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I am a Canadian who lives in Hawaii. The above two things are not easy to combine - trust me! I don't think PADI dive centres are able to issue the proper forms for student visas. Of course, I may be wrong. Depending how long the course takes, you could probably do it on a tourist visa but...

Never mind that Al tanks will corrode plenty if you get water inside - they don't look as spectacular as steel tanks, but they get pits just the same. And there's the whole neck crack issue to worry about! At my workplace, we've condemned 6 aluminum tanks in the past year - 5 for neck...

Any sort of paint should do the job - obviously something that's "rust-preventetive" would work best. The cold galvanizing paint is great because it acts as a sacrificial anode and chemically inhibits rust along with keeping water out. I wouldn't worry too much about labour-intensive multiple...

If you get your tanks filled at a place with a water bath, watch them very closely to make sure nothing dumb happens - there's lots of potential for it. Sometimes, the whip gets dropped in the water by accident, the tank slips and falls into the water, etc. etc. Wet fills are bad in general...

This is potentially bad! A lot of older painted tanks are not galvanized underneath, and will rust like crazy with the slighest nick. Often, it's an especially tenacious vinyl coating that's a total pain in the *** to remove, and doesn't blister when it rusts - completely obscuring the...

IMO worrying about how long you're holding your breath kind of sucks the fun out of freediving. As long as you're relaxed enough to enjoy yourself and/or catch fish, then everyone's happy! That said, though, my dives are usually between 1:30 and 1:50, with the odd dive that's 2:05 or...

There are thousands of used 80s out there - you should be able to find a 2nd-hand one for much cheaper if you look around a bit.

This is correct.

There's nothing at all wrong with this. No point in wasting perfectly good O2! As long as the gas you're putting in is clean, you can put whatever you want into a Nitrox tank. But, make sure to give the tanks enough time for the gas to settle before you analyze them. Right after filling...

Yes, they do look different. Not sure the best way to describe it, but if you look at a bunch of hot-dip tanks you'll get a good idea of how they're supposed to look. A hot-dip tank looks like a solid piece of zinc; sprayed tanks have a distinct "painted" look.

Those tanks on Genesis' website are Japanese Asahi tanks, not Norris. Read my last post for various annoyances with these tanks. The spray galvanizing is sort of a zinc-based paint, and doesn't properly bond to the steel like hot-dip. It chips easily and you have to keep patching up your...

You don't have to worry about running out of air at that depth - somebody who can't swim up from 20' shouldn't be let into a scuba class in the first place. Neither will you have to worry about getting bent. But there are tons of other problems you can get yourself into, such as getting hit...

Norris used to make a lot of steel 72s during the '70s and early '80s (along with PST). Can't remember offhand what companies they produced them for - Dacor I think and a couple others. If and of you are diving with old steel tanks, you probably have some Norris tanks in your possession. They...

Also remember that LP95s only hold that much when overfilled. If you lose the + hydro rating, it effectively becomes an LP86. Not much difference between that and a (much cheaper) 80.

Last month, we shipped 4 full-size O2 cylinders and a bunch of tanks, stage bottles, and rebreather cylinders (mostly full) from Oahu to Maui on Young Brothers. They made sure that everything in the container was properly secured but didn't complain about anything else. I doubt it will be an...

The main purpose of valve caps is to remind you whether or not the tank is full. Their effectiveness at actually protecting the valve is negligible. When using DIN valves especially, the caps can actually do more harm than good by helping to trap water in the threads. This then can get...

There's an O2-clean threadlock compound that we use at work for this exact purpose. I can't remember the name of it but could probably find out Monday... Aside from that, cranking down the dip tube or using regular loctite (I'd want to let it dry nice & good before putting the valve back of)...

Bootless tanks feel more streamlined while swimming (probably just my imagination at work). I have a boot on only one of my tanks - an old non-galvanized 72. The thing rusts in 5 seconds if the paint gets scratched, so the bottom needs all the protection it can get. Otherwise, I don't use...

From a DIR point of view, there is no "next best thing", dammit! (This is why I am not DIR) But... Giving the panicked diver your primary reg works fine with a short hose. If you're not in a confined situation, it's easy for two divers to swim out of trouble without needing 6' of hose...

I use an OMS aluminum plate, and haven't had any trouble when travelling. Last time I took my gear on the plane, my bag was light enough that I threw my weight belt in just because I could! Come to think of it, though, on the same trip, some of my co-workers were using steel plates and still...