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PST AquaAire Sport 100 Tank
A common misconception among beginning divers is that all scuba tanks are all basically the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. And it is not just a matter of a choice of steel or aluminum. Divers have some very excellent choices out there, which will add dramatically to their diving enjoyment.I recently had the pleasure of diving over 30 dives with the AquaAire Sport 100 tank by Pressed Steel Tank (PST) Corporation. What I gained was a smaller tank, with an increased air capacity of 25 percent (25 percent more dive time), a more stable buoyancy, and less lead on my weight belt.
The AquaAire Sport 100 tank is 2 inches shorter than a standard aluminum 80-cubic foot tank. First presented with this statistic, I was not impressed, then I dived the tank. What I had was more room for my butt and my head to move around. I was more flexible in the water and hence more comfortable. Smaller tanks are better.
Two pounds came off my weight belt. More important, my weight became more stable throughout the dive. Rather than having to overweight myself at the beginning of a dive so I would be correctly buoyant at my safety stop at the end of the dive because of a buoyant tank, I was able to hold my weighting more constant. Just the right amount at the beginning of the dive was pretty much just what I needed at my safety stop.
But the biggest gain was simply more air—100 cubic feet versus 80. What a difference! On my first dive with the tank I was the first in the water and last out. And ultimately that what’s its all about—more time underwater.
This does come at a cost, however. To get the full 100 cubic feet the cylinder must be pumped to its 3500 p.s.i. rating. And the tank valve is a DIN high pressure valve, so you’ll need a regulator that fits this kind of valve. Getting your DIN valve tank filled on land is not a problem. Nearly all stores can pump to 3500 p.s.i. While some dive boats cannot fill to 3500 p.s.i., they do have DIN adapter that will fill the tank to 3000 p.s.i. The AquaAire Sport 100 tank filled to 3000 p.s.i. still has more air capacity than a standard 80- cubic foot aluminum.
The AquaAire Sport 100 Tank is a steel tank with a hot-dipped galvanized coating for corrosion protection. It may seem like a silly thing, but I liked the slightly rough coating that gave my BC tank strap something to grip into.
The AquaAire Sport tanks are also available in 80 and 120-cubic-foot sizes. And then there is the AquaAire Pro series, lower pressure steel tanks in the 80, 95, 104 and 120-cubic-foot sizes. Being steel tanks as well, they also have excellent buoyancy properties.
Pressed Steel Tank Corporation has been making scuba tanks for 50 years, so you know you are dealing with quality. For more information, call (800) 811-4530 or visit their website at www.pstscuba.com.
Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the SCUBA Show 2001 expo (June 2-3 at the Long Beach Convention Center), and co-author of the book newly released A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.