Aldora, EXACTLY what tanks are offered ?

[scubafanatic]

...can anyone tell me EXACTLY what type of tanks they provide ? I've heard 120's, I've heard 95's....but nobody says if they're HP or LP tanks...I've heard they convert everyone's regs to DIN, which indicates they use HP tanks....but I've seen reports a while back indicating they use LP 120's, but if that's the case, there's no need for DIN conversions...unless the like to put really juicy fills in LP tanks....however, no dive ops in Cozumel fill their own tanks, they're all filled at the central, massive fill station, so how would Aldora get get LP 'overfills' anyhow ?

...anyway, can anyone list the different tanks Aldora uses, list all sizes, whether they're HP or LP, and the typical fill pressures they've experienced ?

Thanks,

Karl

 

[Christi]

...can anyone tell me EXACTLY what type of tanks they provide ? I've heard 120's, I've heard 95's....but nobody says if they're HP or LP tanks...I've heard they convert everyone's regs to DIN, which indicates they use HP tanks....but I've seen reports a while back indicating they use LP 120's, but if that's the case, there's no need for DIN conversions...unless the like to put really juicy fills in LP tanks....however, no dive ops in Cozumel fill their own tanks, they're all filled at the central, massive fill station, so how would Aldora get get LP 'overfills' anyhow ?

...anyway, can anyone list the different tanks Aldora uses, list all sizes, whether they're HP or LP, and the typical fill pressures they've experienced ?

Thanks,

Karl

To my knowledge they still use only HP tanks and convert everyones regs to DIN if not already DIN. I could be mistaken of course.

I do know that Liquid Blue uses HP Worthington XS Scuba cylinders, but they do not require DIN conversion. LB is a great shop if you are looking for personal service and big tanks www.liquidbluedivers.com They also have information about their specific tanks on their website.

 

[ianr33]

To my knowledge they still use only HP tanks and convert everyones regs to DIN if not already DIN. I could be mistaken of course.

Do they CONVERT the regs to DIN or do they ADAPT them? My guess is that they use a Yoke to DIN adapter as converting regs to DIN would require a kit specific for each reg.

If they are adapted then there is still going to be a yoke connection in the system,which might not be the best idea with HP tanks

Edit: How do you put a yoke reg on a DIN tank unless you have a 200 BAR DIN valve with inserts,in which case it is not DIN anymore

 

[5615mike]

Aldora has both DIN and Yoke 120's. They also have 100's but I dont know if they are din or yoke as I have not used them. My wife did a number of years ago and I believe they were also DIN. It is something that should be discussed with Aldora IMO prior to arrival. They used to pick up your gear at the airport as you arrived and handle the conversion overnight and have your gear ready on the boat when you are picked up in the morning. If you have questions, email or call and speak with Memo Mendoza.

ianr33, they use a 300 bar din conversion kit(for my legend) that is mfg. by Aqualung or for the reg you are using. I have over 100 dives with Aldora and have never had an issue with this rig setup.

 

[Christi]

Do they CONVERT the regs to DIN or do they ADAPT them? My guess is that they use a Yoke to DIN adapter as converting regs to DIN would require a kit specific for each reg.

If they are adapted then there is still going to be a yoke connection in the system,which might not be the best idea with HP tanks

Edit: How do you put a yoke reg on a DIN tank unless you have a 200 BAR DIN valve with inserts,in which case it is not DIN anymore

Ian, honestly, I am not sure if they convert or adapt them and I am not sure what valves they have on their tanks. That would be a question for Aldora. I was simply trying to provide what information I have to the OP.

 

[ianr33]

ianr33, they use a 300 bar din conversion kit(for my legend) that is mfg. by Aqualung or for the reg you are using. I have over 100 dives with Aldora and have never had an issue with this rig setup.

All my regs are DIN anyway so it would not be an issue for me personally. I was just wondering as it is not particularly easy to convert some regs to DIN,and would require Aldora to have a huge supply of different DIN conversion kits for a multitude of different regs.

Christi,thanks for the info,sorry if I was giving you an inquisition!

 

[scubafanatic]

To my knowledge they still use only HP tanks and convert everyones regs to DIN if not already DIN. I could be mistaken of course.

I do know that Liquid Blue uses HP Worthington XS Scuba cylinders, but they do not require DIN conversion. LB is a great shop if you are looking for personal service and big tanks www.liquidbluedivers.com They also have information about their specific tanks on their website.

Hi Christi,

I just viewed some very recent photos a lady posted here with respect to her latest trip with Aldora, and I closely examined both the topside and UW shots of divers.....all the topside shots of geared up tanks on the boat showed all the regs mounted as DIN, which indicates either all the divers brought DIN regs to Coz, and/or all the regs were converted over to DIN on-site.....also, from what I could tell of the tanks on the boat, they appeared to be 7.25 " diameter tanks, not the big/fat 8 ' diameter 120 steelies, which appears to confirm, as best as I can tell, HP tanks, as you indicated.

