The Silent Invasion: Rebreather Training on the SS President Coolidge

Dive Log, Sept 2006 by Jennifer Spry

Imagine you are cruising around doing your decompression stops after the best dive you’ve ever done on the SS President Coolidge. As you watch the circus performance of clown fish, lion fish and flounder that reside in the coral gardens near the Coolidge, you see a shadow in the distance. You watch, wondering if you are about to spot one of the large turtles that sometimes investigate the wreck. But the shadow keeps growing, closer and closer.

“This ain’t no turtle,” you think to yourself. Just as you start to get the tingling sensation that this dark shadow may not be friendly, you are suddenly face to face with a dugong. It doesn’t matter how docile dugongs are, it still scares you silly. The dugong passes and as you start to laugh at your fright and marvel at your encounter, the dugong comes back. You share, it seems, a mutual curiosity.

Such is the life of the rebreather diver. Making no bubbles and little noise, rebreather divers cruise the ocean in tune with the sounds of the reef. For those who don’t know, the reef is a noisy place where fish munch coral and clown fish bark. Rebreather divers enjoy this cacophony of undersea life along with the unique ability to approach a tremendous range of marine life that would otherwise have fled in fright from the sound of their approaching bubbles.

Using a rebreather on the Coolidge takes even this most brilliant form of diving to a new level. Cruising through the wreck, as if on a stealth mission, rebreather divers get longer bottom times and create none of those problematic bubbles that can shake up silt and reduce vis. Magically, diving the ship becomes a whole new experience even for the most seasoned Coolidge diver.

With the growing popularity of rebreather diving and its commitment to serving tec divers, Aquamarine has now opened up rebreather diving on the Coolidge. Over two weeks in late July and early August, Aquamarine conducted the first Coolidge rebreather courses for both the Inspiration and Optima Rebreathers. And so it was that a group of intrepid divers made the trek to Espiritu Santo to join the remarkable world of rebreather diving and to experience the Coolidge as very few divers have.

Never compromising excellence, Aquamarine asked Jason Blackwell of Dive Dive Dive in Brisbane to serve as a visiting instructor. With his extensive rebreather experience and expertise, his passion for technical diving and his familiarity with the Coolidge, Jason was a natural choice to run the Coolidge Rebreather course. Under his tutelage, a group of well-know divers joined the ranks of the rebreather world including John Allsop of Dive Experience in Melbourne, Tony Davis of Dive Rite, Barry Holland and Brian Farrell of Aquamarine, Tony Hayes, John Vanderleest and Geoff Paynter.

If you’re going to take a rebreather course, you’d be hard pressed to find a location any more idyllic than Espiritu Santo and the President Coolidge. The long bottom times required to complete the course are extremely pleasant in the warm, tropical waters of Vanuatu. And the reward of seeing the President Coolidge as one of your first rebreather dives could not be replicated anywhere else in the world.

Combined with theory, rebreather divers must log 500 minutes of bottom time to earn their certification. Early dives for the course, which are restricted to a maximum depth of 15 metres, were conducted on Aquamarine reef, adjacent to Aquamarine’s dive shop. A perfect training reef with easy shore access directly from the dive shop, this reef was also the site of a wharf constructed during WWII. All that remains of that wharf is now underwater for the enjoyment of Aquamarine divers. Along with the bright corals and fish, Aquamarine reef hosts reminders of WWII including gas masks, bullets and coke bottles. There’s also a sunken pontoon where divers continue to find new and interesting artifacts on nearly every visit.

After sufficient time on Aquamarine reef, course participants earned the privilege of initiating their rebreathers on the Coolidge. Exploring the cargo hatches and promenade deck, the divers completed their course requirements whilst basking in the majesty of the Coolidge. Homer, a large cod who seems eager to replace Boris (or become a rebreather diver himself), joined the excitement, weaving through the divers and accompanying them on many of their dives.

Once fully certified, the fledgling rebreather divers made their mandatory trip to the Lady. The euphoria of effortlessly hanging in front of this icon in utter silence could easily have been confused for a serious case of narcosis. And if the Lady is that good on a rebreather, just wait until they see the stern!

Aquamarine is planning to make that stern dive a reality. A Trimix Rebreather course is in the works that would certify rebreather divers for these depths. Check Aquamarine’s website regularly or sign up for their newsletter to make sure you’re one of the first to know.

After two adventurous weeks, the first Coolidge Rebreather Course was deemed a success! In addition to 7 happy newly certified rebreather divers, Aquamarine now has rebreather guiding services available on the Coolidge. This is in addition to the rebreather services they already have available including oxygen, helium and sorb.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the world of rebreather divers today! Aquamarine plans to run Coolidge rebreather courses with Jason Blackwell on a regular basis. Check their site or subscribe to their newsletter for schedule announcements andd join in the group of elite divers who have enjoyed the majesty of the SS President Coolidge as only a rebreather diver can.