Mini Scuba Cylinder for practice in SoCal?

[euroguycc]

Hello,

I am looking for / wondering if a SMACO mini scuba diving cylinder to use for practice in a pool would be worth it.

I am getting my PADI open water certification but thus far only had the 1st pool session on 7/18.

I am supposed to go open water diving this coming Sunday 8/9 but would love to re-practice what I've learned during that first pool session (mask clearing / trim / controlled buoyancy) but unfortunately cannot do so without remaining underwater for a few minutes at a time...

Not having access to a tank, but having wetsuit / fins / mask / snorkel / bcd / weights, and access to a pool this weekend, I was thinking that getting such a tank might be worth it.

I live in West Los Angeles, and thus far haven't been able to find anything on amazon that would arrive on time.
Ebay is also very hit or miss, with most posts only having a mini scuba diving cylinder without the pump to refill it...

Any thoughts re this kind of mini cylinders?
And - provided some positives - any idea where I could get one in Los Angeles?

 

[Esprise Me]

Don't do this. You can still end or ruin your life solo diving without proper training even in a pool. Wait for your class, or talk to your instructor about paying for an extra pool session with him/her.

 

[Boston Breakwater]

Hello. Don't take a shower..............You can die in 3 Tablespoons of water....LOL.
"Mini" cylinder????????????????????? Just buy a tank. 80 Cubic Aluminum / 95 Cubic Steel or whatever you want. Just think about the type of diving you want to do, and buy the appropriate tank. Have fun.
I personally..............won't use my equipment in chlorine. (A few dives shouldn't hurt it much.) Did I say have fun? Oh yeah...................................Have fun.
Welcome to the board.
Cheers.

 

[rhwestfall]

no

 

[kelemvor]

Nope. Those things are dangerous precisely because they're sold to people who haven't been trained. Diving with one of those is no different safety wise than diving with a regular sized tank. Well it might be more dangerous because you have a much more limited supply of air to breathe.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

If you need more practice time, just ask the instructor. Your money will be far better spent on an additional day of pool time, or on a guided dive after the class, than on this pump and tank.

The tank will not hold a significant amount of air, and you have to pump it 800 times to get it even to that few minutes capacity underwater. 15-20 minutes from those 800 pumps is a lie. Don't trust a company who photoshops their product into stock photography to tell you the truth about anything.

You can practice mask clearing while snorkeling in a pool, and you won't be able to really practice trim and buoyancy considering you don't have a BCD, weights, etc, so the added value of this tank is nearly 0.

100% of scuba students are new at this, and many of them are left feeling like they could use more practice, considering how fast most classes are run. But I'm sure for $260 you could get the instructor to meet you and spend another day in the pool together, and that will be far more valuable than this tank.

 

[scrane]

If you've only had one confined water dive don't you have three more to go? You should have plenty of time under supervised conditions to acquire your basic skills. The SMACO gizmo might sound like fun, but I doubt it's worth the trouble. Patience.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

You can literally buy a used AL80 with current hydro and vis for less than the cost of one of those.

Complete your OW course and put the money you would have wasted on one of those things towards a real cylinder/tank.

That and there’s no point in training with a piece of equipment that you’re not going to use for a “real” dive.

 

[Bob DBF]

anyone that thinks they can hand pump up a tank to SCUBA pressures haven't tried it, or even pumped up a car tire with one of those small bicycle mounted pumps. Yes it can be done, but you will have to give up your day job to make the time.

Get certified and save your money for real gear.

 

[crzyfish]

I have one of those SMACO tanks (I bought it for the pump to charge my paintball tank). Don't waste your money on it to dive, it's not safe if you're not trained. The dive shop where you do your training should have a pool and instructors to let you bone up on basic drills in the pool with someone supervising. Or, hire your instructor for some private refresher. You're not certified yet, so a tank and a pool by yourself can spell disaster. When you're CERTIFIED, then go buy a tank on Craigslist, on SB, or from your LDS.

BTW, would I dive with a SMACO? Only as a slinged pony when I'm travelling and can't bring my regular pony. It's not much bigger than a 3CF Spare Air. I have a 17CF or 19CF pony that I sling.