What is the best Tank for CA diving?
- Thread starter 415Gem
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Kevin, I would save your money on tanks initially and get into a drysuit first.
Most cold water divers prefer to dive steel tanks, both for their larger capacity and for the fact that they remain negative throughout the dive. However, the fact that they remain negative (and are very heavy) is bad for people diving wetsuits, because the wetsuit loses its buoyancy the deeper you dive, where a drysuit remains consistently buoyant throughout, and can also provide some degree of lift in the event your BC fails.
My singles rig is built around Faber LP95s, which I've really enjoyed. I've also used the PST E8-130s, which are nice tanks (used to be LP104s, until they were re-rated.
I'd encourage you to stay away from any HP tanks... too hard to get good fills, and IMO their weighting isn't good for balancing your rig. Since you're a big guy, you could get away with the E8s just fine (they are BIG cylinders).
If you are traveling to BC, do you intend to take your tanks with you? That's a helluva drive... most operators can hook you up with rentals (I dive BC a lot, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, but it's just a short trek from Seattle...)
Anyway, I've never dived Monterey before, and I'm hoping to do that someday soon. But again, if you intend to dive BC, you are gonna want a drysuit... water temps are in the mid-40's at depth, even in the summer. But the diving is INCREDIBLE!
-d
Most cold water divers prefer to dive steel tanks, both for their larger capacity and for the fact that they remain negative throughout the dive. However, the fact that they remain negative (and are very heavy) is bad for people diving wetsuits, because the wetsuit loses its buoyancy the deeper you dive, where a drysuit remains consistently buoyant throughout, and can also provide some degree of lift in the event your BC fails.
My singles rig is built around Faber LP95s, which I've really enjoyed. I've also used the PST E8-130s, which are nice tanks (used to be LP104s, until they were re-rated.
I'd encourage you to stay away from any HP tanks... too hard to get good fills, and IMO their weighting isn't good for balancing your rig. Since you're a big guy, you could get away with the E8s just fine (they are BIG cylinders).
If you are traveling to BC, do you intend to take your tanks with you? That's a helluva drive... most operators can hook you up with rentals (I dive BC a lot, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, but it's just a short trek from Seattle...)
Anyway, I've never dived Monterey before, and I'm hoping to do that someday soon. But again, if you intend to dive BC, you are gonna want a drysuit... water temps are in the mid-40's at depth, even in the summer. But the diving is INCREDIBLE!
-d
415Gem:
Are you whining about going to Monterey? Why would you post that question here?
Ancient Mariner
Guest
I do most of my diving in Calif., Catalina and Channel Islands. I have a steel tank and find it good for my needs----more air in same dimension and some weight off my weight belt. Also I wear a 7.5 mm Excel wetsuit with integrated hood and find it fine of most of the year , although not okay for Monterey most of the year. And by the way, I'm a senior citizen with some physical impairments that tend to make me more sensitive to cold.
At any rate, I highly recommend Catalina and the Channel Islands----unique , but quite different from warm-water diving.
At any rate, I highly recommend Catalina and the Channel Islands----unique , but quite different from warm-water diving.
we dive Bc I posted a question, "What is the best tank for Ca diving" . I added " I would like to visit BC also ". I don`t feel bad for posting. I only feel bad that you treat me wrongly for asking a question. Whats up with that? Did that 40 degree water freeze your heart? I am trying to learn from this board. Perhaps you though I was on a BC thread. No . I asked what was the best tank for Ca ( California ) divng. Not Canadian. Give me a little leeway, my president is G.W.Bush what do you expect from a US citizen. PS I didn`t vote for him so I`m really not that dumb. 415Gem :11ztonguewedivebc:
415Gem:
Your second post is a bit better in that here you are starting to whine which is more appropriate for this forum. The point that was being made by WediveBC was that "Whine and Cheese" is the wrong forum for this post. You should have put it in the "Tanks and Valves" forum.
415Gem:
See thats the spirit, your getting the hang of this forum.
Actually to answer your question in the spirit of the whine and cheese forum let me say this.
I'm a big guy too 6'3 250#s. I used to own a 130cuft and no one with a puny 80cuft tanks could stay in the water long enough for me to anywhere near empty my tank. And then the stupid guy at the dive shop would charge full price for a fill even though I still had 2000psi in my tank. So i got even with him and bought an AL80. Now it gets empty nearly every dive.
Welcome to the board 415Gem, I don't mean any of it.
cheers,
I`m so guilable. I really didn`t know how to post a question. I got on this thread, not knowing it was the " ribbing " thread. webdiveBC good for you. Thanks for the explanation. Thanks for the ribbing. " A sense of humor is a valuable commodity on Earth" I `m sure of it. 415Gemwedivebc:See thats the spirit, your getting the hang of this forum.
Actually to answer your question in the spirit of the whine and cheese forum let me say this.
I'm a big guy too 6'3 250#s. I used to own a 130cuft and no one with a puny 80cuft tanks could stay in the water long enough for me to anywhere near empty my tank. And then the stupid guy at the dive shop would charge full price for a fill even though I still had 2000psi in my tank. So i got even with him and bought an AL80. Now it gets empty nearly every dive.
Welcome to the board 415Gem, I don't mean any of it.
cheers,
IndigoBlue
Contributor
In a word: drysuit.
Then the answer to the original question becomes: steel 72 tank.
Then the answer to the original question becomes: steel 72 tank.
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