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How Long does a Scuba Tank Last?

How Long does a Scuba Tank Last?

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The simple answer: “about an hour”. But it’s more complex than that: how much air a diver consumes obviously depends on their level of physical exertion. But how long a scuba tank lasts also directly depends on the depth at which it’s used. There are varying sizes of cylinder, of course, and the size you choose will affect how much air it can contain and how long the tank will last at a given depth, but the most common you’ll encounter are standard 12L, 200-bar scuba tanks. The deeper you dive, the denser gases become (the more molecules are required to fill a given flexible space). Double the pressure (at 10m seawater) and it takes twice as much gas to fill your lungs with each breath. Triple the pressure (at 20m seawater) and it takes three times as much. Thus, the deeper you dive, the faster you consume air from your scuba tanks, no matter how much air it holds to start with. So how long does a scuba tank last? The average beginning diver’s air consumption in calm waters runs a tank close to empty in around 1 hour at 10m depth (compared to just a few minutes at…

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Scuba Tank Gas

What Scuba Tank Gas Mixture do Divers use?

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Most divers use scuba tanks filled with simple compressed air (filtered and dehumidified). This is safe and standard within recreational diving limits – breathing other gasses or exceeding depth/time limits requires the use of specialised gas mixtures: primarily Nitrox, Trimix and oxygen. What is Nitrox? Nitrox, also known as ‘Enriched Air’, is a blended gas consisting of pure nitrogen and oxygen. The air we breathe normally is ~21% oxygen and ~79% nitrogen (with other trace gasses mixed in); Nitrox (generally) has an oxygen percentage between 22 and 40%. Recreationally, diving with Enriched Air Nitrox allows longer no-decompression limits (although it restricts maximum diving depth due to oxygen toxicity) by reducing the amount of nitrogen your body absorbs, thereby reducing relative risk of decompression sickness vs comparable dives using scuba tanks filled with air. Diving with Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx) requires special safety training, a scuba tank gas analyser and a scuba tank fill location with a compressor (and gas blender) capable of both producing and ascertaining the desired gas mixture. What is Trimix? Trimix is a mixture of 3 gases (nitrogen, oxygen and helium) used to increase depth limits and/or dive times. Whatever its percentages, this scuba tank gas mixture…

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Luxury scuba diving holiday

Luxury Holiday or a New Way of Diving?

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Imagine… no sounds, you’re flying free in the light blue water, fish come closer than what you expect, you look around and no one is scaring them, no one is swimming in front of your perfect picture, no one is pushing you to see the rare nudibranch you’ve just spotted. It’s just you enjoying your free time, your holiday, how it is supposed to be, without stress, in total peace. Your personal diving instructor is keeping an eye on you and when you tell him it’s time you both emerge and reach the boat. This is what some people call “a luxury dive”; this is what we believe every dive should be. Is this a dream or is it reality? This is what you should experience in your holidays, when you dive: pure relax and fun. Why? Because you should make the most out of your free time. Let’s not call them luxury holidays; let’s set this as a standard for your vacations. This is why EDA offers you a Personal Diver™, a private diving instructor that will be your scuba buddy underwater and your personal assistant on the surface. Your Personal Diver™ meets you at your hotel, in your…

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The Sardine Run 2013

Sardine Run 2013

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The Sardine Run is one of the few trips we organise for groups and not for private or couple divers. South Africa is a great place to experience with a small but selected group of divers and friends. Not being a close up destination for most of our clients, we wanted the trip to be worthwhile at its best and the two-weeks program waiting for them was just amazing. As you probably know, South Africa’s sea has much more to offer then the solo Sardine Run; in South Africa you can dive with a numerous different species of sharks and you can even cage diving with the great white shark. First part: Baited dives in Umkomaas We landed in Durban in the middle of the South African winter on the 26th of June, but was not really what you would expect finding on classic winter season: sunny days were welcoming us with average of 22º temperature. A nice lodge with pool and BBQ facility, in the centre of Umkomaas is where we spent the first five nights. We did two dives in the morning and had the afternoons free to browse around and relax. Aliwal Shoal, the diving spot in…

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Sharks in South Africa

Top 8 Sharks You can Encounter in South Africa

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Shark diving in South Africa South Africa hosts a wide array of species of sharks and propose some of the best shark diving experiences in the whole world. Different periods of the year consent to see different types of sharks. Let’s get to know them better: Blacktip sharks Overview: They are called “the Jack Russells of the Sea”, it’s definitely the most common and diffuse shark during the baited dives, they can reach up to 2.5 meters, are not shy at all and come very close to the divers. Best location: Umkomaas – Aliwal Shoal and Shelly Beach – Protea Banks Best period: All year round Dusky Sharks Overview: Are the more easily spotted sharks during the Sardine Run, along the Wild Coast, similar in size to the blacktip, they are shyer and rarely come close enough for a good camera shot. Best location: Kuala Zulu Natal Wild Coast, Port St. Johns Best period: June and July Sand Tiger Sharks (Raggies or Ragged Tooth Shark) Overview: Very quiet and sluggish during the daylight, you can spot these sharks on the reef during normal dives and, if you have good quick eye grasp, you might be lucky to find their teeth…