These vehicles will ultimately HURT the reefs - by poopie (Score: 5, Informative) Thread
Coral reefs and most underwater ecosystems where this contraption could be used are *very* fragile and endangered. 
 
Have you even seen the damage done by a cruise ship dragging anchor across the ocean floor? 
 
Have you even seen a 3000+ year old reef destroyed by some offcourse barge? 
 
Do you know that most of the reefs at popular dive destinations are DYING? 
 
The last thing we need are a bunch of inexperienced divers crashing these underwater vehicles into table corals, soft corals, and otherwise speeding up the demise of our fragile coral reefs. 
 
Think I’m exaggeratting? 
 

• Freighter damager 1200ftX200ft swath of Florida reef 
   
  
• 60% of great barrier reef hit by bleaching 
   
  
• Great barrier reef 50 years from death 
   
  
• Sewage killing Tobaggo’s reef 
   
  
• Bottom trawling fishing destroys large portions of deep water coral reefs never explored
  
  

top-10 list of bad ideas - by jdkane (Score: 5, Insightful) Thread
Their motto should be “Throwing unknowledgable persons into a machine to scoot around a delicate underwater environment.” Yes, real smart.

I once took a diving course, as have others who are reading this. There are a number of things to learn regarding safety. This Scuba-Doo machine obviously tries to handle all that worry for you. However I don’t believe an unknowledgable person should be sent underwater just for recreational purpose, even if a machine *may* handle the main safety features automatically. The person will be better off if they learn about their underwater environment (the fundamentals) before attempting to enter it in any way, and how to react properly in certain situations. Save the $14,000 and instead spend a few hundred bucks on a diving course which will provide you with much more enjoyment and hands down give you a safer experience (by way of knowledge).  
 
This machine is impractical (does not remotely resemble classic diving) because you can only use it in a very basic environment … and even then it looks like a good reef-destroyer.

all techy, no tech - by DiveX (Score: 5, Informative) Thread
these things have been around for a while, and I think they are a bad idea. I am a current SCUBA instructor as well as a pretty experienced cave and technical diver. There are so many limitations to this thing that makes it completely impractical. Transport is one issue in terms of getting it into and out of the water. 
 
for one thing, inexperienced pilot will have this hard bodied device with which to crash into delicate coral. this will have to be used in a body of water with typically little current, else it become quite easy to lose the group. 
 
It cannot go deep for long since it is still open to ambient pressure, so decompression comes into play as well as gas supply. For every 33 feet (10m) one descends, the pressure increases by one atmosphere. If that tank were to last the diver 60 minutes on the surface, then at 33 feet it would last only 30 minutes, at 60 feet it would be 20 minutes, and so forth. 
 
It might be ok for a few shallow water, shore-based resorts that can charge the units at the dock. Even a fairly cheap diver scooter will be just around 800-1200, and those can only go to about 100-150 feet if you’re lucky. In order to go more deep, you have to get more specialized units (www.gavinscooters.com) that can handle the pressure (I’ve taken mine to 350) and has the battery burn time. Even those units only cost ~$3500. These units are simply torpedo looking devices that tow the diver. The biggest advantage is that it reduces the workload for the diver, thus dropping air consumption and helping one cover more ground. 
 
This device has no similarities other than someone trying to compare two unlike things with a vague attempt at seeming technologically advanced.

Also known as BOB - by Isao (Score: 5, Informative) Thread
As seen and rented here, here, here, etc.

I’ve done it - snuba is more fun, but this can be less intimidating for inexperienced people.

Great idea… Except it sucks. - by mikemacd (Score: 5, Insightful) Thread
As a trained diver I can evaluate the personal risks involved in my sport and decide wether or not to engage in it. I think that this device will encourage untrained people to do things which can end up with them being DEAD or crippled.  
 
It is too easy to get your eardrums blown in or your lungs burst, or drown unless you’ve had the appropriate training.  
 
There are already DPV’s (Piver Propulsion Vehicles) on the market for those who dont want to fin their way around the bottom. I think that this product will cause plenty of problems.