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You’ve seen the numeric answers, and the Updated SCUBA tank specifications list -- in PDF and spreadsheet can give you details about other tanks. For me, there is a noticeable difference between double HP 100/LP 85 and HP 120. The extra weight above what is already a heavy load is really...

Ah, the joys of tank ownership. :) (ETA: It’s really more accurate to say: Ah, the joys of your average local dive shop…) It’s traditional that if a valve is removed from the tank that you need a new visual inspection. Do you really need a new inspection? Well, seeing as there are no legal...

I know you’re making a joke, and that that statement does have a significant amount of truth to it, but that was something that was definitely a change of mindset when I switched to my Shearwater. Previous to my Shearwater I had an Oceanic computer, which are pretty well regarded as the most...

My *exact* thought. Think of the impound scene in Liar Liar.

You’re asking a question that we can’t answer. But I’ll try. :) As for Catalina and the “bad aluminum“: my understanding is the same as yours. Catalina never made tanks with 6351 aluminum. I don’t have an official reference from Catalina, but here’s some confirmation on a previous scuba board...

Despite being your typical ‘serious’ tech diver, I honestly love the look of brand new exotically colored aluminum tanks. Candy apple red, metallic purple, electric blue… Whatever. Love it. Never mind the fact that I no longer dive single tanks or aluminum as my main tanks. They’re just...

Thank you for this, both asking Edd directly and your description. I loved panic diver on the surface in my rescue class. And the concept you’re conveying really translates: grab their opposite hand, spin them around and grab them from behind. You’re not actually doing that in this case, but...

My solution is to use stainless plugs with brass sockets. Solves the high-pressure denting problem. If you are going with pure O2 and want to stay brass for compatibility, I don’t usually find the denting problem too difficult to deal with. The biggest problem I have is I sometimes have to...

I’m certainly not going to tell you not to call DAN. And I’m going to agree with everybody else that a membership is valuable. I will say this: I often have slightly tingly arms after a dive. I use a back plate and wing, with unpadded continuous webbing, hauling around doubles. I’m pretty...

Oh, I missed that. Well then: now we get to hear about my other reason for not liking these tanks… :) Do they have a Genesis 6300 manifold? Those are the “slant back” valves. That manifold has two negatives. First, they are face-sealed. That arrangement is a little bit more fragile and...

HP tanks of that age are most likely PST. You can tell definitively by looking at the markings on the tank: you should see a PST test symbol, and they will say either SP9791 or (more likely) E9791. (Those two are used interchangeably: they stand for “special permit“ and “exemption“.) Also at...

That’s the part everyone forgets/doesn’t understand. Dry weight is irrelevant — except schlepping the tanks around to the water. Full buoyancy is irrelevant — except making sure your BCD has enough lift to hold your head up in the beginning. *Empty* buoyancy is the only thing that matters for...

Having never seen a Heiser tank in person, I can’t help you to guarantee anything about them. However, I can say this: low pressure tanks have only ever used the standard 3/4” threads. It is only the high-pressure tanks that had to use the narrow neck threads. (For this purpose, I’m also...

It’s a sad day today…. I sold the Healthways tanks. I put up a couple of FB Marketplace ads for both a pair of Aqua Lung LP72’s (vinyl coating and epoxy liners) and this set of Healthways doubles. The pair of singles sold quickly, but I left the ad up in case someone else wanted a pair of 72...

Just to add my meaningless thoughts to this. As a technical diver, reviews like this have scared me off. tl;dr: Force Fins are magical at flutter, with the feeling of zero resistance, but any side-to-side motion actually does result in minimal resistance (and water movement)...

Hello! I would love to test the D530. I tested the D550 recently, so if you want to spread the wealth, I’m OK with that. But I would love to see what the effect the colors has underwater.

Now that @Rilelen has given you a specific recommendation for a company that is willing to cater to new divers, I want to talk you out of doing these dives even less! But… If you are looking for alternatives, I absolutely love Pompano Beach Florida. There are dives from reefs and wreck debris...

I strongly echo @Rob9876 ‘s comments. Diving in the panhandle is *very* different from a high-touch Caribbean operator. You will almost certainly be expected to be 100% self-sufficient in everything: skills, equipment and process. That doesn’t mean you can’t make specific arrangements with an...

What works, works. That’s true for OP or @rsingler as much as anyone else. The important part of your gear is that it facilitates your ability to dive safely and effectively. Until you’re doing serious tech dives, *any* gear of decent quality in good repair will do it safely. And...

Oh, boy… You are not going to like my answer for this. :) Im my experience, I have found that it’s usually the user’s preconceived expectations both as a scuba diver and as a land-based creature that often lead away from what actually is the optimal solution. For example, you mentioned...