Sidemounted hoses and rebreathers

Sidemounted hoses and sidemount rebreathers

This post is about the routing of breathing hoses. This technique has also created a special rebreather for underwater use, which is specifically used for narrow passages underwater. These are found mainly in caves and shipwrecks.

In the search for the most ideal breathing hose configuration, the side-mounted breathing loop is also a commonly used configuration, especially in firefighting and mining environments. The advantage is that the breathing apparatus can be worn completely on the back, leaving the chest free. We speak of ‘the triangle’ on the chest where the wearer can orientate himself to the material and tools he is carrying.

Side-mounted rebreathers are also used for underwater purposes. The hoses are often directly next to each other because the rebreather is worn on the hip in the form of a cylinder. Often these rebreathers are designed as passive addition rebreathers which means that the gas supply is lung controlled. This type of rebreather is almost exclusively used in cave and wreck diving circles as a redundant rebreather. Due to the technical complexity of the mouthpiece design, these models intended for diving are not widely distributed and are often developed by technicians themselves. Only a few models are on the market as production models.

In addition to hose routing, sidemount rebreathers are also used for dives where a configuration worn on the back cannot be used. The rebreather is then carried on the hip so that small passages can be entered underwater. A sidemount rebreather also replaces situations where several cylinders of different gases are required. Think of dives with a large variety of dive depths where the diver would have to carry 3 or 4 sidemount cylinders with gas compositions. By using a sidemounted rebreather, the diver can cover a much wider range of dive depths by choosing the correct diluent.