I'm a very new diver and I'm trying to figure out solutions to a few issues I'm encountering.
One issue is I use a lot of air. I think the main reason for this is I'm a bigger guy with a more athletic build. My wife is rather petite and compared to me she uses very little air, so it seems like we'll be limited in our dives to my tank pressure.
My question is this, are AL 100 tanks common in dive shops? I can carry the extra weight without issue, I'm just curious if many shops have them or are they very rare to see in rec diving? The notion of having 20% more air sounds very good to me!
thanks.
So as you have read AL100s are not that common in rental fleets. AL80s are the norm. So if you cannot carry more air here are a couple of tips to consume less.
1) Ensure that you are properly weighted. Proper buoyance will help reduce your air consumption. Many new divers are diving with too much weight. I am sorry to say but too many instructors overweight their students 'cause they think it is easier to train a new diver to just add air to their BCD than to work with them in dialing in their weight needed for good buoyance. If you are diving with a resort try and find a Divemaster willing to work with you to determine how much weight you truly need. You can start with the "Weight Check" drill you learned in your Open Water dive class; let all you air out of your BCD, take a "normal" breath, float at eye level, exhale - descend, inhale ascend. If you sink with a normal breath you most likely are over weighted. After the weight check (this is JUST A STARTING POINT) when you have 500 PSI at the end of the dive you should be able to hold a hover at 15' with little to no air in your BCD. If you still have a lot of air in the BCD to maintain a hover...look at shedding some weight.
2) Swim slowly and minimize unnecessary hand movements. Swimming fast and using a lot of hand actions will increase your air metabolism...thus you will use more air. Slow it down and see the scenery.
3) Stream line your self. I hope you did not buy all of the really cool little toys they sell in the dive shop (I know I did and I now have boxes of them that I don't use any more). Keep your SPG close to your body so it reduces drag. Work on diving in a smooth, slipstream style. By reducing drag you will reduce your efforts needed to propel yourself.
4) I too use to be a really bad air hog. I too thought I needed a larger tank 100 or larger to maintain my dive time with my daughter. I learned a great tip from a former navy diver. I sat watching TV with my mask and snorkel on. First I lasted about 20 minutes, but as I learned to relax I soon was up to watching full length movies with my mask on breathing thru my snorkel. It sounds funny, looks weird but holy cow did my SAC drop nearly in half. Where I use to get about 30 minutes out of an AL80 at 80' I nearly get an hour out of an AL63 now (I am still a big guy).
5) Just get out there and dive, dive, dive. The more you dive the better everything will get for you.
Have fun!!!
~Oldbear~