FATHOM Dive Systems is a design and manufacturing company that focuses on life-support equipment for underwater exploration. FATHOM is the brainchild of Charlie Roberson, a cave diver and active explorer, who initially set out to produce equipment for his own exploration.
As his dives became increasingly deeper and longer duration, Charlie, along with his Karst Underwater Research (KUR) teammates, recognized the need for a closed-circuit rebreather (CCR) with excellent work-of-breathing and long scrubber duration that would stand up to the rigors of cave exploration.
Unable to find an existing unit that met their requirements, Charlie started to design what would eventually become the FATHOM CCR. There are no easy decisions when it comes to rebreather design and every choice, every dimension, every o-ring, was debated endlessly with fellow KUR divers. Ultimately, the final decisions were Charlie’s and his background as a machinist in the US Navy and Hogarthian/DIR cave diver guided him towards simplicity and functionality.
Several years and dozens of units later, the goal remains the same: to design and produce the most innovative, functional, and reliable equipment for underwater exploration.