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Scuba Tank

The scuba tank, or diving cylinder, is perhaps the most important piece of equipment in the diver’s toolkit. Without the tank you have no BC vest control or air to breathe from the regulator. These cylinders hold highly compressed gases for use of the diver in many different circumstances.

In warmer locales, divers typically need only one scuba tank of nitrox, a gas very much like ordinary air. But in colder, deeper diving it is not uncommon to wear two tanks so as not to run out prematurely. The length of time a given tank last varies between users. Factors include a user’s size, weight, physical condition, and diving experience. External conditions such as water temperature, currents, and depth of dive also influence how long a cylinder will last.

Advanced divers often use two scuba tanks because of the depths they visit require lots of gasses including specialty gasses such as heliox. Heliox is a mixture of helium and oxygen that is used for really deep dives because nitrox becomes very toxic at certain depths. It is not uncommon for these divers to switch tanks at different points in the dive in order to stay safe.

 

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