Enter the
PRISM The Hollis Prism II closed-circuit rebreather has gained CE approval, and as it goes on sale across the UK, Mark Evans headed to NDAC for a trydive on the unit PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES NEAL AND PAT HOLLIDAY
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losed circuit rebreathers, or CCRs. These are undoubtedly cool pieces of kit. Maybe you dive one yourself already, but if not, most of us will have seen divers on CCRs at our local sites or on dive boats with us. They look daunting, complicated pieces of kit, and they do require a particular mindset to dive them safely – but are they as dangerous as some people make out? I am always a bit dubious when a piece of diving equipment warns you, in no uncertain terms, that diving it without the proper training will lead to your death, but that is what you find emblazoned across most closed-circuit rebreathers, some in a more in-your-face fashion than others. Add to this the sad fact that many of the diving fatalities I have had to write about over the years have involved CCRs, including longtime Scuba Diver contributor and friend Gavin Anderson, who tragically died while diving his rebreather off Scotland. Combined, this was enough to have me steer clear of CCRs. I may have been diving for over 35 years and have thousands of dives, but I just didn’t feel that going the CCR route was right for me, although I could see several massive advantages when it came to underwater photography in particular – no noise, no bubbles, and extended dive times. However, over the years, technology has been steadily advancing and there are more and more CCRs coming on to the market. And I finally succumbed when so-called ‘recreational rebreathers’ were released, qualifying first on the Poseidon MK6 CCR, and then the Hollis Explorer eSCR. Both units had their plus points, but both also had their negatives. I got on better with the Explorer, taking it on trips
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to the Red Sea and up to the Orkney Islands, where it held its own on a boat full of technical CCRs, as well as diving it around England. It was easy to set up, felt quite small and compact on your back, and it looked cool, with its Stormtrooper-esque backplate. However, I had nothing but issues with the electronics, both the main ‘brain’ and the handset, and this seriously knocked by confidence in the unit. Suffice to say, neither the MK6 or the Explorer had enough allure to draw me away from my trusty open circuit rigs. When I had qualified on the Explorer, my instructors were trying to tempt me on to its technical sibling, the fully closed circuit Prism II, but at the time it was not CE-approved and I was not ready to take that step. Fast forward several years and it’s all change. Hollis – along with Oceanic – is now owned by Huish Outdoors and sits alongside brands like Zeagle, Atomic Aquatics and BARE. The Explorer is no more, having been discontinued, and the Prism II is the flagship CCR – and it has just recently received CE approval. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the Hollis Prism II trydive event, but in early July, I made my way down to NDAC in Chepstow ready to give this CCR a run in the quarry waters.
