Well, the good news is I finally got back underwater.

[Marek K]

BTW, two people have made mention of aluminum tanks regarding buoyancy. It doesn't matter at all whether your tanks are aluminum, steel, or balsa wood. The change in buoyancy is the same when you breath off the same amount of air from any of them.

I was going to mention the same thing as soon as I got to the bottom of this thread.

Steel and aluminum tanks do have different buoyancy with the same amount of gas -- an aluminum tank (alone!) normally becomes positively buoyant as it empties; while a steel tank (alone!) stays negative.

But the difference in buoyancy of you and your entire system is the same for steel and alu, from the start to the end of your dive. You do need a little extra weight with an aluminum tank, because it's inherently less negative; and that's why the difference in material is important.

But the only buoyancy difference is due the loss of gas mass during your dive -- and you're breathing away the same mass whether you're using a steel or an alu tank.

Or...?

--Marek

 

[Orlando Eric]

Dives With Turtles & Marek K --

It is refreshing to see someone state that. I have heard that Steel tank trash talk so much that it makes me roll my eyes. I dive Alum 100's very often and almost everytime I hear that old.. well they are too bouyant at the end of the dive.

Unfortunaley even at 185# and 6'1" I still have enough fat that when I don even only a pair of swim trunks and my gear I still wear like 6 to 8#. Diving this winter with a 7mm I wear 16~18 #.

Back to the Tanks! Steel 100 filled in water weighs -8.9 lbs negative bouyancey, and empty negative -1.4 pounds. which is a swing of +7.9 lbs.

Aluminum 100 is -3.9 pounds filled and +3.5 pounds empty. This is a +7.4 swing.

This information came from the Luxfer site and I can not account for the difference in swing but that is their published information.

So at the end of a dive if I have my weights right I am nuetral. Exactly the same as if I where wearing a steel tank. The whole Aluminum Vs Steel debate is bunk.

However the people who dive with NO B/C and NO wieghts.. that is in my opinion a very bad idea. It is a good plan to be able to get bouyant if needed.

And now ... Back to the unhijacked thread and admiring Lisa the Texas Diver who visited Florida and missed one of the greatest attractions in the state.. Diving with ME!

Eric

 

[Lisa0825]

And now ... Back to the unhijacked thread and admiring Lisa the Texas Diver who visited Florida and missed one of the greatest attractions in the state.. Diving with ME!

Eric

LOL! Well, I DID post about my plans several times in at least three threads, from contemplation stage up to what hotel I was in! So, if anyone is at fault for me missing out on such an opportunity, it would be you!

 

[DandyDon]

I got back to my hotel and arranged for a wakeup call at 8am. I woke up at 9am, no wakeup call. So more rushing around to make sure I could get to the hotel and then my dive appt in time. The drive went smoother than I expected, and I was ahead of schedule, despite the missed call… that is, until I got to mile marker 84 and came to a standstill. Turns out there was a major accident on Hwy 1at MM 78 and it was closed down. I lost about 2.5 hours and was 40 minutes late to the dive op in Marathon, but they waited for me.

Wow, girl - so many problems. We chatted about your trip plans last month, but I was not aware of some of these details. You may have already know these suggestions now, but I'll offer them just in case.

(1) I like to stay in a hotel close to the Op. It sounds like you stayed in Miami, then drove down for an afternoon dive? I would have preferred driving to Marathon the night before, but perhaps you were closer...?

(2) I never trust wake-up calls - use my cell phone alarm clock.

(3) Afternoon dives tend to be rougher than morning dives.

(4) Dress rehearsals..!! Test the gear in the water someplace easy like the pool before you go to sea.

So what about the reg or did I miss that being address again here? Was it anxiety, or bad reg?

 

[Lisa0825]

Wow, girl - so many problems. We chatted about your trip plans last month, but I was not aware of some of these details. You may have already know these suggestions now, but I'll offer them just in case.

(1) I like to stay in a hotel close to the Op. It sounds like you stayed in Miami, then drove down for an afternoon dive? I would have preferred driving to Marathon the night before, but perhaps you were closer...?

(2) I never trust wake-up calls - use my cell phone alarm clock.

(3) Afternoon dives tend to be rougher than morning dives.

(4) Dress rehearsals..!! Test the gear in the water someplace easy like the pool before you go to sea.

So what about the reg or did I miss that being address again here? Was it anxiety, or bad reg?

