tank size???

[Divemore]

I am 4' 11'' and 116lbs. female and I do not know what size tank I need?
<DIV>Could someone help me?</DIV>
<DIV>And do most dive shops have all sizes to maybe rent to see what works?</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks </DIV>

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by Divemore

I am 4' 11'' and 116lbs. female and I do not know what size tank I need?
<div>Could someone help me?</div>
<div>And do most dive shops have all sizes to maybe rent to see what works?</div>
<div></div>
<div>Thanks </div>

I would recommend trying several thru your LDS (rent)...or maybe they will allow you to try for free..??

What did you use in your class...maybe that is a starting point.

Many smaller gals like Al tanks such as 63cf....or even Al 80's....if interested in a steel cylinder I would think a small size.

It is really impossible to recommend a size via the web like this....just try 'on' a few would be good.

Work with a local dive shop or Pro...they can best advise in person. [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

PS---you and my wife share the same first name!! [img]smileys/smiley2.gif[/img]

[Divemore]

Wow,
<DIV>never met anyone with that name, is she latain? anyway I have a 63a also I am very new to diveing only 3 dives, but I have bought all my gear ( when I start a hobby I go 100% ) I want to buy another tank and I want the correct one. I used a 80 and its to big for me, butIdont want to run out of air eather..</DIV>

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by Divemore

Wow,
<div>never met anyone with that name, is she latain? anyway I have a 63a also I am very new to diveing only 3 dives, but I have bought all my gear ( when I start a hobby I go 100% ) I want to buy another tank and I want the correct one. I used a 80 and its to big for me, butIdont want to run out of air eather..</div>

LOL...no she is not Latin....but she came from a Catholic family and her parents loved the name.....I do to!!

If an Al 80 is to large....then your bet would be the Al 63. As a new diver I can assure you that your gas consumption will improve as you log those dives! Work on the things to improve your gas consumption such as staying calm...staying shallow...swim slowly...breath deep and exhale fully and slow...relax and have fun...don't be to over weighted...have FUN!! A Al 63 is a good size tank....heck get another a make them into DOUBLES. [img]smileys/smiley2.gif[/img]

I would say just get in the dives,,,,in time you will get a better feel for what direction you might want to go on another addition to your gear.

[img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]

[Joew]

If you dive in colder water with a thick wetsuit or dry suit, you might want to consider steel tanks. But if you dive in warm water this is probably a bad idea, especially at your size. An AL 63 is probably your best bet. If you want a tank with more capacity, Luxfer makes some AL 80's that are shorter than the standard size, only 1" taller than an AL 63. They are 8" in diameter instead of 7.25", and they are about 4 lbs. heavier. Here is the Luxfer spec page. The tank I'm talking about is the S808, and the standard AL 80 is the S080.

[Divemore]

LOL...no she is not Latin....but she came from a Catholic family and her parents loved the name.....I do to!!

Sorry.. my father is Puertro Rican I love my name too...Thanks
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Thank you so much for your time and information.</DIV>
<DIV>[img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]</DIV>

[cummings66]

One thing to consider is how much air do you consume. Borrow an AL80 and for rough testing breathe on it for 10 minutes. Don't do much except breathe. At the start and end note the beginning pressures.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Now you will be able to get a rough idea of how much air you consume by doing the math, i.e. start-end = pressure used. Now figure out again by math how much you consume per minute.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Then remembering the ATA rules you can plan a dive, for example a dive to 99 fsw is 4 ATA so if you used 100 psi per minute on the surface you'll use 400 per minute at depth. Now you know on theal80 tank how long it will last.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>To be more useful convert it to cf and you'll be able to apply this to any tank out there, for example if you know your SCR is .5 cf at 4 ata you'll use 2 cf per minute. To spend 10 minutes there you know you need 20 cf.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Tank volume, say 77.6 cf in an AL80/3000 psi give you ~.025 and that can be used to tell you how many cf per psi or 100 are used. .025x100 is 2.5 cf per 100 psi. That's the math for an al80, other tank volumes would of course vary.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Somebody else might make this more clear for you if needed. Do consider your buddy in the tank selection process, not all of your tank is yours to breathe, you need to reserve enough to let both of you breathe off your tank on the ascent in case they have a failure.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>

[CompuDude]

I think she mentioned in other threads that her air consumption was pretty good, especially for a new diver, so it's likely to get even better. It's nice to be tiny, sometimes.

As for tank, it depends on what water temps you are diving with. Aluminum might be a good way to go if you dive in particularly warm water, needing little exposure protection. It's also the least expensive, but they're heavy for the amount of air they give.

If you're diving in colder waters with this suits and need plenty of lead to sink, a steel tank will give you lots of good options. I'd look at low-pressure 85's and high-pressure 80's to start. They're both popular sizes with smaller-statured divers.

[texdiveguy]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I think she mentioned in other threads that her air consumption was pretty good, especially for a new diver, so it's likely to get even better. It's nice to be tiny, sometimes.

As for tank, it depends on what water temps you are diving with.

I think she is in Fl., seems she mentioned on another thread.

[frankc420]

I would say, dive with AL80's. Why? Because if you ever go away from home a good ways or on vacation, what do you think they will have for you? AL80 or steel 80. Regardless of whether it's AL80 or Steel 80 your still going to use the same amount of weight most likely, but it will just be in different places. AL80 it will be in a BC or weight belt, steel 80 you drop it from your belt or BC and it's now on your back! (steel weighs more).

So, dive AL80s and get used to the weight, that way when you travel you won't have to worry about any 'extra' weight.