I had read reports a while back where divers reported they used those big LP 120 steelies, but it appears that is no longer the case.....appears they've gone to HP 100/120's........... I used to own/dive a couple of those LP 120 Fabers, but sold them a couple years ago, those things are just too big, cumbersome for anyone but the biggest,strongest divers.

...what's throwing me off some is I saw a photo of an Aldora diver UW diving a FLAT bottomed tank, which is very clearly an ALUMINUM tank, as there's no such thing as a flat bottomed steel tank...... so I almost wonder if Aldora lost their big steel tanks in the hurricanes and have been forced to go with cheaper AL tanks to replace their inventory ?

...... I know LiquidBlue uses HP 100/120's, 2 of my 4 Coz trips have been with them, although when I dove with them they had the PST HP tanks, I know they've transitioned over to Worthington's even since PST went bankrupt.

... I do agree with some of the observations made here with respect to the challenge of providing/stocking DIN kits, so I'm wondering how they can manage to inventory DIN kits for so many different regs.....but this somehow apparently what they're doing as I saw no sign of the use of those screw-on DIN-to-Yoke converters.

...I've got a couple of older regs that I can use that are outfitted with 232-bar DIN kits plus those DIN-to-Yoke screw on converters, to handle either HP or LP tanks, although most of my regs are Yoke-only as I rarely get to dive HP tanks in the Carribbean.

...Christi, as usual, I appreciate your helpfulness and insight, I know you also offer bigger tanks ( AL 100's ) ...I've used AL 100's twice on the T&C Explorer ( 2 one-week trips) .... I don't actually have a pending Cozumel trip in the works at this time, but if I return to Cozumel I'd certainly like to do a trip with you sometime, I know you come highly recommended here on Scubaboard.

Thanks again,

Karl

P.S. ....it was my experience to never really get a good HP fill with Liquid Blue....fills were in the 3100 - 3300 psi range, and as Aldora and Liquid Blue get fills at the same place, with the same fill pressures, why is it perfectly fine for Liquid Blue divers to dive Yoke-1st-stage regs on those "HP" tanks, while Aldora goes to all the trouble of requiring DIN 1st-stages ? I never felt in danger diving Yoke regs with Liquid Blue, so while I'll admit a DIN 1st-stage is more secure, it seems like overkill relative to all the other Coz dive op's...is Aldora a bit more safety-conscious, or am I missing something ?

 

[scubafanatic]

Aldora has both DIN and Yoke 120's. They also have 100's but I dont know if they are din or yoke as I have not used them. My wife did a number of years ago and I believe they were also DIN. It is something that should be discussed with Aldora IMO prior to arrival. They used to pick up your gear at the airport as you arrived and handle the conversion overnight and have your gear ready on the boat when you are picked up in the morning. If you have questions, email or call and speak with Memo Mendoza.

ianr33, they use a 300 bar din conversion kit(for my legend) that is mfg. by Aqualung or for the reg you are using. I have over 100 dives with Aldora and have never had an issue with this rig setup.

Hi Mike,

...thanks for the info........ most of my 'recreational' regs are Yoke only, to dive the 90+% of places only offering AL80's/63's...... but I do have a couple of regs ( Mares MR16 amd Atomic B1 ) with 232-bar DIN 1st-stages/yoke converters.... I'm assuming that would be perfectly fine to use with Aldora, but they're NOT 300-bar-DIN 1st-stages, so I hope that wouldn't be a problem ?

Karl

 

[5615mike]

Hi Mike,

...thanks for the info........ most of my 'recreational' regs are Yoke only, to dive the 90+% of places only offering AL80's/63's...... but I do have a couple of regs ( Mares MR16 amd Atomic B1 ) with 232-bar DIN 1st-stages/yoke converters.... I'm assuming that would be perfectly fine to use with Aldora, but they're NOT 300-bar-DIN 1st-stages, so I hope that wouldn't be a problem ?

Karl

I certianly dont want to speak for Aldora so you might email them or call them. Memo Mendoza can certainly give you a quick response.

 

[Christi]

KArl,

You are welcome, and thank you.

Aldora is a fine dive shop and like the rest of us, are very safety conscious. However, you have some very specific questions/concerns, so I would address these points directly with Aldora and LB if you have questions on their valves, fils, procedures, etc. No one here is going to be able to give you the answer that the dive op itself can...and I'm sure Memo or whoever handles e-mails for Aldora will be happy to answer your questions.