If you're diving locally, buy an HP80
I'm just starting, so I don't know much...are these steel tanks? Are all steel tanks shorter than AL80s?
One of the divers in our regular group is a petite woman. She dives Al 63s where available and yet is able to achieve dive times just as long as some of us who are on Al 80s. I suppose there is a relation between one's body size and air consumption rate.
My lds said they will have some Al tanks that have the same capacity as Al80s on sale at some point. Depending on price, I may do that or the steel tanks mentioned above. The steel tanks might be a good idea since I'll be diving cold locally and kinda need to be held down in the water at this point.
@Altamira I prefer the tank banging my knees rather than my head.
Yeah, I was thinking this is definitely the lesser of two evils.
If you plan to dive tropical destinations, AL80s are the most common tanks, but AL63s are sometimes available. Some places just have a few around, and other places it's helpful to arrange ahead to try and put dibs on them (especially for a liveaboard where you will generally use the same tank all week. Depending where they are, sometimes if they don't have them on board they can get their hands on some if they know in advance.) There are also tropical destinations that are all about playing dive sherpa (often referred to as valet diving) where you'll never lift a tank.
Thanks for this tip. I definitely want to go abroad next year.
View attachment 463649 View attachment 463648 Tank used to hit me in head AND butt, however the rails on my Freedom Contour back plate and wing setup moved tank up to trim, so i can wear tank lower without getting spanked.
I would not carry tank on my sloping shoulders and minimum upper body strength, perilous. At home i have wheeled folding cart am trying to design a DIY lightweight, micro travel version for trips to florida. Ideas welcome.
I am more dwarf that sprite, so i buy regular wetsuit, gloves, fins and cut to shorten. The knee pads become shin pads, but still. I cut my fins in a thread called flipper nipping, to fit in suitcase and also avoid over straining short legs.
I want a BP/W. The jacket bcd I've been renting feels like a puffy corset. If a bp/w can solve the tank dangle problem as well as the corset problem, that would be great. Is that feature specific to the Freedom Contour? I thought about just chopping off the extra length of neoprene rather than getting a custom wetsuit, but wondered whether it'd be like chopping off the legs of regular pants, which are cut to fit specific parts of the leg, so you'd get a weird fit. Also, would that screw up the seams?
Our Women's size small is designed for 5 -1 to 5' 3" so you are well within the range of a stock suit- assuming that your weight is within the range of 105 to 125 lbs.
thanks, I'll check them out
OP, FWIW: I'm 5'8", 5'9" if you round, and I STILL can't let my arms dangle free while holding an AL80 or it drags. However, I'm all torso, not much leg length, so tank position isn't an issue at all.
Do you sling the tank? After the debate above about whether it's a good idea, I'm picturing myself dropping it on its valve and causing some kind of explosion. I'm not weak per se, I lift weights but they're so awkward to handle.
Get yourself a fold-up hand truck (trolley to us Brits) for the cylinder and save you back at the same time....
yeah, I might do that for local dives
My girlfriend is 5'2" and found a Pinnacle suit that fits her extremely well.
I know a woman who dives with a small aluminum tank (I thought it was a 50 but perhaps it's a 63). She is rather petite but one small tank filled with Nitrox
I have a set of steel double 50s (or 45s?) which are short and wide and the bands have a built-in handle that actually works.
I'll look at those wetsuits, thanks. And I plan to get Nitrox certified soon.
So are steel tanks in general shorter?
As said somewhere above, you petite gals seem to have gills....
Just about everyone has said this, so I guess it goes into the plus column, where it joins fitting into airplane seats.
