is it worth buying my own cylinder

[batman diver]

If you're worried about the cost of buying a single tank, don't even think about going into technical diving... lol

ha ha only cause im not working @ the moment .. still studying ... when im working then ill get gear for tech

 

[ajduplessis]

hmmm it would be around $70 for all the tests , see wats really pushing me is that the cylinder i wanna but is going at 30% cheaper than anywere else ... on special

Batman, Sounds like you might be buying from Divetek. I would look @ buying a tank if you do more than 50 dive a year. Dave also do visual & hydro testing. I believe he is cheaper that the mentioned $70.

 

[jagter]

Financially it almost never makes sense to buy a cylinder in South Africa. It costs me 70 ZAR ($10) to rent a full 12l cylinder, and 50 ZAR ($7) for an air fill. So the saving is only 20 ZAR. You have to do a LOT of diving for that R20 saving to add up enough to even cover the cost of visual and hydro inspections.

Where it does make a lot of sense though: I have yet to encounter a dive operation in South Africa that will rent you a cylinder if you don't go on their guided dives or charters, so it ends up costing a fortune.
I prefer diving independently, I hate following a dive master. So for that reason alone I bought a couple of cylinders. Search the classifieds, you can pick up in visual, in hydro aluminum cylinders for about R750

 

[ajduplessis]

Jagter, I agree on the renting option in South Africa unless you dive a lot (100 dives per year or more). I would be very careful around buying second hand or new ALI's. The reason is that a lot of America (imperial) Luxfers doing the rounds. These tanks take a 3/4 tread on the valve. The standard for South Africa (europe) is M25. Some tanks have had valve replacements, where the owner unknowingly fits a M25 tread valve to the 3/4 tanks with disastrous (explosive) results (4 in the last couple of months).

M25 valves will screw into a 3/4 tread, but not the other way around. The contact/surface is reduced by around 80% and any level of pressure is likely to cause a valve coming off at speed!!!!!! If you go this route make sure the valve is the correct tread for the tank!!!!!

 

[jagter]

The reason is that a lot of America (imperial) Luxfers doing the rounds. These tanks take a 3/4 tread on the valve. The standard for South Africa (europe) is M25. Some tanks have had valve replacements, where the owner unknowingly fits a M25 tread valve to the 3/4 tanks with disastrous (explosive) results (4 in the last couple of months).

M25 valves will screw into a 3/4 tread, but not the other way around. The contact/surface is reduced by around 80% and any level of pressure is likely to cause a valve coming off at speed!!!!!! If you go this route make sure the valve is the correct tread for the tank!!!!!

:shocked2: You just scared me into checking my cylinders, as one of the selling points when I bought them was the brand new valves they came with. The cylinders have M25x2-ISO stamped onto them and the valves also have M25x2 engraved on them. Phew!

Glad it's ok. I did check the alloy before I bought. The guy I bought it from found the whole lot on an auction from a bankrupt dive shop, and at least half the cylinders were made from the dodgy 6351 alloy.

 

[ajduplessis]

Good to hear. What's the diving like in Plett, have never dived there?

 

[jagter]

Good to hear. What's the diving like in Plett, have never dived there?

The diving is great if the conditions are good, and living here and working from home I can go diving on the days offering the best conditions. (maybe 3 days a month) Lots of soft corrals, rays, sharks, dolphins and seals. And even a nice wreck, a 850 ton trawler. The one thing I like is that there are 3 reefs and some pinacles reachable from a shore entry, so I don't have to shell out too much cash for boat dives. (Plus I get seasick on boats)

As a dive destination it doesn't offer much, as odds are the conditions will be borderline or undiveable. You have to spend a lot of time here to get the right conditions.