Cylinder questions, answered.
Short, practical answers to the questions divers actually ask about tanks — sizes, pressures, valves, buoyancy, gas planning and technical set-ups.
Cylinders · 7 minWhat Size Scuba Tank Do I Need?
The honest answer is “it depends on how much gas you breathe and how deep you go” — but there’s a clear default, and a simple way to know when to size up.
Cylinders · 6 min200 vs 232 vs 300 Bar: Which Cylinder Pressure?
Working pressure decides how much gas fits in a given cylinder size. Here’s what the three ratings mean, when the highest one is worth it, and the safety rule you can’t break.
Valves · 6 minDIN vs A-Clamp: Which Valve Connection?
The two ways a regulator meets a cylinder valve. They’re not interchangeable without an adapter — and one is clearly the better default if you ever dive both.
Cylinders · 6 minSteel vs Aluminium Tanks: Buoyancy Explained
Both materials get lighter in the water as you breathe the gas down. The difference is where each one ends up — and that single fact decides how much lead you carry and which role the cylinder is built for.
Technical · 7 minWhat Is an Isolation Manifold (and Do You Need One)?
It’s the single piece of hardware that turns two cylinders into a fault-tolerant gas supply — and the reason a backmount double set can survive a failure that would otherwise cost you everything.
Gas planning · 7 minHow Long Does a 12 L Scuba Tank Last?
There’s no single number — it depends on how deep you go and how much you breathe. But the maths is simple, and once you know your own consumption you can plan any dive on the back of a slate.
Nitrox · 6 minNitrox Tanks: Oxygen Cleaning, Bands & Valves
Diving enriched air isn’t just a different fill — above 21% oxygen, the cylinder and valve have to be prepared for oxygen service, and marked so everyone knows what’s inside.
Cylinders · 5 minHow to Read Your Cylinder’s Shoulder Stamps
The markings on a cylinder’s shoulder are its identity document. Learn to read them and you can verify any cylinder is rated, legal and safe to fill — essential before buying used.
Technical · 6 minBuilding a Backmount Twinset: A Parts Checklist
A configured double set is just five matched parts — but every one has to fit the others. Here’s the checklist, and when to buy a complete set instead of building from components.
Technical · 5 minArgon for Dry-Suit Diving: Why and How
Why technical divers carry a small, separate bottle of argon to inflate their dry suit — and what the system actually consists of.