They do no longer grant permission for open circuit so its mostly a philosophical question. Helium is very expensive currently because of Russia, so it would possible be cheaper to buy a rebreather than do four 100m dives with open circuit.
I do not know many people who would rent a rebreather, as those tend to become fairly personal to the diver when doing that kind of dives, and the required dive training is based on specific brands and units.
> Helium is very expensive currently because of Russia
It's expensive (in Greece) because the EU added helium to its 14th package of sanctions in September 2024[1].
I'm aware of the ultimate reasons for those sanctions, but it seems weird in this narrow context to say it's "because of Russia". No, it's expensive because of the EU, which decided to make it expensive, unilaterally.
Technically it expensive because demand exceed supply. Russia was just one of the larger producer, as it is a by product from natural gas extraction, so with the war that source was cut off.
In combination, US military decided to sell a large portion of their stored helium to a single private firm around the same time, rather then sell it off in smaller chunks, and that seems to also have decreased the global supply.
As a semi-new idea people are experimenting with hydrogen as a replacement for helium, which could become much cheaper and renewable compared to helium. Time will tell how bad idea it is to mix high pressure, oxygen and hydrogen while under water.
> Technically it expensive because demand exceed supply.
How prices are determined in general isn't relevant to your claim that something is "very expensive currently because of X".
> with the war that source was cut off
What war was going on in August 2024 that wasn't going on in September and October 2024?
I don't see why you're insisting on this passive and inaccurate description.
Someone unfamiliar with this might infer that Russia considered Helium a strategic asset and forbade its export, when the reality is that to the extent that your initial claim is in any way relevant to Helium prices, it's the other way around: The EU forbade the import of Russian helium.
Generally speaking, closed-circuit rebreathers can't be rented.
CCRs are a specialist apparatus, and CCR certification is against a particular model or family of rebreathers – e.g. Buddy Inspiration/Evolution, Kiss Sidekick, Kiss Spirit, etc. Unlike open-circuit scuba certification, there isn't a generic "CCR certification".
Anyone intending (and qualified) to dive to 100m+ on a rebreather will certainly want to do it on their own equipment.
