Quote: (Originally Posted by
Tom Mount)
Why would any one wish to sling steel cyliners of any size
Al' are much better trim and do not weigh you down
Tom
Tom,
Are you using AL or ST for onboard? Is it the same on all the different you dive? AL and ST provide bouyancy characteristics that are not preferred in all situations. The swing between + and - on AL is higher than that with ST. I agree that when you don't need the gas, AL is better, but when you use it, the AL tanks have to be offset by some other weight, correct? What is the difference if that weight is the tank itself, or on the harness? Is it ditchable, yes. If you must ditch the AL tank while full, it sinks; while empty, it floats; but you still have the additional offset weight to dump to get neutral. With the steels, you just dump the tank and you are neutral, provided you dive a balanced rig to begin with. I do. I don't require any additonal weight to be neutral/slightly neg at 15 fsw. I'm lucky in that my AL backplate works perfect for diving wet, and my SS backplate gives me the four pounds I need to offset the drysuit.