Following the success of the Submatix 100 Series Semi Closed Rebreather, the CE Approved Submatix 100 Series Closed Circuit Rebreather is now available to the UK diver.

After two years of intensive development, the manually driven Submatix 100 Series CCR unit provides the perfect upgrade to existing Submatix SCR divers or a great entry point for divers wanting to fully benefit from the advantages of Closed Circuit Diving.

The Submatix 100 Series CCR rebreather has been designed specifically for the needs of the sports diver market however has been designed to operate to a maximum depth of 80m. With its simplicity of use, ease of maintenance and ownership coupled with its ability to explore the depths, the Submatix 100 Series CCR is the perfect package for divers whether just venturing into CCR diving or for more experienced CCR divers looking for a lightweight, sleek alternative to other more cumbersome units.

How does the Submatix CCR work?

The Submatix CCR unit uses 2 x 232 Bar, 2litre cylinders to provide you with over 3 hours of dive time
(180mins of scrubber time, 6.5hours of gas time). When fully loaded with gas and scrubber material, the Submatix 100 Series CCR weighs only 15kg.

The fully mechanical Submatix is very quick to set up and has very few parts to fail. The unit is known as a Manual Closed Circuit Rebreather (MCCR). This means that it uses an adjustable flow reducer running a constant flow of oxygen, with a manual override function to accurately deliver oxygen at a predetermined flow rate independent of depth.

This simple device, the Pro Booster, means that dive planning couldn’t be easier allowing you to plan desired constant PPO2 (Partial Pressure of O2) with ultimate precision. Constant PPO2 diving means minimised decompression and also a greatly reduced risk of DCI.

The Pro Booster is adjusted at the handset making flow adjustment easy. Simply connect the supplied flow meter and turn the adjustment screw, no more fiddling with interstage pressures to create the optimum flow!

The Submatix 100 Series CCR uses a cylinder of O2 and a cylinder of diluent, either air (40m max), trimix or heliox (subject to qualification) to an operational depth of 80m. The 2 x 2ltr, 232bar cylinders provide enough gas for up to 6.5hrs of diving. Optional larger cylinders of 3ltr or 5ltr can also be fitted externally by means of a Submatix cylinder mounting kit.

The O2 is delivered into the breathing loop at a constant flow rate at just below the metabolic rate of the diver. On average this is between 0.7 and 1.25lpm. While at rest, the PPO2 is maintained at a steady rate, independent of depth. Should the diver require more oxygen due to a metabolic rate increase, ie while swimming, the manual override button is pressed to inject more oxygen to maintain the PPO2 at the chosen set point. The whole system is completely mechanical, completely removing potential failure of electronic systems and putting the diver firmly in control of the rebreather.

PPO2 (Partial Pressure of Oxygen) is monitored in the breathing loop by the Submatix Oxyscan Pro A. These wrist mounted, auto calibrating and self checking devices provide a PPO2 output to the diver on clear LCD displays. Based upon the information displayed on the Oxyscan Pro A, the diver injects oxygen as required to maintain a near constant PPO2 while diving.

A by-product of human metabolism is carbon dioxide. We need to remove this from the breathing loop so that we can ‘recycle’ the gas and gain the great advantages rebreathers offer. This is achieved by taking the exhaled air from the diver and passing it through a canister, called a scrubber, filled with a granular carbon dioxide absorbent material that removes the carbon dioxide. The ‘cleansed’ air then has oxygen added before being inhaled by the diver. The absorbent duration is the limiting factor of any rebreather dive, not the amount of gas. Also note that the effectiveness of CO2 absorbent is affected by temperature, the cooler the temp, the less efficient it is.The carbon dioxide absorbtion process produces heat and moisture meaning that the gas you breathe in is warm and moist – adding a further safety margin by reducing dehydration and body cooling, major contributory causes of DCI.