Is rebreather diving a total rip off? - Why you should (or shouldn’t) buy a CCR

[@AzulUnlimited]

Dive with me in Mexico! December 13-19, 2023: BAJA DIVE EXPEDITION All levels dive trip around Los Cabos perfect for the budget diver: azulunlimited.com/baja-dive-expedition-2023/ January 3-11, 2024: SOCORRO DIVE EXPEDITION Advanced dive trip to one of the top scuba destinations in the world: azulunlimited.com/socorro-dive-expedition-2024/ ✅ Join the Azul scuba community: www.patreon.com/azulunlimited

[@vivianren5728]

can I go for second one with OW license?

[@kjelpeterson5236]

There are many niche forms of diving but we're all part of the same big community. I think it's very cool that you were given the chance to safely experience a taste of ccr diving. Let's all support our fellow divers and any type of diving that they do safely, and with respect to others and the environment.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Absolutely👏 well said🤙

[@ScubaHockeyDoc]

Nice video Sarah. The Choptima was the other rebreather that I was considering before making my decision to get the Divesoft Liberty. I love diving with my rebreather. Packed for trip to Malta in a few days.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Oh very cool! Enjoy your trip! Would love to hear more about that rebreather🤙

[@erwinirwin9616]

I’ll be on that trip to Socorro. Cannot wait to meet you- love all the content keep up the great work.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you! Email me ok? [e-mail]

[@robertrandydenniston2455]

I'm still diving open circuit. Back Mount to be specific. The cost keeping me there. Some of my dive buds are on rebreathers and they love them. If you decide to go with a Dive Rite rebreather I would suggest making a trip down to Cave country FL when your schedule permits, getting with the guys at Dive rite and included in your KZbin channel. They are super approachable. Also I love to do a dive with you and I enjoy your channel.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks so much! I will definitely keep cave country in mind. Been wanting to refresh my cave skills

[@crashlvmc]

So jealous. If I still lived in WA diving 3-20 hours a week I'd probably be diving rebreather. But here in KS diving 12-20 hours a year... not so much. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yeah. Probably not worth it at the moment😅 thanks for watching!

[@Yggdrasil42]

I've been considering a CCR. At home in The Netherlands I don't need one at all but while cave diving in Mexico I could really see the benefits. Then again, a CCR isn't a vacation-only setup. To be safe you need to practice year round. You don't see Dive Rite as a brand much in Europe. Here the JJ, XCCR or Inspiration are popular for backmount while sidemount rebreathers like the Liberty, Sidewinder and Flex2 are becoming popular. In Mexico I saw mostly Sidewinder which seem ideal for cave diving with restrictions. I expect it to become more popular in Europe once the model 2 comes out with CE certification.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Yeah Mexico is all about the sidemount, so that makes sense. I am still such a newbie to the world of CCRs. They're super cool, but like you said, you need to keep up your skills. Would love to hear if you decide to get one!

[@SeattleRingHunter]

Great content and I’m jealous of your rebreather demo! Its a lot of overhead, management and cost but likely a very different way to experience diving. Congrats to you on having this new experience one you won’t forget. Cheers, #SeattleRingHunter

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks a lot! Nice to have friends who will loan you gear 😁

[@JamesBrewster-pf1wr]

i spent £20 on gas for 4 days diving CCR... other people on the boat spent £200 on OC gas

[@AzulUnlimited]

That’s definitely a huge benefit for the system 👏

[@00bikeboy]

There's definitely some benefits that go with the added cost, but it's more about the added complications of the set-up. I'm sure the tech will get more user-friendly over time, but for now I think I'll stick with the 'old fashion' gear. I also find the bubbles calming and really help me to relax underwater. But if Apple ever got around to designing a rebreather, that's the one I'd buy😊

[@AzulUnlimited]

Oh man, I can’t even imagine what an Apple rebreather would look like🫣

[@00bikeboy]

@@AzulUnlimited I'm guessing all white with a big a Apple logo somewhere😃

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@00bikeboy 😎

[@davidb5195]

So when are you getting a choptima?

[@AzulUnlimited]

Hahahaha when I have a lot more patreon subscribers🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidb5195]

@@AzulUnlimited i get that for sure. I need a true reason before I am investing in ccr. I will stick with open circuit tech for now.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@davidb5195 good call :)

[@EricBovelander]

I loved these 3 video's on rebreather diving 👌 And like everything: choosing to dive on a rebreather has pro's and contra's the pro's for me: 1: it reduces the cost of Helium a lot (prices for HE are crazy now) 2: no sound from bubbles and a warmer more moist breathing gas 3: being able to approach animals much closer some contra's for me: 1st you need a few buddy's who are diving CCR also 2nd it is very expensive to purchase a unit, about 7000,- US$ and also you need to do a lot of courses what are also not for free, at least 1500,- US$ 3th in my place you must trave a lot and far to do more technical dives (beyond recreational level) 4th the bulkyness of all that gear you are wearing and where to store things like torches, spare mask, not even talk about a camera ans stuff But: if I had enough money to spend I'd really consider switching to CCR, not sure what kind of unit,; the Hollis Sidemount CCR looks also very cool to me (just love sidemount diving) but this DiveRite Choptima CM unit looks great, also the benefit of combining it with a regular wing is surprisingly good for me. Thnx for sharing this, I like it a lot 😎

