Any divers used a rebreather?

Sorry don't have an answer, but instead of starting another dive thread I'll as real quick in here since you and hat seem to be the dive experts. How much should i expect to pay to get my basic certification? Not really looking to go spear fishing or anything yet, just would like to dive some wrecks and reefs when I go to florida for the summer.

TIA

Don't you need 5 checkout dives? How many of these can be on the same day?

On your checkout dives for basic certification, you usually do it over a weekend. We dove on Friaday and Saturday.

Thanks for the info. I can't wait to get certified and make some dives, however I need shoulder surgery so I hope I'm better by this summer and will be able to knock it out.

As for the rebreathers, the only thing I know about them is that the military uses them for tactical purposes because they dont produce bubbles. How much more expensive are they then your typical tank and regulator?

Just looked on scuba dot com and saw most go between 6-9 grand. Thats pretty damn expensive, but I guess if you dive often enough you could justify the price.

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I am going to the Austin Dive Expo this weekend and they have a pool set up to try rebreathers. Anyone used one? Advantages/disadvantages? Thoughts? Pros? Cons?

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I'm pretty jealous. I've done alot of research on the subject, but I haven't ever tried one. Most of them fall in the $10-20k range. I think they'd be awesome to own if you're willing to part with the scratch to get one.

Pros: Faster ascent/descent rates, reduced weight, no/little bubbles, deeper diving capability.

Cons: Costly, dependent on computer/chemical to function properly to add correct % of O2, adjustment error could be lethal.

- I would definitely carry a spare air or two, but often times, the incorrect adjustment on the 02% affects you before you notice.

So, totally worth trying out!
Report back!

My brother was talking about those from when he was a SEAL. Why would you want to use something that dangerous without a more dangerous reason to be doing it? Don't know squat about the new stuff but from what they were using in the nineties you couldn't go very deep with them and you risked the scrubber backfilling your lungs or some shite and killing you. Don't quote me on that, was just some horrific shite he was talking about with them.

I guess it's safe to assume they've got new tech that's a lot safer than that now?

From everything I've heard, they've made a lot of advancements and it's the "new thing" to do. I'm pretty pumped to try it out.