DEFINITION

Stage tank is an additional bottle clipped on a side of a diver’s harness. This additional cylinder is typically used for one of the three purposes: 

  • Extending bottom time (providing more bottom gas).
  • Accelerating decompression (serving as decompression gas).
  • Filling additional tools (e.g., lift bags).

Now, let’s explore some tips regarding diving with a stage bottle.

TIP 1 : BE AWARE OF THE DETAILS

Cylinders of different manufacturers may differ when it comes to their characteristics. It’s always a good idea to test the buoyancy of your stage cylinder and monitor it while using the gas. In the following video you can see such a test comparing three different aluminium tanks. Video made by Bogdan Trzcionka (DivingNET):

TIP 2: RIGGING AND CARRYING

The rigging on a stage bottle should determine the position of the valve and subsequetly – regulator and SPG. The rigging should be very tight and neat. Thanks to that, you can easily read the SPG and also efficiently perform all the valve manipulations (flow checks, opening, closing). The thick, tube on the rigging helps to slide a finger and lift a rubber band when you want to stow the regulator hose. It’s handy especially when wearing thick gloves. 

Rigging does not serve as a handle ! You should always carry your stage tank by the valve. 

Carrying by the rigging leads to loosening it. As a consequence the configuration gets less neat and you need to turn the tank every time when you need to check the pressure. 

TIP 3: MOD STICKER

The most important marking of the stage cylinder is a MOD (Maximum Operational Depth) sticker. We suggest to place this marking on both sides, just below the cylinder’s shoulder. In this way the MOD is visible for your teammates either they are on your left or right side. 

MOD sticker

TIP 4: NAME STICKER

If you decide to mark your cylinder with initials, we recommend placing them at the bottom of the tank, positioned at a 90-degree angle from the MOD sticker. This arrangement ensures that your teammates primarily see the MOD sticker while you are switching to the stage regulator.

TIP 5: SHORTER CLIPS

If you dive with only one stage tank, you may want to shorten the bottom clip line. In this way your cylinder will remain closer to your body, it will also improve the valve/regulator position. In order to od that you can simply pass the boltsnap through the rigging – counter-clockwise if you mount the tank on your left  and clockwise if the you clip it on the right side. 

TIP 6: MORE THAN 2 STAGES

During demanding dives technical divers often use more than one stage tank. Typically it’s 3 or more stages. In order to keep the right side free to danet the long hose and at the same time keep as streamlined as possible we recommend clipping maximum 2 tanks at the left side. Every bottle in addition to this can be transported on a piece of cord (namely a “leash” ) which is clipped to the hip d-ring. The tanks are then placed in between the legs.

stage cylinder - leash

CURIOUS ABOUT MORE TIPS?

If you eager to read more about stage diving cylinders please have a look at this article that we published in the Perfect Diver Magazine:

https://issuu.com/perfectdiver/docs/pd_23_ang_issue/66

…. and here you can find other articles (not only) about diving equipment: https://www.perfectdiver.com/articles/tips-curiosities

#TAGS