Life-changing Experience: Why You Should Try CCR Diving

From the first moment I learned about rebreathers, I was fascinated. I still remember being sixteen when the Dräger Dolphin appeared on the market — that small white box that promised longer bottom times, shorter decompression, warm breathing gas, and almost no bubbles. It was a semi-closed circuit system, and at the time, I knew almost nothing about rebreathers except what I had read in old Svazarm* diving manuals. Those books, written during the socialist era, were my first window into the world of technical diving, and they sparked a passion that would later define my life.

When the yellow Inspiration rebreather was introduced, it completely blew my mind. An electronically controlled, fully closed circuit system that optimized the use of breathing gas, allowing deep, long dives — it was like something out of science fiction. I devoured every article, every bit of literature I could find, preparing myself for the day I would finally dive with one.

That day came when I got the chance to dive with the first functional prototype of the Liberty rebreather. It was a dream come true. Suddenly, I had access to adventures that would have been difficult, extremely expensive due to helium costs, or even impossible with open-circuit scuba. Theoretical knowledge is one thing, but the first-hand experience of buoyancy control, silence, and freedom that the Liberty provided was something else entirely.

I’ll never forget one of my first dives as a CCR diver — exploring a wreck at 30 meters with an air diluent. I spent nearly an hour inside and around the wreck, fully immersed in the experience. Normally, such a dive would require at least an hour of decompression, but this time my decompression lasted only twelve minutes. I was amazed — it felt like breaking the rules of physics, like bending time itself.

Years later, as a seasoned CCR instructor trainer, I still felt the same sense of wonder. I remember diving the Spiegel Grove wreck at 40 meters with my friend Joe Bosquez. With us was a group of recreational open-circuit divers. At first, the wreck was crowded, bubbles everywhere, but after a short while the noise faded and the place became ours alone. We drifted silently among massive goliath groupers, sharks, turtles, giant barracudas, and moray eels — the kind of peaceful, intimate underwater encounter that only rebreather diving can offer.

About forty minutes later, a cloud of bubbles appeared above us — the same recreational divers returning for their second dive. They stayed for a brief moment before surfacing again. When our bottom time finally ended, we met them on the deco line and surfaced together. The contrast was striking: while they had just begun their second short dive, we were ending a single, long, relaxed, and unforgettable one.

That’s the magic of CCR diving. It gives you time — time to explore, to observe, to breathe in silence and become part of the underwater world rather than just a visitor. It’s more than a technical upgrade; it’s a transformation in how you experience diving itself.

If you’ve ever dreamed of staying longer below the surface, of exploring the ocean as freely as possible, CCR diving is a life-changing experience you should try. It opens a new world — one of silence, precision, and endless discovery.

Note: “Svazarm” (Union for Cooperation with the Army) was a Czechoslovak organization active during the socialist period that trained civilians in various technical and military-related disciplines, including diving, aviation, and radio operation. Its diving manuals were among the first sources of underwater knowledge for many Czech and Slovak divers.*

Author: Jakub Šimánek