Big tanks in the Bay islands?

[WOODMAN]

Well, we are finally getting around to looking at Roatoan/Utila for our next dive trip. (We had been avoiding the area due to the bugs, but after getting nailed by them in our recent trip to Providencia, we decided WTH and just remember to pack the repellant. Anyway, here I am with my usual question for a new area. What is availability of big tanks like? I couldn't get anything more than standard 80cf tanks in Providencia, and those 25 minute dives really sucked.:mooner: There has to be better availability in an established area like Roatoan, and I figured you guys would know, if anyone did. Many thanks for your help. Woody

 

[danktex]

Coconut tree divers in west end, Roatan have 100s as well as being the best dive operation I have ever had the pleasure to dive with.

 

[robint]

I know CCV has some bigger tanks, but only saw one guy use them (he's 6'6" and 240lbs solid muscle, i.e. air hog).

robin

 

[Doc]

I know CCV has some bigger tanks, but only saw one guy use them (he's 6'6" and 240lbs solid muscle, i.e. air hog). robin

The "need" for such tanks might be more dependent upon where you'll be doing your diving.

On the North/West side, you might have some deeper dive profiles.

Along the South side, most of the cool stuff, including the wrecks, it's all quite shallow~ most people use a lot less air because of that.

Yes, at CCV, the larger tanks (I believe) are made available through the separate Dive Instruction PADI Center, called Dockside. When they loan out these larger tanks, they are likely to offer advice and assistance in bettering your bottom times.

Out of CCV, there is no such thing as using an 80cf tank and getting only 25 minutes. Patty Grier, the instructor, will be able to boost that~ even a little bit.

Whatever the case, where you find the oversized tanks is where you will most likely have to use them. No dive op that I am aware of will let you cart their tanks away to use at another operation.

 

[ScubaTim]

I remember that tank! Not saying I had anything to do with it...

 

[Robertcrockett]

What is availability of big tanks like? I couldn't get anything more than standard 80cf tanks in Providencia, and those 25 minute dives really sucked

Honestly most of my dives were in the 40+ minute range except for one very non drifty drift dive that the DM had never attempted before that was exactly at 59 minutes. Except for that drift dive I usually came back in the boat with something around 1200 PSI or more...doing multi level profiles with max depths of around 100 feet or so and occasionally finning alot. Now if you find ur self having to dive with classes just doing their first fun dives etc...then you will be much more limited by their air consumption then your tank anyway...I seen one guy eat through a full tank in around 15 minutes at about 25 feet though that was the worst case and I was diving with a separate DM so away we went when we seen he was safe.

 

[RTBDiver]

From the name of this thread I thought it was another chicken little sky is falling things starting.

As far as the OP needing larger tanks? It would seem it was not the 25 minute dives that actually sucked, it was something else that just sucked too much causing the dives to be rather short

 

[Robertcrockett]

:d from the name of this thread i thought it was another chicken little sky is falling things starting.

lmao!

 

[WOODMAN]

I will admit, that is a little larger 'tank' than I had envisioned and leave it to one of you guys to come up with something like this. Oh well, the search continues. I wish I could make a smaller tank go farther, but I have had several good divemasters work on me, and the general consensus is "Mon, you need bigger tanks!" What can I say? I have even gone so far as to rent a car in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and drive way down to South Miami and rent a 120 cf tank and bring it along on a couple of liveaboards (with their permission, of course) and that worked out great. But, the farther I go from the beaten path, the scarcer these big fellows seem to become. I was hoping that the Bay Islands might have a few of these somewhere. So, I have a few leads. Any more ideas? Thanks for your help. Woody

 

[Shawnda]

When we were last there in January we brought a friend of ours along that was 6'5" and 300+ lbs. We dove with Cococnut Tree Divers and after one dive, they gave him 100 lb tanks for the rest of the week. On one morning they actually had two big guys that needed the large tanks so we had 4 of the tanks onboard. So, no shortage of the large tanks at Coconut Tree.