Universal oxygen and mixgas non magnetic diving set
The CDBA or Clearance Diving Breathing Apparatus is a diving system for use with oxygen or with Mixture gases. The system has been in use by a number of countries including the English, Australian, Canadian and Dutch navies. The system can use the four standard Nato gas mixtures A,B,C and D.
The set has a chest-worn contralung containing the scrubber. The system has a single hose between the scrubber and the sealable mouthpiece and therefore uses pendulum breathing.
A very special feature of the CDBA is the pocket mounted on the back that holds lead balls that form the counterweight for neutral swimming in the water. This pocket is connected with star closure and a steel cable to an eye that can be operated by the diver. He can pull the cable at will during the dive and the pocket will open and the lead balls will fall off his back. This means the diver’s hips are not strained and made it possible to shed lead while lying on the bottom.
Different sets of twin cylinders can be fitted on the back with different nitrox mixtures or oxygen. In the reducer, different injectors (MIX & OXN)can be fitted corresponding to the chosen gas.
A double cylinder set with reserve gas and a single cylinder with gas for trimming were fitted on the chest.
The CDBA is a mass-produced diving system with which many clearance operations have been carried out. Former divers report that the set is a comfortable one and has functioned perfectly for its intended purpose.
Pictures on this website are form several sources. A special thank you to: Mr. Ginge Fullen UK, Jan de Groot from Nautiek, Dave Sutton USA, Milt Skaalrud, Michael Müller De, and sources from all over the world. If a picture is shown without the correct or missing credits, please let me know.
It is my great pleasure to offer you, the reader, the document below. The chronicle is about the last diver to participate in the first P-party in and after the Second World War. The heroic work of John Payne is fantastically described here by Ginge Fullen himself also a decorated Clearance Diver. It is therefore with great pleasure that I have his permission to offer the text below! Thank you Ginge!
Therebreathersite was founded by Jan Willem Bech in 1999. After a diving career of many years, he decided to start technical diving in 1999. He immediately noticed that at that time there was almost no website that contained the history of closed breathing systems. The start for the website led to a huge collection that offered about 1,300 pages of information until 2019. In 2019, a fresh start was made with the website now freely available online for everyone. Therebreathersite is a source of information for divers, researchers, technicians and students. I hope you enjoy browsing the content!