Do you take 2 or 4 tanks on a 2 tank dive boat charter?

When diving side mount doubles on a typical open water "two tank" dive boat do you rent two tanks or four? Looking back at my log book I see that I average about 2000 - 2300 psi per dive which would allow me to reuse the same two tanks on both dives. Just curious what the common practice is in this regard. And just to be clear, I'm talking about recreational open water diving.
Thanks,

Paul

I take three, breathe one down more, and swap that tank. SInce you are renting, I assume you have rigging that can move from one tank to the other.

if I took doubles on a typical 2 tank recreational charter I certainly wouldn't take two sets. unless I was looking to win some sort of biggest douchebag award

Well I cannot edit my post, so I will just add a question here: What is your rigging system, and how to you make sure it is setup right when you move from tank to tank?

If I know I'm going to be doing an aggressive first dive I will sometimes take a third tank and a transfill whip.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

With doubles, one set (most boats don't allow 2 sets anyway due to space), If its a sporty dive, then i'll sling a stage on dive 1.

turt1e:

When diving side mount doubles on a typical open water "two tank" dive boat do you rent two tanks or four? . . . Just curious what the common practice is in this regard. And just to be clear, I'm talking about recreational open water diving.

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If it is a 'two tank' dive, many boats on the Carolina coast mean that you should bring (only) two tanks, although most have no problem with a pony, so a third tank is not entirely out of the question, even if it an AL80 (i.e. full size).

If I am diving SM HP100s (or 120s), I don't bring a third tank. (If I am diving BM double HP 100s, I don't bring a pony / third bottle, either.) I get plenty of bottom time across two dives on those.

If I am diving sidemount AL80s, I will bring a third AL 80 with a standard (right hand) valve, breathe primarily off my right tank during the first dive, and swap that one out between dives. As for the question about rigging, I use a cam band on the bottom, and a bolt snap on a static line loop around the neck, of each tank (i.e. I DO NOT use fixed stage bottle rigging), so changing tanks is very easy, takes about 60 seconds, including the regulator.

If the charter is full, however, I limit myself to two AL80s anyway, simply out of courtesy to the other divers.

The only time I brought 4 tanks on a recreational Carolina coast 'two-tank' dive, I got (appropriately) chewed out by the captain (in a nice way, but the point was clear).

From my observation, people do this: they bring in a set of double and a stage bottle. First dive go in with double only. 2nd dive, go in with double + stage, but breath down the stage first.

On a recreational SM dive I simply sling one tank on my left side. Unless I am doing something where I will need two tanks, I don't take both tanks in the water.



Now if I have to take two tanks for practice or another reason, I simply use them twice and breath each one down with my normal gas switching.

Colliam7:

As for the question about rigging, I use a cam band on the bottom, and a bolt snap on a static line loop around the neck, of each tank (i.e. I DO NOT use fixed stage bottle rigging), so changing tanks is very easy, takes about 60 seconds, including the regulator..

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Yeah I use the DiveRite stage rigging, which is cam band based. How do you know where to line up the bottom cam band? DO you mark the tanks? Eyeball it? Using standard 80's and not weighting the butts, I have the bottom om a very very short lead, basically the length of the clip itslef and if it is the wrong place, it's hard to clip off.