Double tank diving

[Scuba1]

You can get 15l or even 18l tanks they loo like one can live in them apart from no windows but they still create a lot less drag under water as 10 double´s and easeer to handle topside you also have to look, that your BC can handle twins.

My tip go for a large single for your type of diving.

Michael

 

[TexasMike]

Uncle Pug....

I was wondering with your new avatar..........does this mean if I was your buddy, I'd have to walk a mile to get to the dive site?

 

[TexasMike]

Big Diver.....

Thought of another potential solution to your desire for more time on the bottom that we haven't covered yet.......

• NITROX

Using enriched air has shown to increase your bottom times for the same depth while also increasing the NDL time.

And a basic Nitrox certification can usually be obtained for $100 depending on the shop/instructor.

The only downside is that nitrox fills are not as easy to obtain.

 

[The Chairman]

Another downside of NitrOx is limiting just how deep you CAN go... as well as others.

As for Uncle Pug's Avatar, Lady Diver just made one from the picture in his profile... She did a great job as he actually looks better in the avatar!!! (OK, where is the nearest exit???)

 

[Campana]

"The reason I am interested is to increase bottom time. I consider myself fairly efficient with breathing but right when i am getting to the dive its time to go up again. I have no intentions of going beyond recreational limits just that i want more time to enjoy the under water world. Hope that helps

Here's two things I did, both of which I recommend:

1. I got some LP 95's (Scubapro by Faber) for my main tanks. They're my favorites. They are rated at 2640 in the US. Rumor has it that they are rated much higher in Europe and elsewhere, and the company states that they are good for 10,000 fills to over 4,000 psi. That means that they are strong, easy to get good fills, and will last a lifetime.

2. I bought a set of old 72's doubled up, for $100. They were funky, but I cleaned em up, got them tumbled, (they had a fresh hydro with a plus rating) and use them all the time. If they were filled "a little" over, they are really 85's, giving you 170 ft3. This is, of course, only theoretical, as I would never, ever advocate overfilling tanks. In the unlikely event that some other braver soul might overfill a tank to get more air, he should be very, very, sure that it's a steel tank, not an aluminum tank.

I am large (6'2" and 250#) but my air consumption is pretty decent. I just like to be the last guy up. I have shared my air with a buddy many times. (See "long hose")

Now if you get some doubles, you'll have to consider a backplate and wing and junk your old BC. That'd be awful. There are numerous threads here and elsewhere about backplates and wings, but it's only the more perverse and antisocial members of these forums that advocate such radical equipment.

 

[FloridaDiver]

A PST LP 104 combined with Nitrox and a respectable SAC rate will give you a great deal of bottom time within recreational limits while still being relatively easy to carry around. I feel that the increased weight, cost and complexity of doubles make them overkill for most recreational diving situations.

Of course, things change once you start to dive outside the realm of recreational diving. Below 130' or while doing dives requiring 1/3'rds (cave, wreck penetration), the added capacity of doubles allows for proper gas management planning. This type of diving requires specialized training and experience.

Also, I've never seen a recreational diver on a boat in Florida or the Carribean diving doubles. They're all diving AL80's and doing 45 minute dives. I've yet to need doubles on any boat charter, ever.

So, purchase a PST LP 104 with a modular valve, dive that for awhile. If the need arises in the future, buy another 104 with another valve and a manifold, a couple of bands, and you have your doubles. You'll need another reg and a BP/Wings rig with enough lift as well.

 

[Scubaroo]

Whoa! Thems fightin words Campana!

 

[TexasMike]

...but it's only the more perverse and antisocial members of these forums that advocate such radical equipment.

I've met Campana......and I'd have to say he is one of the nicest "perverce's" I've ever met. (whoops! almost said perverts!!)

You wouldn't be related to another guy from Perv named Ahz who hangs out with a fellow called Skeeve, woud ya?

 

[The Chairman]

You know Texas Mike, the more I know of you, the more you are like me. Now THATS scary!

 

[TexasMike]

Kinda makes you wonder what's gonna happen to the universe the day we show up at the same dive site and buddy up!

(PS. Just started in on Terry Pratchett and Discworld....another very interesting read)