"Well, these days we've basically gone totally over to rebreathers, so the big decision is basically semi open as opposed to one of the CCR rebreathers. Personally, I don't really dive deep or long enough for the extreme longevity of the CCR to really be the right decision, and a semi open unit is way lighter because you don't extra emergency tanks. I'm probably going to stick to the easier chests this season, so I doubt the CCR will prove at all necessary." 

A smile of comprehension stretches across her face and she nods. "Aha. That makes sense. Probably I don't need the extra dive-time." She turns to take a look at the rebreathers. How long can the semi-open ones go?

They seem to last around an hour, using an impressively compact tank and scrubber system. But the real advantage is their simplicity, safety and low weight if you're not doing super-long dives.

She hums thoughtfully, then nods. "Yeah, semi-open should be fine unless I'm getting up to quite the mischief. You make a good point."

She looks back at Helena with a smile. "What else do I need?"

"Well, the mask fitted to your face. Everything else is really commodity hardware you can just buy anywhere. So, it's time to get a face scan and try some 3D printed inner masks, see what's comfortable without having much dead space."

"Okay! Lead the way!" She grins brightly at Helena. Gorgeous, interesting woman introduces her to a whole new hobby. What a life this is.

She takes her over to the same man who tailored the wetsuit she had on yesterday. "Good morning, miss. You already have the wetsuit, so now I'll presume that you want a scuba mask so you can take it further? Please look at this." The man takes her over to a frame holding cameras looking at Sable from every angle, slowly creating an intricate and precise 3D scan of her face. Afterwards, he hands her what looks like oxygen masks made of a soft, transparent plastic.

"You'll want something that doesn't push against your nose too much, but still doesn't leave any room in front of your nose or mouth. Basically, it's supposed to not be touching you, but coming as close as it can without doing so."

She holds it up and examines it. Does this conflict with her glasses at all? If not, she'll try it on right now.

It does, in fact, bump into her glasses, due to how it also goes over her nose.

Well. "Guess I'm overdue to switch to contacts." She takes them off and tries on the mask. How's the fit? Does it match what the guy suggested? How easily can she breathe?

It pinches against the bridge of the nose, a little. And it leaves a bit more space than it really needs around the mouth and the tip of her nose, so the fit isn't quite perfect. It's not easy to breathe in, but it does let some air in through a few small gaps. Meaning it wouldn't be waterproof, or stop the air leaking out of her mask and into the water, causing much of it to be wasted.

She frowns consideringly. "Couple gaps, pinches a bit here, and leaves a little extra space around the nose." She points out the locations of all of that. "Maybe shoulda had my glasses off."

"Yep, that was just the closest thing I had just lying around. The 3D printer is currently spinning up, trying to see how small we can get that orinasal mask volume, without squeezing you uncomfortably." He waved at Sable for a moment, before walking off and coming back with a similar oxygen mask, this one with small pockets that followed the contours of Sable's nose and mouth closely. "This one shouldn't pinch your face and basically leaves no extra space around your mouth and nose, so you minimize the CO2 buildup. And it should be airtight until I attach the air supply port here at the front of it."

Okay, she curiously tries that on. Airtight? Doesn't pinch?

Yes indeed, it's both. And if Sable exhales, she'll find that it really produces a lot of pressure, because the air doesn't have anywhere to go. "That's basically the main fit done. You can also get it with more initial space, and then lower the dead space volume by using foam. I prefer doing it like this, though. The foam can get hot and sweat when you exhale."

"So, that's the inner mask. Next thing is choosing the outer mask, that this plugs into. You can choose to do something relatively old school, with basically a pair of goggles with this mask attached the bottom, or you can have the single-pane design, that shows more of your face. The second option makes you look better, but it's a bit less convenient; the air inside gets pushed up by the water, and it's harder to get a right seal. But the differences between any options are honestly quite small."

"Hmm. Tough decision. Look cuter, or be practical."

She bobbles her head back and forth a bit.

"Which kind do you have, Helena?"

"The cuter one! It's really not a big disadvantage, and those bigger masks that show your face are basically only an issue if the somehow slip off your face. They feel nicer than having the rubber of a traditional mask squeezing around my eyes, as well."

She grins and nods. "Fair 'nuff. Cuter one it is. Got something close to my shade of violet?"

"Yes, that we do. The plastic this is made of can be custom-dyed and made into a mask in exactly your color, or you can just buy this." He shows Sable a mask in a color that's a near-perfect match for her favorite shade of violet, with a wide glass window that shows off her entire face when underwater.

"Ooooh. That'll do marvelously." Happy bounce? Happy bounce.

"Well, that's the custom-part done. Next up is just plugging the mask into a regulator, and the regulator into the fully analog rebreather kit, and you're ready to explore the depths of the oceans while staying warm in your wetsuit."

"Thank you!" She'll happily collect all these things, assembling them as instructed and intermittently shooting grins at Helena.

The rebreather looks like an extra short oxygen tank, plugged onto the end of a normal oxygen tank. It becomes part of the breathing loop, and it comes with a fan system that constantly blows air through the loop. It creates a gentle flow of air in Sable's face, making it incredibly easy to breathe while keeping the air in the tiny, closely-fitted pocket surrounding her mouth and nose fresh and cool.

It works! Cue bouncing and grinning. "Thank you!"

Helena taps Sable on her shoulder. "It's going to be so fantastic to see how you react to diving for the first time, and seeing your first chest!" She thinks for a moment. "Honestly, with all the safety features and me being there, I'd be comfortable with you getting to slowly, and casually, dive for a really safe chest near the the surface. Do you feel as comfortable as I feel with you trying that?"