Rebreather Forum 3 Conference Proceedings Now Available
The RF3 proceedings are now available, online and free to anyone to download! From left to right are the Editors of the RF3 Proceedings; Dr Neal W Pollock - DAN Research Director, Dr Richard D Vann - Professor Emeritus, Duke Anesthesiology, and Dr Petar J Denoble - Vice President DAN Research
The RF3 Proceedings have been published in both print and electronic format following the safety symposium held from 18 - 20 May 2012 at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Two years in the planning and two years in the writing, the 324-page rebreather publication showcases state-of-the-art and science of rebreather diving through the experience and knowledge of some of the world’s leading specialists in education, operations, physiology, medicine and safety. This meeting followed the Rebreather Forum 2 conference which was held in 1996.
The goal of Rebreather Forum 3 was to positively impact the safety of recreational, professional, and military rebreather divers by sharing latest developments and best practices. Educational sessions took place in seminars that discussed history and evolution, medicine and physiology, business and operations, incidents and their investigation, design and testing, and training and operations. Safety was the key theme and participants were informed about the most common causes of rebreather incidents and fatalities in hopes of reducing their future occurrence. To round out the meeting, participants were able to gain hands-on experience through various pool sessions.
The 11-member, Rebreather Forum organizing committee comprised Dr. Nicholas Bird (DAN), Mark Caney (PADI), Dr. Petar Denoble (DAN), Michael Lang (American Academy of Underwater Sciences), Rosemary E Lunn (The Underwater Marketing Company), Christian McDonald (American Academy of Underwater Sciences), Dan Orr (DAN), Dr. Neal W Pollock (DAN), Dr. Drew Richardson (PADI), Karl Shreeves (PADI) and Dr. Richard Vann (DAN).
Publishing the Rebreather Forum 3 proceedings is a significant accomplishment by the AAUS, DAN and PADI. All three partners are very pleased to share this invaluable resource with the diving community, in order to help make diving safer. It is hoped that the knowledge gained will reduce incidents and fatalities among rebreather divers.
Many of the RF3 talks were recorded and put online. These are an excellent free resource tool for divers, instructors, or anyone involved with rebreathers. You can access these lectures by going to the Rebreather Forum 3 website; www.rf30.org Then click 'presentations' before choosing the specific session you wish to hear.