WetBoy101
Contributor
It just goes to show you that air consumption is controlled more by the brain than the lungs!!!
Steel tanks
- Thread starter RDRINK25
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RDRINK25
Contributor
Thinking back now I did use the DM's 10ft octo for 10 min and it was a steel 120 either way it was a considerable difference. My wife had the 100.
I get this question a lot, "do you have steel 100s?". It's generally from divers with less than 30-40 dives that haven't built up their ability to slow down their air usage.
I don't mean to be critical or callous, but if a diver is getting 30-35 minutes on a relatively average shallow dive and obviously runs through the air significantly faster than the more experienced divers, it's generally the way the diver is diving that is the problem and not the size of the tank, and throwing a larger tank on won't make nearly as much improvement in bottom time as 2 or 3 simple tips (breath slower, don't swim with your hands, etc) and 2-4 dives of practice using those methods will make.
As I said, we get the question quite often, probably 2-3 times a month (I'm small, 2-3 customers can be 10% of my monthly customer count in slower months, luckily most customers dive for numerous days). When I get it I try to explain that even though I don't have steel 100s, we can very likely help them get significantly longer dive times in a couple days by giving them some breathing/diving tips. Some people I never hear from again, many book a few days. In several years of doing this, I've had lots of people get 35-45 minutes of bottom time on thier first dives (they weren't kidding about their air usage), but I can't think of one that didn't get a 55-60 minute or longer dives in by the end of a few days of diving, many push 70-80 minutes. Most are doing significantly better by day two or three. I've had a couple people over the years take 5 charters or so to get to where they were diving for an hour at a time, but it usually doesn't take that many dives to get there.
Learning how not to suck through the air will stick with you, simply throwing a bigger tank at the problem won't fix it.
I don't mean to be critical or callous, but if a diver is getting 30-35 minutes on a relatively average shallow dive and obviously runs through the air significantly faster than the more experienced divers, it's generally the way the diver is diving that is the problem and not the size of the tank, and throwing a larger tank on won't make nearly as much improvement in bottom time as 2 or 3 simple tips (breath slower, don't swim with your hands, etc) and 2-4 dives of practice using those methods will make.
As I said, we get the question quite often, probably 2-3 times a month (I'm small, 2-3 customers can be 10% of my monthly customer count in slower months, luckily most customers dive for numerous days). When I get it I try to explain that even though I don't have steel 100s, we can very likely help them get significantly longer dive times in a couple days by giving them some breathing/diving tips. Some people I never hear from again, many book a few days. In several years of doing this, I've had lots of people get 35-45 minutes of bottom time on thier first dives (they weren't kidding about their air usage), but I can't think of one that didn't get a 55-60 minute or longer dives in by the end of a few days of diving, many push 70-80 minutes. Most are doing significantly better by day two or three. I've had a couple people over the years take 5 charters or so to get to where they were diving for an hour at a time, but it usually doesn't take that many dives to get there.
Learning how not to suck through the air will stick with you, simply throwing a bigger tank at the problem won't fix it.
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Charlie99
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The last time I looked, just a few months ago, Lahaina Dives was still using Luxfer aluminum 72's.
Actual capacity 69.6 cu ft at 3000psi. 6.9" diameter so they want to slip out of my camband which has a permanent kink at the 7.25" diameter of AL80. Buoyancy is +3.6 pounds when empty .... so they are 1 pound less positive than an empty AL80.
your math!
kanonfodr
Contributor
What he said. When I started diving I was using LP95s and getting 40-45 mins on a shallow (>30 ft) dive. When I left Hawaii over a hundred dives later I was getting over 65 mins on a LP85 tank, same dive site. The biggest drop was about dive 30 or so, and it has continued dropping since.
Peace,
Greg
Uzbeckin
Registered
Or you can get a steel 130 and a scooter and then just worry about your deco time.
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