Tanks and Weight

We get this question a lot - how much does a tank weigh and how buoyant is it. A great question that has a lot of answers. When you do your weight check at the start of a dive, the tank is at it's most negative and as you reduce the pressure int he tank it becomes more positive. In a normal 80CF aluminum tank, that means about 4 pounds more positive as it approaches 500PSI.

Have you ever found yourself at a safety stop and had to kick to stay down? Even though you were correctly weighted to begin with? Your tank is pulling you up. Do your weight check again at the surface (see where you float holding a normal breath with an empty BCD) and you will see how much weight you actually need. This means you'll start the dive slightly negative and by the end, be neutral.

Wondering what the buoyancy characteristics are for your tank. Check out the link here to a great chart assembled by Huron Scuba. Greg