The O.M.G (San.O.Sub) Azimuth semiclosed rebreather
Possibilities: The rebreather’s shield is designed to conveniently house all components. Balance and streamlining have been taken into account to achieve optimal characteristics. The breathing hoses have a large diameter to ensure maximum breathing comfort. The scrubber is a ‘radial’ type to guarantee maximum CO2 removal. The cylinders of the system are produced in a non-magnetic version by using an aluminium alloy (military customers?). A multi-purpose injector is provided to choose the ideal mixture under water. The manufacturer reports that it takes only a few minutes to fill the scrubber and the bottles. It is possible to switch to OC by switching a button to activate the bailout system integrated in the breathing circuit. A normal OC dispenser is also available separately.
Manufacturer: OMG Italy (San.O.Sub)
Article number:PN200-001.00
Breathing Lungs:2 x 6,5 ltrs
Scrubber contents: 2,35 kgs
Maximum lift: 10 kgs
Weight OW: neutral
Weight: 27 kg
Dive time: 2 hours with EAN40 @ 33mtrs
Cylinders:2 x 4 ltrs @ 200 bar
Delivery:in box+flowmeter
Sales price in USA including training and certification: € 5000.
Fortunately, it is considerably cheaper in the Netherlands. I recently received the (unconfirmed) message that the unit has been bought for ca € 3000,00 (2013), ex-factory Italy, delivered at your house in Europ….. much better.
Additional technical data:
The housing is made of polyethylene. Weights have been placed at the top of the casing to optimise the balance. The counter lungs are made of polyurethane material and welded together using high-frequency techniques. Spirals have been fitted in the counter lungs to prevent them sticking together. The CO2 scrubber is made of metal. Both the scrubber and the outer casing are made of metal. The breathing hoses are colour coded. The gas cylinders are mounted horizontally above each other. The metering valves have a by-pass regulation and ensure the administration of the optimal gas and the optimal gas flow in the inhale lung. The by-pass control allows the diver to manually increase the amount of gas in the inhale lung.
The rebreather is equipped with two cylinders as standard. The diver can switch to a different nitrox mixture during the dive using the regulator valves. It goes without saying that this offers great advantages.
Dose valve.
During the preparation of the dive, the dosing valve makes it possible to adjust the flow rate to the desired dive depth. By turning the black knob, the selected mix can be optimally adjusted to the dive depth.
During the dive, the diver can inject extra gas into the inhale lung by using the red button to operate the bypass system. Additional gas will then be injected into the inhale lung.
Finally, the valve offers the possibility of switching the closed circuit function to open circuit. This is done by breathing through the same mouthpiece as for closed circuit diving. The loop becomes second stage by pushing the blue button on the dosing valve.
Apart from this bailout system, the Azimuth also has an always-on OC regulator that is immediately available.
Finally, the design is innovative. The dosing unit offers new possibilities. In particular, the stepless adjustment of the flow rate and the integrated bailout offer new possibilities. Mix switching is standard, which is only possible with a very small number of rebreathers. More details about the reliability of the construction will soon be available and the Azimuth rebreather may well become a formidable competitor to the Dolphin. Until recently, the price was on the high side. Since Draeger sold the Dolphin and Ray for the sport diving market to Aqualung, it is likely that the Azimuth will gain ground. The first signs of a significant price drop reached me in June 2002. The unit is said to be on sale for around 3000 Euros. This would create a bridge between the Ray and Inspiration markets. For years, this position was filled by the Atlantis and the Dolphin until Draeger made his last unfortunate move….. In the meantime, the first courses on the Azimuth are being given in the Netherlands. An interesting market.
Further information can be found http://www.sanosub.com and https://www.sielnet.com/products/rebreathers/
Rogier Willems sent me several pictures of his Azimuth rebreather. He is a diver and instructor on this unit.
Rogier, thanks for the great pictures!
Rogier, thanks for contributing to my website!
Finally: Azimuth CCR Kiss conversion by Philipe Gerin
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!