Wow,Why not just buy a sub?I never knew that rebreathers cost that much.I love diving,but to me it doesnt seem worth it. Yes less bubbles in caves,less weight,more time under water.But what do they put in for gas that gets you that high? Ive heard you also need to be real carefull and more people dye from these than you would think.It just seems to me that its alot of work,money and would take the fun out of diving.I dont know alot about these things. But to me,it seems like its not worth it.What makes it worth all this? Yes,in caves nothing falling from above from bubbles,or yes you dont scare fish. But what am i missing here?Thanks Frankie
You raise some good points and I would sure hope people resist any kind of fad mentality when getting into rebreathers, you should seriously think about whether all the expense and hassle is truly worth it for you. It's a very personal thing. People tend to move to rebreathers once they reach the limits on OC in what they are doing. For me, it was not a matter of depth, Originally, I mainly wanted to stay down longer and enjoy the zen of fishness. Eventually I ventured deeper too.
here's what makes it worth it for me:
-Warmer, moister air.
-Much longer NDL's for recreational diving (been on quite a few 130 ft max dives, an hour in to find I'm still at 80 ft. with zero NDL, try doing that on OC.)
- substantially reduced nitrogen burn post dive, due to the hyperberic oxygen treatment that is diving CCR.
-for air diving, it's really not that complex... recreational diving unleashed! Imagine a nitrox blender on your back!
-virtually no MOD
-much more feasible gas management for tech dives (it was not worth it to me to do tech diving until I got a rebreather... too many tanks, too short a time at depth... CCR has opened things up quite a bit!)
-Much more managable gas volumes for multi day trips beyond the range of a dive shop or compressor.
-more efficient use of trimix
-the same back up tank fills are typically used for many, many dives... minimal tank refilling
-minimal cost to banking and trans filling gas
-luxuriously long dives
-wonderful photographic and wildlife observation opportunities
-can pack in more dive sites per dive/dive trip
the one main downside:
-complacency kills. you need to know yourself and be realistic about how absent minded humans are by nature and plan with wide safety margins and not rely too much on the rebreather taking care of you. Choose a system that keeps you engaged.