ChO2ptima Training – Shop Closed
📢 Shop Notice: Heading to Florida for Next-Gen Training
Spartan SCUBA will be closed from Sunday, August 23rd through Saturday, August 29th.
The Spartan brass are heading down to Gainesville, Florida, for a grueling, 5-day intensive Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) course. This isn’t a vacation—it’s a deep dive into advanced decompression procedures on air diluent, ensuring our team brings the absolute highest level of technical dive expertise back to the Pacific Northwest.
⏱️ From the 1800s to Today: The Silent Evolution
Rebreather tech isn’t actually new. The very first workable oxygen rebreathers were built back in the late 1800s for submarine escape and military stealth. But back then, they were a dangerous game of guesswork. Early divers had to grapple with erratic gas mixtures, crude chemical scrubbers, and zero real-time feedback on what they were actually breathing.
Fast forward to today, and the technology has completely transformed. Modern electronically controlled CCRs (eCCRs) utilize redundant digital voting logic and advanced oxygen sensors to monitor every single breath, maintaining a perfect, automated partial pressure of oxygen (ppO2) throughout the dive. The danger has been replaced by precision engineering.
🦈 The Gear: The Dive Rite ChO2ptima (Chest Mount)
For this evolution, we are training on the Dive Rite ChO2ptima—affectionately known as the Choptima—and it is a total game-changer for technical and mission-driven diving.
What makes the Choptima standout in modern tech diving?
Ultimate Versatility: Because it’s chest-mounted, it clips right onto our existing harnesses. We can run it seamlessly with sidemount, back-mounted doubles, or a single tank without rewriting our entire gear configuration.
- Incredibly Low Work of Breathing (WOB): The breathing loop is one of the shortest on the market. With the dual 3-liter chest counterlungs sitting right at the lung centroid, breathing underwater feels completely effortless, regardless of orientation.
- Redundant Brains: Powered by advanced Shearwater DiveCAN electronics, a Petrel controller, and a heads-up display (HUD) tracking four independent oxygen sensors.
- Scrubber Flexibility: It runs either standard loose granular CO2 absorbent or the foolproof MicroPore ExtendAir solid cartridges, backed up by dual internal water traps.
- Streamlined for Action: Weighing just 14.4 pounds dry, it packs down into a carry-on but is rugged enough for tight restrictions and heavy-duty environments.
🚀 Massive News for the Pacific Northwest Tech Community
In the rebreather world, the rules are ironclad: you have to be certified to dive it before you can sell it.
Once we successfully wrap up this intensive training evolution, Spartan SCUBA will officially become an authorized dealer for the ChO2ptima! We will be fully locked and loaded to carry full units, replacement parts, and pieces directly out of our shop. We’re not just expanding our knowledge; we’re bringing the premier chest-mounted CCR support directly to local divers.
Mark Your Calendars:
- Shop Closed: August 23 – August 29, 2026
- Normal Hours Resume: Monday, August 31, 2026
Got gear to pick up or fills needed before we roll out? Make sure to drop by the shop before Saturday, August 22nd!