring Sting]

Lol. Exactly. I don't expect Rufus or any other diver to tell me where to find the Peppermints, Narcosis or any other rare deep sea fish. This is what makes it exciting, going to new locations and depths trying to find new things.

I appreciate his word of advice and its 100% true, no fish ( not even the Peppermint Angelfish ) is worth dieing for. I am excited to get things started but we are still a way off before we will be doing any deep sea dives.