halocline
Contributor
I know a lot of people have asked this question before, but I would just like some advice on the subject of dual tanks. I am a Master Scuba diver, with over 100 dives on my belt. And I have lately been looking into getting a dual set up. Some of the reasons that I am concerned is just the weight factor, and the actual expense. I am 5'8 and 130lbs. I dive a dry suit with 24lbs and a steel 100. Most of my dives are 40-60 min and a range of 1300-1600psi left over. I was wondering if it would be beneficial at all to purchase a dual set, or to stick with my singe.
As many of the responses have indicated, it depends on what you mean by "beneficial." I recently got into doubles solely for the reason of preparing for cavern/cave training, kind of what DA aquamaster and TS&M were mentioning. There is no doubt that doubles act differently in the water, and if you eventually see yourself diving in situations that require them, you might as well start getting used to them. OTOH, it's pretty clear from what you said that you don't need more gas for what you're currently doing. Why are you coming up with almost half a tank now? If it's your buddy, NDL, or being cold, obviously doubles won't address those issues.
As far as the expense goes, I have a feeling I went about as cheap as you can possibly go and I still spent about $550 for two used LP72s, hydro etc, bands, manifold, and a doubles wing. I already had the extra reg and a backplate. About the only way to get into doubles for any less than that is to find a complete set used at a very low price locally. Where you live that might be realistic, here in San Antonio it is not.