[@AzulUnlimited]

Glad you enjoyed this! It was so much fun to record. Great point about storage for extra gear. I’m sure that with time and practice you figure out good spots for things and get used to the configuration. Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@TfD123]

Un addition to the sofnolime for the cost you also have to consider the change the oxygen cells every 1 or 2 years..

[@AzulUnlimited]

Ooo yes, I didn’t know the lifespan of those. Thanks for the info!

[@davilajeremy]

Nice video

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thank you very much!

[@MikeDodds]

I’ve heard that one of the biggest challenges new CCR divers have is with buoyancy control…. Was that your experience too?

[@AzulUnlimited]

100% It goes against everything you understand about buoyancy. It's super fascinating!

[@ahmedsamy8406]

That’s interesting however I barely can afford a rental tank

[@AzulUnlimited]

I hear you! It’s out of my budget too, but still cool to learn about🤓

[@Ublomor]

I loved the MARES HORIZON

[@AzulUnlimited]

Cool! I haven't seen that one yet.

[@deepprey2776]

Worth the money depends on how often you dive. If you spend a lot of time (not total dives) underwater then yes it’s worth the money. If your after total number of dives (most being short less or at a hour each) then no it probably won’t pay off. Same applies if you only dive 2-3 times a year. For instance a CCR diver can have 10 dives but a total of 50-60 hours underwater vs a OC where someone can have 20 dives for a total of 25-30 hours underwater or 7 hours if going deep. depending on your dive style a individual has to decide for themselves. Personally I can go do a 2.5 hour dive and move locations and go back in for another 2 hours and not think anything of it.

[@AzulUnlimited]

Honestly, the benefits are growing on me, but the price tag still keeps it far from grasp 😅

[@steuerfrei1961]

Thing is, with actual Helium prices, open circuit trimix is basically dead. Unless you`re a millionaire that just doesn`t care, nobody can afford to empty a tank of helium into the sea. So if you wanna go deep or stay long it`s CCR. The units and courses are an investment, but if you break it down on dive time, it`s probably not that bad.

[@AzulUnlimited]

That’s what I’m learning. Cool to have options!

[@Prism2diver]

I dive on a prism 2 and I see several inaccuracies in this video. First, he says training costs about the same as OC. This is dead wrong, at least in the US. An air diluent course will cost you a minimum of $1500.00 u.s. and that's NOT including all of your prerequisites such as advanced nitrox and decompression procedures which you need to already have. As for the cost of sorb .. Again, I don't know what the cost is to have it shipped to Mexico, but I've never paid more than $180 U.s. for a 40lb can of it. Where you REALLY save on a rebreather is when you start diving mixed gas and have to figure in the cost of helium. When compared to OC TRIMIX, they are the only way to go nowadays

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks for the information. He has done all his Tec and rebreather training in Mexico and answered the questions based on his experience.

[@aeromotive2]

you should do it, lead the way! But srsly, do it if it makes sense for you

[@AzulUnlimited]

Maybe one day. Gotta make a little more money for that!

[@billendres3115]

If your into trimix a rebreather will pay for itself within a few years in gas savings. If you need another reason you (Sarah) look totally bass ass diving it. 😎

[@AzulUnlimited]

Thanks! Yes, 100% makes sense if you’re into trimix diving

[@Teampegleg]

Nah you just end up diving more trimix dives.

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@Teampegleg that doesn't sound like a bad thing 😜

[@Teampegleg]

@@AzulUnlimited Until your partner starts asking "When are we going to see the savings?"

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@Teampegleg 👀🤷🏻‍♀

[@diveaddict6885]

Cost of helium it’s worth it

[@AzulUnlimited]

Totally. Plus, limited resource 😳

[@E_Clampus_Vitus]

If money wasn’t an obstacle, I’d get into rebreather. As it stands now, the future isn’t looking especially prosperous and I’m saving up for the coming apocalypse. Then again, it might be a way to avoid breathing nuclear fallout.🤔

[@AzulUnlimited]

Now that’s a reasoning I never considered🤣

[@BrandonSchmit]

CHest mount 02ptima = Choptima!

[@AzulUnlimited]

Ok finally someone making sense of that😂😂😂😂 I’m dumb

[@BrandonSchmit]

@@AzulUnlimited You aren't dumb. I didn't know either. I watched a review of the system on Diver's Ready and he explains the name in that video. I just passed on the answer when I found it!

[@AzulUnlimited]

@@BrandonSchmit I appreciate that! :)