To buy or not to buy... The TANK.

[doctormike]

Renting a tank for shore dives usually is only a couple of bucks more than getting your own filled.

Yeah, but if you are doing local diving (shore diving or on boats that don't rent tanks), then you have logistical headaches with renting. If you have your own tanks, you can keep them filled and go diving when an opportunity arises, even if it's at the last minute after the store has closed.

Also, if you rent tanks, and you are returning from your dive after the time the shop has closed, then you have to hurry to get them back the next day the shop is open, or you will get charged for extra days (in most cases, some shops may work things differently, or allow late night drop-offs).

 

[dpspaceman]

The charters we use rent us the tanks. so we just show up and the tanks are ready for us. I guess i'll hold off for now... we have bought a lot in a short time anyways.

 

[freewillie]

You would have to do a lot of local diving to make up for the cost of the tank. You also have to factor in the cost of air refills and inspection with routine maintenance, all of those hidden costs of owning a tank.

For me the only reason to own your own tank is to allow for last minute dive trips. An opportunity arises to go diving and you don't have to worry about finding an open shop and then worrying about returning the tank within a certain time frame. You still need to take your tank to and from the dive shop to get it refilled, you can just do it on a time frame that is more convenient for you.

I have not been able to dive that often or that frequently over the last year. For the cost of a $300 steel tank (I wouldn't want to buy my own aluminum tank - I already get those as a rental) I'd have to dive over 60 dives per year at $5 refills for air. That's almost 5 dives per month, and I dive maybe 6 times a year locally. You are not going to travel with your tank either so you would only use the tanks at home.

I'd buy the computer. I would also recommend eventually buying weights if you are going to dive often enough and long enough it will pay for itself over the long run. The tank is the only piece of dive gear I don't own.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, but if you are doing local diving (shore diving or on boats that don't rent tanks), then you have logistical headaches with renting. If you have your own tanks, you can keep them filled and go diving when an opportunity arises, even if it's at the last minute after the store has closed.

Also, if you rent tanks, and you are returning from your dive after the time the shop has closed, then you have to hurry to get them back the next day the shop is open, or you will get charged for extra days (in most cases, some shops may work things differently, or allow late night drop-offs).

Good points I neglected to mention. Having your own tank(s) is very practical. The only time I "rent" is when we're snowbirding 3 months--the shop lets me us 2 tanks of their own for a small fee. Freewillie makes a good point about the visual (and hydro) inspection costs.

 

[tcpip95]

I just purchased a new tank. I keep my boat in the water (24' tritoon pontoon) and even though it's bottom-painted, I have to keep up with it by regularly wiping it down. Because of the small space between the 3 pontoons, it makes it very difficult to clean the pontoons unless I use my scuba gear. I was renting a tank from my LDS for $8, but was only using about 1/4 tank of air, so was basically wasting a lot of money. I can now fill my tank for $4, and get 3-4 cleaning sessions out of that one tank of air. Now I anchor the boat in about 6' of water, make myself negatively buoyant, and just walk underneath the boat and wipe it down. Much easier on me, keeps the boat cleaner, and let's me be more comfortable in the water.

 

[Steve_C]

I find the shorter HP 100 fits me better than the longer AL 80. Plus more air and carry less weight. I also have the Nitrox mix I want. So for nonflying diving I always bring my own tanks.

Having said that I would buy a computer first. Unless you are square profiling or an air hog you are loosing a lot of dive time using tables and a timer. Plus you don't have to worry about dives deeper than planned.

"Oh, I checked in the washout by the stern/bow of the wreck looking for fossils/funny fish and just realized I am at 90 ft for a few minutes rather than the planned 80." No problem with a computer. More hassle with tables.

 

[industrious95]

You know what's nice about having your own tanks? When you get a phone call on Sunday at 8PM and some buddies are going out diving tomorrow and ask you to join them. You can go when you feel like it without dealing with rentals.

If most of your diving is from the same boat and they'll supply you with tanks for $10 each, I can't see why you'd buy tanks. Filling your own tanks costs, then there's the trip to the dive shop to drop them off, the trip to pick them up, the annual VIP and the 5 year hydro. I'd let the boat operators do all the schlepping for the $10. It'll take forever to make it a worthwhile investment when you figure in the cost of tank maintenance and gas driving back and forth to get them filled.

The computer is a personal item that you can use every dive, at home and when you travel.

Maybe get your own weights, just so it's set up how you like it and always the same, not a couple of deck hands stringing lead onto belts on a boat trying to make it fit the same as it did last time.