1) I arrived in Miami at 10:30pm, so I decided to get a room there that night, as opposed to driving alone, late at night, in an unfamiliar area.
2) Not being one to trust other people's alarm clocks, I set the alarm AND arranged a wake-up call, both of which failed. No worries, though.... it was only the difference between a leisurely shower and breakfast vs drive-through food. I still should have had at least 2 hours to spare, if not for the highway being closed down for 2.5 or more. The stress had more to do with sitting in my car with no control over how to get there, as the one and only road to my destination was closed down. Then, when I got there, getting changed right away, getting my equipment, etc.
3) Since I was arriving late at night, I figured an early morning dive would be unwise for me that day. The dive I did on Sunday was a morning dive, and it did go better.
4) I don't know of any pool in my area where I could test things. Hopefully I will find somewhere by the next attempt.

I don't know if the reg was a problem or not. The second one was definitely easier to breath out of, but I was wearing a BC that fit much better at that time as well. So, the breathing issues could have been a combination of a difficult reg and too-tight equipment, or just the BC, or as others have said, unrecognized anxiety.... I lean toward the BC being the main issue, since I felt some difficutly breathing when I buckeld up.

 

[Ishie]

I'll second (or fourth or fifth) the different BC style recommendation.

When I got my DR Transpac (wing setup), though I like the trim and all that, the sole reason I bought it was because it was comfortable and didn't squeeze me at all. I find that squeeze issue to be fairly common with other women too. I like the cummerbund, though it's optional, but mine is padded, so no problems there.

I have played with jacket bcs that didn't squeeze me, but to be comfortable, they pretty much had to be way too big.

Comfort level is very important when you begin diving. I had trouble when I first started less due to my BC (which was also constricting me), but because my hood was too tight and causing me to feel strangled. Inevitably, with the stress of already learning how to dive, it caused problems. Relaxation is key as is making sure the rented equipment is comfortable for you until you can afford your own gear. Before I got my own stuff, on the few occasions I did wear a hood, I would typically go through every rental hood they had until I found one that was tolerable.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, getting in that late - I'd agree - drive down the next morning and go for the afternoon dive. Sounds like you had a good plan - then got to learn from the challenges even the best plans can incur.

Better luck next time.

 

[Storm]

I underwent the same situation on one of my OW dives. I was having problems getting to that relaxed deep breathing, even on the surface without a reg , with a Jacket BC w cumberbunt.

What I found was that in order to jeep the BC in correct position, I had to tighten up the cunberbunt way too much. Even with this excess cinching, the BC would ride up, placing the cunberbunt too high on my chest thus constricting my breathing ability.

For me, the solution was simple. I added a crotch strap to my BC setup. Now I do not have to tighten up the cumberbunt so much, the BC stays where it supposed too, I can breathe easily, thus life's good.

I am going to look into BP/WING setup eventually, but unitl then, my current BC with the crotch strap addition, works fine. Sometimes the most minor adjustments can make a huge difference.

BTW if you do make adjustments, like adding a crotch strap, to your gear, make sure you remember to point these out to your dive buddy, and show them where the added releases are.

Cheer!

 

[Lisa0825]

I underwent the same situation on one of my OW dives. I was having problems getting to that relaxed deep breathing, even on the surface without a reg , with a Jacket BC w cumberbunt.

What I found was that in order to jeep the BC in correct position, I had to tighten up the cunberbunt way too much. Even with this excess cinching, the BC would ride up, placing the cunberbunt too high on my chest thus constricting my breathing ability.

For me, the solution was simple. I added a crotch strap to my BC setup. Now I do not have to tighten up the cumberbunt so much, the BC stays where it supposed too, I can breathe easily, thus life's good.

I am going to look into BP/WING setup eventually, but unitl then, my current BC with the crotch strap addition, works fine. Sometimes the most minor adjustments can make a huge difference.

BTW if you do make adjustments, like adding a crotch strap, to your gear, make sure you remember to point these out to your dive buddy, and show them where the added releases are.

Cheer!

The first BC (the one I couldn't breathe well in) didn't have much room for adjusting. The second one did, so I made sure it wasn't too tight, and on dry land, it felt like it fit. Once under water, however, my head would hit the tank if I looked up. And the more bouyant I got, the higher the tank seemed to sit, so the easier it was to bonk my head on it. I tried pulling it down and tightening the straps, but it still was in the way. I thought about the crotch strap at that point, wondering if that kind of setup would help hold the tank lower on my back.

I guess it's just one of those things where I'll have to try a bunch of them until I find one I love and then go out and buy it!

 

[Ishie]

Ah, I forgot about that. Perhaps the reason my cummerbund doesn't bug me is I have the crotch strap. Also has a scooter ring that I clip my gauges to so I can just look down and see them without having to unclip.

I also have twin cam straps so that I can mount my tank lower, which I like to do.

Another thing that might help... I don't know your height, but when I started diving I was getting whacked in the back of the head with the tank and it was too long since I'm a bit short for an AL-80. I have a PST 80, which is tiny (but wider), and so I don't have that problem much anymore.