Coming back with TOO MUCH air??

[DevonDiver]

Either:

1) Enjoy the comfortable reserve you have - congrats on the decent air consumption.

2) Skimp out 2 dives on a single tank - start to worry about your air consumption again.

 

[ermaclob]

I'd go with buying your own set of tanks and getting a one-year air card at your LDS (i.e., unlimited fills for a set price). That will save you in the long run. Then you won't have to worry about coming up with 1500psi or higher, because it's not going to cost you anything but time.

Your air intake is clearly better than your buddies' air intakes. You should try diving with other people and see if there are people with your level of air intake (or people with Steel 130s).

not really, dive charters set the max time on both dives to 1 hour. and i average 1 hour and 40 - 2 hours max at 30 feet depending on conditions. regardless of my buddy im being capt by the time limit. Besides most divers here in Miami and in the Keys on reef dives are infrequent divers or students, that normally don't go past 40 min to 1 hour on a tank. so boat calls it in at even sooner some times. plus u know make money as quickly as possible or some operates would imagine

The 2 guys i normally dive with are also having this issue. They just don't care as much as me.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Guess I'm just used to shore diving and diving whenever a buddy is free, due to having my own gear and not renting. I don't go on charters as much as shore diving, but I've never had any charter give a limit to time underwater (it makes sense, though).

How about if you get your Advanced Open Water? That will open up a new world of buddies when you are certified to go down to 100ft (though there's no scuba police to stop you). As you go deeper, your air consumption increases. With deeper possible dives, you can plan a dive so that you come up with 500psi to 1000psi in less than 60 minutes (on charters), as long as you're within your NDLs. Judging from what you've said about your air consumption, you'll likely get closer to your NDLs before you run low on air.

I wouldn't really suggest that you use one tank for two dives, but I've known of people doing that on rare occasions when they've come up with almost a full tank. It's not that it's unsafe if you're extra careful. It's just that scuba does not strike me as an activity you want to skimp upon, especially on something important like air supply.

 

[Steve50]

perhaps you could cut a deal to pay separately for the time it takes to set up, disconnect the fill, operation overhead, as opposed to the cost of the air itself.

 

[Prof Diver]

In all fairness, there is nothing stopping you for just going for a shorter dive to use your remaining air.There have been countless times I have reused the remaining air in my cylinder to do a shorter dive. Lucky for me I don't need to pay much attention considering my computer goes off every time I reach 75 bar.

However, if you are doing boat dives you need to find a buddy with the a better rate of consumption.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Air is cheap, use a new tank and pay another $6 or so to fill the tank.

While getting your tanks filled ask the shop if they sell nitrox by the cubic foot. It's the most fair way to sell gas, but most shops don't bother with air because it's so cheap. $4 per tank is a pretty common amount to pay for air...

 

[Colliam7]

If I sling the 40 and the dive goes good, i would not have used the 40 at all. only 1 refill.... if it doesn't go good and i do use the 40 i will only use a very small amount at the very end of the dive to get back to the boat. The 40 can be reused with out having to be refilled.

I will echo the point that Thalassamania is making on this one. Plan to use your AL 80 for two dives. Sling your steel 40 pony, as a reserve, just in case you need it on the second dive. BUT, if you use it, at all, top it off before you use it again. Set a minimum for yourself, even if it costs a little more (which isn't a big deal, you are already getting two dives out of an AL80). The best way to avoid having to top it off - plan to surface after the second dive before you have to use your pony, even if that means every once in a while, cutting your second dive from 60 to 50 minutes.

Sure, you could also use, two smaller tanks (e.g. 63s). But, why? Then you are filling two tanks after every two dives. If you use your 80, stick to the plan of not dipping into your 40 unless you have to (or make a conscious decision to use it to extned your second dive), generally you will be filling only one tank after every 2 dives.

i can probably get through at least 3 or 4 of these before the pony needs a refill. still 1 ...fill (im 90% sure i wont need the pony)

And, this is the slippery slope that Thal is encouraging you to avoid. I would encourage you to avoid it as well. What is the cut-off pressure for refilling your pony? Is it 2000, 1500? Would you 'probably' be OK to go in for your second dive, with 1800 in your AL80, and 1500 in your 40? Yes. Is it a good habit to get into? Probably not. In reality, it is a matter of good dive planning discipline to avoid getting into that situation. The 40 can be there for a) a reserve, or b) extension of your dive. It is OK (although not necessarily recommnedable) to use it as the second option. But, set a minimum threshold for that use, which is that it is FULL when you start the dive.

 

[rmh84]

I would just use a new tank. Air is cheap compared to my life. That said, I generally dive places that offer air included in the price, so just don't worry about the cost of individual fills.

personally, I'd be reluctant to buddy with someone who was cutting it really close on their air like that. Part of the reason you come back with a reserve is in case you do have to share air with your buddy. i'd not be very confident if I knew mine was going on a dive with a tank that may not even bring them to the end of a dive - nevermind having extra for an emergency.

 

[fjpatrum]

not really, dive charters set the max time on both dives to 1 hour. and i average 1 hour and 40 - 2 hours max at 30 feet depending on conditions. regardless of my buddy im being capt by the time limit. Besides most divers here in Miami and in the Keys on reef dives are infrequent divers or students, that normally don't go past 40 min to 1 hour on a tank. so boat calls it in at even sooner some times. plus u know make money as quickly as possible or some operates would imagine

The 2 guys i normally dive with are also having this issue. They just don't care as much as me.

Find a different boat. There must be operators in your area that recognize 60 minutes at 30 feet or less is a ridiculous limitation.

 

[p1p]

What about buying a big 3600 bank bottle, and transfilling your 80?