Bonaire-anyone ever dove 'independent doubles' there?

[scubafanatic]

I'm planning a week in Bonaire (Belmar) Julu 19--26th, and it appears only AL80's and AL63's will be available. Having been spoiled by the PST E7-120's used by Liquid Blue in Cozumel, and assuming such tanks are non-existant in Bonaire, I'm considering diving 'independent' AL63's in Bonaire.

I'm a bit of an air-hog, and would appreciate not having to worry about short-changing the group with reduced bottom times...so if HP120's are unavailable, my next option is a pair of AL63's.

I have used manifolded doubles (LP95's/LP85's/AL80's) so doubles won't be new to me........however, I've never dove 'independent' twins......but I'm thinking a pair of AL63's would do nicely......allowing me to be competitive on air, yet not being too heavy to handle for all the shore diving we'll be doing.

Has anyone tried this configuration while diving Bonaire, and would anyone expect me to get any 'flak' from the dive shop for diving this way?

Karl

 

[Pettifogger]

I've done it and no one cared a bit.

I did it on a couple deeper dives and one so I could penetrate the Hilma Hooker and satisfy the preplanned deco obligation (ean 32 in one and ean 36 in the other), but the procedure is the same. It is like diving doubles with the manifold closed... Here is what you do:

Grab a couple of tanks from whomever you have rented tanks from for for the week. Put them together and go diving.

Now here are the problems:

All the tanks are yoke tanks (I never saw any DIN tanks) so if your setup is for doubles you will likely need 2 yoke adaptors.

You also need two separate SPGs for each setup.

Also, how are you linking the tanks together. There are some good commercial products out there. For ease of use and for more easily swapping tanks, I use the one with the velcro straps - sorry can't remember the name...

The other problems are that the weight of each tank changes during the dive (assuming they were close in weight at the beginning, which you should check) So you either are prepared for it, or you breath off one for a while, then switch to the other for a while. DONT breathe one down to near zero... The other tank may not work...

Keep the pressures of each tank as close as possible (unless you need to keep one tank full). It also helps to strap the tanks together as close as possible so you don't feel like you are being pulled over to one side or the other.

There are more pros and cons to it and some safety issues. How about diving a single and taking the second tank along as a stage bottle in a sling at your side?

I summary: You just take the tanks, what you do with them after you pick them up is up to you...

Happy diving.

P-fogger

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Just an FYI, Walt, who teaches some technical courses and rebreathers at Captain DOn's has some steel doubles available. I dont recall if he rented them out for normal diving. He does guided dives on the Windjammer, provided you have Trimix certs.
I did have a dive planned where my buddy and I were going to dive with AL-80's slung as stage bottles. I brought bolt snaps, some line, and clamps to make it work. Easy way to dive two independent cylinders, and its almost like sidemounting them. We were both using Zeagle Ranger BC's. The dive never happened, as the timing of things didnt work out. We were trying to sneak in a dive on the Windjammer. Instead, we did multiple dives on the Hooker.

 

[The Fresh Prince]

Walt Stark is the tech instructor. He has a set of Hp100's and alum 80's for rent with DIN valves. Dove the Windjammer with him last year. He can also set you up with deco tanks, but you should bring all the regs as he has limited amounts.

 

[scubafanatic]

Hi Pettifoger and LUBOLD8431,

The LDS that I'm doing Bonaire with will primarily be recreational diving...however, a couple of the divers have expressed interest in Extended Range class, and we will have 2 TDI instructors going, so I'm going to suggest to them the possibility of maybe doing that class while we're down there, and maybe dive the Windjammer as part of that class.

At present I don't have Trimix certification, and doubt that class will happen prior to the trip, so if Trimix is required, I guess we'll have to skip the Windjammer.

Pettifogger, thanks for your info.....I suspected the dive shop couldn't care less if I dove twin AL63's, so I think that's what I'll plan to do.

I've got Poseidon Odins (which come from the factory as DIN with Yoke adapters) so yoke tank valves won't be an issue........and I've got twin SPG's and twin Oceanic DataMax Pro AI Nitrox computers, and I'm considering buying a Dive Rite Dual Rec wing....so I'll be in good shape gear wise to dive 'independents'.

The gas in an AL63 weighs 5 lbs...so if I alternate between tanks, I can't imagine getting more than a 1 or 2 lbs difference between tanks...so balance/trim shouldn't be a problem.......and certainly I'll periodically switch regs to balance gas reserves.

I have a lot more practice diving doubles, and have only done 2 dives with an AL40 stage bottle, so for now I think I'll dive both tanks back-mounted.

LUBOLD8431, I don't want to step on too many toes at my LDS.....I'm going to brainstorm with them to see if there's any interest among the rest of the group to do some 'steel doubles' diving...or maybe the 'rebreather experience' dive....I'd be happier diving that way....but pretty much all the other divers are recreational, so my suspicion is we won't end up doing anything 'exotic' on this trip...just gentle reef type diving and probably do the Helma Hooker as that's only @ 100 ft. deep (no penetration).

So I'm gonna go for the twin AL63's, and everyone else will likely stick with single AL80's or AL 63's......and I can have a good time knowing I won't be the one calling the dives.

Karl

 

[scubafanatic]

Hi jjstephen,

I've got regs to spare, but it would be nice to hook up with an instructor/shop that has enough manifolded doubles to outfit several divers....the only shop I've heard of on Bonaire that appears to qualify is 'Rec Tek Scuba'.

I'll be diving with a group, so the logistics of me rounding up doubles while the rest of the group is waiting on me to go diving, having picked up their AL80's at the hotel, may be an issue.....unless I can convince a few other divers to join me in doubles dives.....however, none of the other divers (aside from our 2 TDI instructors/guides) has ever dove doubles before.

I suspect I won't get to dive manifolded doubles on this trip, unless I can talk my shop into doing an Extended Range class while were down there.......however, right now I'm the only non-instructor level diver going on the trip that is Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures certified, which I understand is the prequisite for Extended Range.

Karl

 

[scubaotter]

Karl,

My husband dives dual tanks as well. During our last trip to Bonaire we found it almost impossible to find a manifold set up. I would highly recommend diving with two sets of regs. and guages. Actually my husband likes diving without the manifold because it is faster to change out the tanks.

 

[rjchandler]

fanatic - Walt does courses. You could break off from your group and take a course withe him a couple days?

You'll have fun with doubles at "thousand steps".

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

Pettifogger,

Thanks for the news. We'll be on Bonaire and Curacao this May and I was already planning to use independant doubles on at least a few dives while there (gas pig that I am relative to my spouse). I've also found the velcro double bands to be a good quick system.

 

[pitah]

lift question.

is a pionner wing enough to lift 2 al80´s, if one is mounted back and the other as stage bottle?

as pettifogger says "...How about diving a single and taking the second tank along as a stage bottle in a sling at your side? ..."