The rate at which you use air while diving depends on factors such as the depth of your dive, the temperature of the water and your exertion level.
Diving 5 to 10 metres in warm, quiet water (think Snoopy Island, Dibba Rock), you can spend about an hour underwater with an average tank.
More adventurous dives in current or to depth (this can be Sharm Rocks, The Musandam, Inchcape 1 & 2, The MV Dara, The Jasim) will dramatically reduce the time your air will last underwater.
The fitter, more relaxed and experienced the diver is, the longer the air will last. As a general rule, women consume less air than men and need a smaller capacity cylinder for this reason.
Diving cylinders are made of either aluminium, steel or composite materials.
Aluminium cylinders are most commonly used in dive centres for rental and training purposes as they are cheaper, put up with more abuse and are easily available.
Steel cylinders are used by more experienced divers. They have a more consistent in-water buoyancy and supply more air – however they are more expensive to buy, need a high quality standard of air fill and are not as commonly available as aluminium cylinders.
The composite cylinders are used by a very small section of divers, mainly by Search and Rescue Teams or by very experienced technical divers. These have a limited life compared to aluminium and steel diving cylinders, are very expensive to buy and are not easy to find in the UAE.
A good dive shop or rental organisation will be able to inform you how much air your cylinder holds and how this compares to other cylinders available. A physically larger cylinder does not necessary hold more air as the filling pressure will dictate the cubic footage available.
Recording the dive cylinder size, material, filled pressure (before you enter the water) and the final pressure (when you finish your dive) in your log book will help you establish a record of what you have used, liked and want to request for your next dive.
Know your preferred diving cylinder, use this for each dive, relax, forget about your diving equipment and have fun in our wonderful underwater world.
