What The Team Says

On the training course was a highly experienced group of divers.

Here is their verdict on the Inspiration:

Craig Budden Canadian. Mixed-gas sat diver 1980–1992 and PADI Instructor, managing director of Aquasport in Eilat.

Brian Davies British. BSAC Advanced Instructor and PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, TDI Nitrox Instructor and Dräger Dolphin SCR Instructor, runs Scuba Dubai, more than 4,000 dives.

Stevie Mcleod British. BSAC Advanced Instructor, PADI IDC Staff Instructor, TDI Nitrox Instructor, more than 4,000 dives, Brian Davies’ business partner.

Maurizio Mongelli Italian, CMAS 3-star Instructor and TDI Course Director with 2,500 dives.

Steve Edmunds New Zealander. BSAC Advanced Instructor and TDI Extended Range diver, 400-plus dives, based in Cairo.

Chris Clarke British. PADI Instructor, BSAC Instructor and TDI Instructor, working in Saudi.

Per Sundstrom Swedish. BSAC dive leader and CMAS 2-star diver and TDI Trimix diver, based in Cairo.

What are your first impressions of the Inspiration?

Craig: I liked the practical nature and flexibility of the unit. It’s the most rugged and user-friendly system I have seen to date.

Brian: Better than expected – I had thought the unit would be very basic. I was pleasantly surprised with the build quality, but it is bulky in relation to the Dräger Dolphin.

Stevie: Bulky and heavy, but okay once in the water.

Maurizio: For me, it’s a beautiful unit because it opens up the door to recreational rebreather diving and Trimix.

Steve: All in all I’m very pleased [with it]. Excellent design ideas.

Chris: It’s the next big step in diving.

Per: It’s really something. It’s a heck of a feeling to swim around and not blow any bubbles.

What did you like about diving on it?

Craig: It’s a means to an end – so it’s good for deeper work, that is at 20 metres-plus. It’s great to know you have the bottom time and more efficient decompression. And with no bubbles it’s an extraordinary sight when there are lots of divers in the water.

Brian: No resistance in breathing in any position, ppO2 constant display – no guesswork involved, buoyancy control easy.

Stevie: Dive duration and extended bottom times.

Maurizio: The extended time under water.

Chris: I’ve had the advantage of diving on an Atlantis SCR for 18 months, but this machine is far superior with the fixed ppO2.

Per: Rebreathers were talked about in the Seventies and now I’m diving on one – I can’t believe it!

What didn’t you like about it?

Craig: The system redundancy is not broad enough. For example, the slave computer failure when the master goes down. This should be corrected.

Brian: The electronics are very bulky – two handsets, which are supposed to be independent of each other, but when I had an electronics problem underwater both handsets failed. Very scary, since you rely on the ppO2 readings. I would be cautious about doing decompression dives until the electronics are more reliable. Using two handsets takes up both hands. I would prefer slave and master incorporated in a single handset.

Stevie: Reliability. The electronics need more work.

Chris: The electronics definitely need to be looked at – it’s easily fixed.

Steve: I would like the electronics to be radio-controlled and worn on the wrist.

Per: The buoyancy control – it takes some getting used to.

Will you buy one, if not why not?

Craig: Aquasport will be buying a unit.

Brian: Both Stevie and I have ordered one, but we are expecting AP Valves to upgrade the electronics before we take delivery. If not, we are confident they will upgrade them as soon as they have solved the problems which are to be expected on such a radical item of dive equipment – remember the first computer, the Decobrain!

Steve: I’ll buy a unit straight away.

Chris: I’ve bought one already.

Per: I ordered one today.

What would you like to see different or changed?

Craig: I would like to see the redundancy problem solved and the unit made lighter.

Brian: An integrated dive computer to get the maximum dive time. Master and slave readout in one handset, and radio transmitted rather than cable.

Stevie: The electronics have to be more reliable, and a way of gauging scrubber life would be good. Travelling divers may have to carry more replacement than is needed, which would add significantly to the weight of an already bulky system.

Per: The computer is a bit too bulky and the electronics’ redundancy needs to be looked at.

Steve: I thought it might have a decompression computer with it.

Chris: I would make the handsets smaller – and sort out the electronics.

Martin Parker of AP Valves responds:

‘I'm afraid the guys are commenting from a misinformed position. There is nothing wrong with the electronics on the Inspiration. On the course they were on, three machines somehow ended up with broken handsets. If one handset is broken, the other one doesn't simply take over. The electronics actually did their job perfectly – they told the diver it was broken and not to dive with it.’