Where to rent 15L tanks in Cairns?

[kaes]

I'm taking a 7 day liveaboard trip to the Coral Sea starting 1st week of May. I'm interested in renting 15 liter tanks for the trip but the boat does not offer them. Does anyone know any dive shops in Cairns that rent 15L tanks? Thanks.

 

[stiebs]

Umm... any particular reason you feel you need to bring your own 15L tanks on a Coral Sea liveaboard?

 

[kaes]

I'm 2 meters and 135 KG and burn through air quicker than I like. Depending on depth, I normally get about 40-45 mins with 12L tank. 15L tank extends my bottom time to 55-60 mins.

 

[stiebs]

To be honest, I really wouldn't worry about it. Last GBR liveaboard I did, dives averaged 15-20m for around 45 minutes. And I was often first in, last out. I also found myself finishing a lot of dives in the shallows, as that's where a lot of the good stuff was.

If you can't already tell, I think you're stressing about your consumption more than you really need to. I wouldn't worry about it. Just use the tanks on the boat and suck 'em down

PS. I assume you mean you want a run time of 55-60 mins, not a bottom time.

 

[kaes]

Yeah, i meant "run time" not "bottom time". You're definitely right, if dives end up in the shallows then using 12L (std) tanks work fine. My concern is when majority of dive is 20-30m. Not having the 15L tanks is not a huge issue its just nice to have that little extra time if needed. I dive with my wife and can always pull off her tanks also ;-) Thanks.