Tank

[Blackbeard 69]

The only thing I don't have is a tank, Is it better to go buy a atank or just rent one every time you dive? P.S. Going next week for NITROX classes.

 

[pjones]

I haven't a tank myself but the way it was explained to me is if you have a couple tanks on hand you can be a little more spontaneous with your dives. If you find that the weather is nicer than what was expected, the moon is out and bright than you could call your friend and do a night dive that night if you wish, but if you rent than you wouldn't be able to get the tanks after the store closes. That was enough to sell me on the idea but I have a long way to go before I get there

 

[idocsteve]

Easy enough to do the math.

Figure out how many local dives it will take to pay off the purchase price of the tank, and then throw in a couple more per year to cover the cost of the visual and hydros as needed and you can decide for yourself.

The other advantages of owning your own tank is that you don't have to return it to the shop immediately after the dive, and if the dive is cancelled or aborted or whatever you can hold onto the tanks until next time.

Plus if you want to impress a potential girlfriend it helps to leave the tanks out where she can see them when you bring her back to your place.

 

[onefastpony]

Easy enough to do the math.


Plus if you want to impress a potential girlfriend it helps to leave the tanks out where she can see them when you bring her back to your place.

Classic

 

[Brian Sharpe]

Owning your own tanks can make sense from both an economic & enjoyment point of view.

If you 25 or 30 "local" dives a year and your LDS charges $10 rental it doesn't take too long to pay for a couple of AL80s. If you decide to go with HP steel tanks (my preference) the payback time is longer. Check with your LDS - many of them will offer free fill incentives (mine gave me 100 free fills with each tank).

Having tanks filled & ready to go is a big convenience, you can head out for a couple of dives on a moments notice.

While having scuba tanks around the house may impress potential girlfriends they have the opposite effect on a non-diving spouse - it's just more "toys" taking up space in the house!

 

[Road Guy]

while we were in the keys (where supprisingly dive shop gear was a good bit cheaper than what I could buy locally here in Atlanta) I picked up a steel 95 tank, which still puts me renting one when we go on trips, but its been nice to have for above mentioned reasons, but the dive shops we were using in the keys didnt always have the larger tanks available for rent, so for the deeper wreck (spiegal, duanne, etc) dives it was nice to have that couple extra minutes on the dive and a good buffer of air for ascent, safety stop, etc..

and you obvioulsy want the nitrox beforehand if your going that route...

sadly mine has been sitting in the garage for far too long since my last dive (August)......

 

[BobcatM]

All of the above are great options on why or why not to get a tank.

Personally I like to have one for testing gear, especially if I am flying somewhere or going on a trip and can't just run to the local dive shop and get something fixed if something is indeed a miss.

I always check my gear before going out a day or two before in my swimming pool. That why I am certain everything is in order and will be less worrisome.

 

[BonaireDan]

For local diving wherever you can drive a personal tank or two is almost always beneficial. In the long run it saves money. Tanks last 15 years or more. Aluminum 80s may cost around $200 or less than $20 per year. Quite a nice investment. Steel tanks are about twice that price but at under $50 per year (or less) still a very great bargain if you dive locally.

If you travel by air to warm and sunny places only (and don't dive locally) tanks are not critical.

I like steel tanks because of the buoyancy factors.

 

[Doc Harry]

I never found that owning a tank made any sense from either a financial or convenience perspective.

Now, let's talk about owning 2-3 tanks!.............