Question on dive tanks

[lynnemari]

Hope this does not sound like a stupid question, but are there tanks that are made of a lighter weight? I am a small person, and have a bad back ( but that is not going to stop me from diving). I am sure there are many divers out there with bad backs. In fact I may have gotten my bad back from the wieght of the tanks ( shore diving ). So I was hoping with all of the technology out there that, that might be an option or in the works.
thanks
Lynne

 

[zfrye]

Lynne:

There are several options;

1. There are 50 cf tanks, made of aluminum, which are considerably lighter, but are also obviously hold a lesser supply of air.

2. There are steel 80 cf tanks, we call them "Super 80s" which are smaller and more compact but still hold the same amount of air as a regular aluminum tank. They are also pressurized to 3500 psi, which gives a bit more air. As far as their weight is concerned, they're probably a bit lighter than aluminum 80 tanks, and also 2-3lbs negative, so you can take a bit of weight off your belt/out of your BC.

Hope this helps

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Hope this does not sound like a stupid question, but are there tanks that are made of a lighter weight? I am a small person, and have a bad back ( but that is not going to stop me from diving). I am sure there are many divers out there with bad backs. In fact I may have gotten my bad back from the wieght of the tanks ( shore diving ). So I was hoping with all of the technology out there that, that might be an option or in the works.
thanks
Lynne

All of the tanks used in recreational sport diving today are either aluminum or steel. There are no other materials that are appropriate, affordable and approved for the significant pressures involved.

One option would be to move to a smaller tank. It will have a smaller capacity but will also be lighter. I'm going to assume you're using al AL80. A full AL80 weighs approximately 40 lbs. If you switched to an AL63 you'd save approximately 5 lbs or so and an AL50 would save you another 5 lbs.

Another option would be to switch to a steel 80. A Worthington HP80 weighs 3-4 lbs less than an AL80 but it would also allow you to drop some weight off of your weight belt or weight integrated BC as it has better buoyancy characteristics. In addition to the 3-4 lbs for the tank itself, you'd probably be able to drop another 6-7 lbs due to the buoyancy characteristics of the tank. An AL80 is +4.4 empty while an AL80 is -3 lbs empty.

 

[Scott M]

It might be easier to come up with a cart or carrying system to get the tanks from your vehicle to the water if that is possible.

 

[Teamcasa]

Hope this does not sound like a stupid question, but are there tanks that are made of a lighter weight? I am a small person, and have a bad back ( but that is not going to stop me from diving). I am sure there are many divers out there with bad backs. In fact I may have gotten my bad back from the wieght of the tanks ( shore diving ). So I was hoping with all of the technology out there that, that might be an option or in the works.
thanks
Lynne

Lynne, My lovely bride uses a HP80 and it is smaller and lighter than a typical AL80. However, being small my guess is you are really good on air and normally have more than your buddies right?

Maybe the XSScuba 65 steel tank would work. It is only 25 pound empty, and 4lbs negative so you could use less lead as well.

 

[The Kraken]

Ditto on what Teamcasa says about the HP 80's . . .

the K

 

[sschlesi]

There are some significantly lighter composite SCBA cylinders, these are meant of firefighters and other land based applications. Using these cylinders for SCUBA would bring a myriad of complications not the least of which is that they would be VERY buoyant when submerged, requiring you to carry a lot of extra lead to offset the buoyancy.

One way or another you must carry weight roughly equivalent to a pail of water the size of your tank to keep it neutral. That is pretty heavy no matter what route you go, your best bet is a smaller tank (smaller pail of water), that is as negative as possible. The negative "weight" of the tank can be used to offset some of your exposure protection buoancy.

 

[Web Monkey]

Hope this does not sound like a stupid question, but are there tanks that are made of a lighter weight? I am a small person, and have a bad back ( but that is not going to stop me from diving). I am sure there are many divers out there with bad backs. In fact I may have gotten my bad back from the wieght of the tanks ( shore diving ). So I was hoping with all of the technology out there that, that might be an option or in the works.
thanks
Lynne

You can get lighter tanks as mentioned, but you'll probably be happier with a non-equipment solution, which would be to get someone else to carry your equipment and gear up in the water where possible.

This can generally be accomplished with a friendly buddy and/or maybe a small "incentive" such as drinks or dinner.

If you have a bad back, 40 pounds of equipment hurts just about as much as 50 or 60, so the lighter tanks may not help a lot. If you wanted to try something, check with your LDS. For example, many instructors have a steel or aluminum 40 used for pool or deco work that you could probably borrow for a dive, to see if it helps.

Terry

 

[robint]

Hope this does not sound like a stupid question, but are there tanks that are made of a lighter weight? I am a small person, and have a bad back ( but that is not going to stop me from diving). I am sure there are many divers out there with bad backs. In fact I may have gotten my bad back from the wieght of the tanks ( shore diving ). So I was hoping with all of the technology out there that, that might be an option or in the works.
thanks
Lynne

are you planning to shore dive? or are you talking about boat diving, too?

as others have said, a 40# tank is going to feel just as heavy as a 50# tank if you have a bad back.
we have been on trips with people with bad backs (from a boat) who put on gear and took off gear in the water with the DMs help. Hopefully they all tipped well for this service.

 

[rstofer]

Try boat or inflatable diving and just toss the gear in the water (after inflation) and dive in after it. Shore diving will be a challenge but if your buddy is willing, have them haul the gear out until it floats and then climb in.

With either approach, you need to consider where your ballast is mounted. You can have some on a weight belt or harness as long as you have flotation from your wetsuit and then have the rest mounted to the BCD. Perhaps your BCD has enough flotation to support all of your ballast and the tank.

No need to put off diving, you just need to be creative in how you approach it.

Richard