Home > Learning Center > Diving Tanks

Diving Tanks

Diving tanks are an essential component of any diver’s ensemble. They are the storage site for the air you’ll need to breathe while underwater. Tanks are made from metal, and the usual choices are steel or aluminum alloys. Tanks should be inspected for irregularities or defects prior to every dive, they have been known to rupture due to structural weaknesses.

A ruptured diving tank either occurs in the form of a side wall breach or a head breach. Head breaches occur in the valve area that your air supply system connects to. While a tank breach can be dangerous because of the high pressure of the air that leaves the tank, a far more serious threat is the lack of breathable air while underwater. Depending on the depth a person is at, this can cause a very dire situation indeed.

Diving tanks are not actually filled with air, but rather with a mixture of gasses. The mixture varies depending on the type of diving done. Most recreational dives will feature a dive mix that is close to the actual composition of the atmosphere. The mix is comprised of nitrogen and oxygen, which together make up the vast majority of our earth’s atmosphere. What is lacking in diving mix are the impurities that are inherent in the atmosphere. Specialized dives that either descend to a great depth or are below for extended periods of time require other dive mixes to be successful.

Scuba diving regulators deliver the breathing air from your tanks to your mouthpiece, modifying the pressure as they do.

Diving Gear | Equipment | Learning Center | Site Map | Links | Contact | Home

Copyright © 2009