3-7-07:

Here I am back with another opinion. Even as a new diver who doesn't know squat at this point, I still have plenty of opinions. I can't wait to look back a year from now, nay, 6 months from now and laugh at the complete naivete but that sure hasn't stopped me before so why now?

Let's talk tanks.

I started out using an 80 aluminum. I don't know if it was the tank, the BC, the way my torso is (short) or a combo of all of it, but I hated that tank with a passion. I'd get that sucker hooked into the BC, tight and nice, even soaked my bands before putting the tank in and it STILL would knock me in the back of the head.

I had enough to deal with at that point: all the new skills I was trying to learn, all the equipment that seemed to hate me (stupid masks and fins) and now, I was getting bashed in the back of my skull if I so much as even lifted my head up to look forward a fraction of an inch.

It was after a 4 hour stint in the 83 degree pool, I was cold down to the bone, had worn a huge sore on the outer side of my left foot (that's my own stupidity for not owning boots and wearing fins barefooted), was tired of snorting and sucking up chlorinated water and I asked myself, "Self, what in the hell are you doing? This is supposed to be fun."

I was not having fun. Not even a little bit.

But I persevered. Because by God, I don't give up. Or Quit. I laugh in the face of adversity.

Something like that. (hah!) Sounds good though huh? ANYway.

I mentioned this issue to ScubaDave before we left to do my check out dives and he brought along some HP80 steel tanks for me to use. He believed that it would also help with some of the frustrating issues that I'd been having with the aluminum tanks becoming positively buoyant at the end of a training session since I seem to float like a ....something very float-y... but you know what I'm trying to say here.

So. I love me some HP80 steel tanks. I'll also use a HP65. I've not been on really long dives so there's not been an issue with having mega air to use. Once I get into ocean diving and longer dives in the quarry, I'll deal with that at that point.

But what irks me (here comes the opinion part), is that some people make fun of using the smaller tanks. Example: At the expo, we had a small 30 pony bottle and also brought the HP65 along for display purposes and to use if anyone wanted to have their kids or teens try on a BC with a tank.

One woman was talking to someone and pointed at the HP65 and they sort of laughed at it and made faces.

Which irritated me. They make all sizes of tanks for various reasons and uses. You know, I didn't see this person strapping on a set of double 120s but they sure seemed to think that they were above the use of the smaller tank.

I don't understand why some people would wrinkle their noses at something like that. I fall into the camp of "hey, if it works for you, great!, if not, then keep your mouth shut."

My air consumption rate is actually pretty good and as long as an HP80 is enough for me to do the dives I want, then you know, that's exactly what I'm going to use.

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