The Great Helium Hunt of 2021

[Marie13]

AN/Helitrox starts in a couple of weeks. It’s going to be an adventure getting helium, so I decided to have some fun with it.

I’m in the Chicago area and several shops do He fills. If they have it is another matter.

Shop A - closest to me (still an hour), plus will overfill my 85s a bit.

Shop B - bit further away

Shop C - my instructor’s shop two hours away. Not a ton of He. Their divers are overwhelmingly CCR. Gas hog OC divers take a lot of He so I’m doing my best to source it elsewhere.

Shop D - near dive site 4-4.5 hours away. They have He (talked to the owner a few days ago when diving up there), but logistics make it difficult to get It here.

Shop A does not currently have He. Not sure if they can get it. Checking on availability. Has had several other requests for He fills.

Waiting for Shop B to get back to me.

I’ve contacted Shop D, but waiting for a response. My issue is that I would arrive in town about 10pm and it’s unrealistic and not nice to expect the shop to do fills for class the next morning.

If I got really desperate, I have sources in the Detroit area and Ohio, but those are 5-7 hours each way.

And, no, going CCR is not an option.

 

[grantctobin]

@Dive Right In Scuba ?

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Jeez.....what are these shops charging for Helium?

 

[Marie13]

@Dive Right In Scuba ?

They no longer get my business.

 

[Marie13]

Jeez.....what are these shops charging for Helium?

I got very lucky. Shop A just called me. They can get helium in time for class. $4.80/cft. It’s more north of the Cheddar Curtain.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Wow--I remember helium at $0.65.

 

[Marie13]

Wow--I remember helium at $0.65.

You guys in FL don’t realize how damn lucky you are to have cheap He.

 

[Wookie]

@Dive Right In Scuba ?

You just can’t help it, can you?

 

[Jack Hammer]

Dive Right In Scuba has Helium in stock for $3cf.

 

[Wookie]

Wow--I remember helium at $0.65.

I remember paying $95 a T and selling it at .50 a cubic foot.