cost of rebreather diving in the Red Sea

[ross the diver]

I am sorry if this has been done before but i have just got one of them yellow box thing's and was costing up taking it on a liverboard in the red sea
i know the boat and have dived on it often i know they are kitted for rebreather divers, but i have just been quoted £40 for 2 x 3lt cylinders (this seams ok to me,) but is this a bit high or is it just the cost out there? Sofnoline approx £20 per fill, or does anyone know of a cheaper way???

[wilbo]

never dived or owned a rebreather myself - but I have heard of people taking cylinders over with them and selling them over there at the end of their holidays in exchange for gas/litter.. Don't know if there is any truth in it..

[daveb0000]

I have used teksteme a few times and have never been charged for the use of the 3 lt tins or stages, who's boat are you on ?

As for the lime take out as much as you can to keep the cost's down

[Ferg3333]

Last year I went I took some cylinders for a mate and sold them to the dive center. It cost me 150euro for a weeks lime 15euro/kilo.

This year I spent £60 on extra luggage and took 80kgs of dive gear with me. This included 5 fills worth of lime but no cylinders. My weeks cost for diving was cheap as chips. Personally I reckon if they will supply a 12ltr free on a liveaboard CCR tanks should be free aswell.

But then again I'm a student still so I needed to cut costs somewhere. When I've a job I will either modify unit to make it light or buy an exceptionally light rebreather for travel and take the hit on the wallet. Mainly because its a royal pain taking more than your allowance in or out of a destination.

[Simon TW]

Importing lime into Egypt isn't easy and the duty is very high. Drager "dive sorb" is about 8.5 euro per kilo. I use it for everything but deep diving (hypoxic mix)

If you get chance take sofnalime, forget the clothes you can buy them cheaper there than you can here.

£40 for the tins doesn't sound bad. The chances are that the boat doesn't own them and they are renting them for you.

[Janos]

£40 for the tins sounds reasonable. They may also charge you for a bailout stage as well.

Lime is f'ing expensive. Last time we went I took a sealed 20kg drum as one item of luggage. I removed the corrosive sticker, printed the MSDS from the AP website, and put it inside a large bag. I had no problems, but you never know.

Janos

[weazelz]

Originally Posted by Ferg3333

Personally I reckon if they will supply a 12ltr free on a liveaboard CCR tanks should be free aswell

I doubt that they would agree with you, for the 0.1% of customers who would want them. the free 12l makes a nice bailout/stage though

[denismc66]

Depending where your liveaboard departs from your cylinders and sorb may have to travel quite a distance hence the high cost. I was on a liveaboard out of Port Ghalib and the cylinders had to be brought from Hurghada over 3 hours away

[Ferg3333]

Originally Posted by weazelz

I doubt that they would agree with you, for the 0.1% of customers who would want them. the free 12l makes a nice bailout/stage though

Makes sense now, but if I had paid for a tech diving pack, I would expect 3ltr cylinders and two stages gratis. I can understand the extra charges if its a rec liveaboard.

[Kent Tooling]

Have a word with Aaron at Tekstream and see if they can lend you the 3lts and say you will put a donation in the chamber box if they lend them for FREE,

I was going out to another part of Egypt and he was going to send his spear cylinders for my CCR to the resort and a tub of lime, Yes it was going to cost me for a tub of lime but at least i had the items i required though, in the end the trip was cancelled.