How much air can an average scuba air tank hold? And how much time can you stay underwater?
Thanks!
No offfense, Allie, but if you want to be a diver, you beter know this kind of stuff. Otherwise…. It will go down the drain.
No offfense, Allie, but if you want to be a diver, you beter know this kind of stuff. Otherwise…. It will go down the drain.
First, I would consider an AL80 tank to be the "average" scuba tank. AL80 stands for Aluminum 80. Most AL80 tanks only hold 72 cubic feet (despite the 80 designation) of air when filled to 3,000 psi at 72 degrees F.
How long will that tank last underwater? It depends on three major factors:
1. Depth. How deep are you going to dive? As you dive deeper the surrounding pressure increases which causes the air to become more dense. Since the air is more dense, each breath takes more from the tank. The deeper you go, the less air time you have on the tank.
2. The Person. The person breathing from the tank makes a huge impact on how long the tank will last. Typically, taller/bigger people have larger lungs therefore they will use more air per breath than a smaller person. In shape people use the air more efficiently than out of shap people. Females tend to use less air than a same size male. An experienced diver will use less air than a new diver.
3. The Dive. What are you doing on the dive? A researcher sitting in one spot will use less air than someone swimming around. Colder water temperature usually means faster air consumption. Diving with the current uses less air than working against the current.
For what I call an "average, warm water, tourist dive" the standard AL 80 tank will last about 45 minutes underwater. This dive is done in 80F or warmer water, little to no current, max depth might be 80 feet, but the average depth is around 40 feet, and there is little to no current.
To give other examples…
I am 6’9" tall and my wife is 5’2" tall. When we end a dive, my tank read 500 psi, and her tank reads 1100 psi. We both start with 3,000.
On a shallow dive (not deeper than 20′), I can make my tank last close to 80 minutes. On a Lake Michgan dive to 120 feet, that same tank might last 20 minutes.
Why? IDK, but I’m gonna be a diver when I grow up and if not that, pediatrician if not that journalist if not that I don’t have much of a life, now do I? JK
References :
First, I would consider an AL80 tank to be the "average" scuba tank. AL80 stands for Aluminum 80. Most AL80 tanks only hold 72 cubic feet (despite the 80 designation) of air when filled to 3,000 psi at 72 degrees F.
How long will that tank last underwater? It depends on three major factors:
1. Depth. How deep are you going to dive? As you dive deeper the surrounding pressure increases which causes the air to become more dense. Since the air is more dense, each breath takes more from the tank. The deeper you go, the less air time you have on the tank.
2. The Person. The person breathing from the tank makes a huge impact on how long the tank will last. Typically, taller/bigger people have larger lungs therefore they will use more air per breath than a smaller person. In shape people use the air more efficiently than out of shap people. Females tend to use less air than a same size male. An experienced diver will use less air than a new diver.
3. The Dive. What are you doing on the dive? A researcher sitting in one spot will use less air than someone swimming around. Colder water temperature usually means faster air consumption. Diving with the current uses less air than working against the current.
For what I call an "average, warm water, tourist dive" the standard AL 80 tank will last about 45 minutes underwater. This dive is done in 80F or warmer water, little to no current, max depth might be 80 feet, but the average depth is around 40 feet, and there is little to no current.
To give other examples…
I am 6’9" tall and my wife is 5’2" tall. When we end a dive, my tank read 500 psi, and her tank reads 1100 psi. We both start with 3,000.
On a shallow dive (not deeper than 20′), I can make my tank last close to 80 minutes. On a Lake Michgan dive to 120 feet, that same tank might last 20 minutes.
References :