Traveling with CCRs, bottles, and sorb...

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:25 am

I've heard folks carrying on their CCRs, and checking the bottles. Can you carry on the bottles without the valves in place?

Also, if you wanted to SHIP bottles (and sorb if you didn't want to hassle with the MSDS etc) to your destination, can you do so with them being full? Which companies (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc) do you use to ship full bottles and what kind of advice can the RB ninjas here offer?

CaptnJack · Post by **CaptnJack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:34 am

You can't ship cylinders with >~25psi in them by common carrier (UPS, Fedex, USPS etc.) Contents don't matter, they are a hazardous material by definition. I can't recall the exact pressure but its very small.

Valves off, no or clear tape over the opening is OK with TSA.

Richard

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:39 am

When Mel, Curt and Crew came up to Juneau, they shipped everything full by Alaska Marine Lines (barge). It left Seattle on Wed and I picked it up on Tuesday.

When traveling by air you can check sorb, it's not considered hazardous, tanks with the valves out and put the rebreather in your carry-on.

Most destinations are becoming more rebreather friendly as time goes by. So fills are less of a problem.

I don't believe that any of the carriers will allow you to ship full tanks, but empty tanks and sorb are no problem with any of them .

Dave

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:51 am

So you can carry on bottles with valves out?

Sounds like anything by air must be empty but that once you get where you're going, you can arrange with a tech shop who fills helium... or just arrange EANx diving like in Bonaire. Is this about right?

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:59 am

Yes, you can travel with the valves out.

You need 2 fills 1 is your dil that will either be air or Trimix, nothing rich like nitrox.

Then you need Oxygen.

In Bonaire you talk to Walt at RekTek he's the man.

Dave

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:03 am

Yeah, I knew about the Dil. I was just thinking of TMX diving or Nitrox diving (i.e. whether you're breathing helium or not).

Does the Bonaine guy have helium? I thought you couldn't get it on the island.

Gill Envy · Post by **Gill Envy** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:04 am

I also have travelled taking 13 cf tanks in hand luggage with valves out. that was on a puddle jumper where having the weight in hand hand luggage to reduce stowed weight turned out to be key. Haven't tried it with a commercial carrier but hear it's doable.

george

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:10 am

Sounder wrote:Yeah, I knew about the Dil. I was just thinking of TMX diving or Nitrox diving (i.e. whether you're breathing helium or not).

Does the Bonaine guy have helium? I thought you couldn't get it on the island.

He Should, He was my Tri-mix Instructor

In the dil if it's not tri-mix it's usually air. You want to be able to get the PO2 down if need be and if you have nitrox in there you can't do that.

Dave

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:26 am

Exactly what I meant - you'd be DIVING nitrox but your dil would be air (I won't make the dumb arguement that air is EAN21

). I was referring to diving air while adding O2 being the nitrox that you're diving in contract to trimix that you're diving.

Wow - sounds great! I didn't know someone in Bonaire had helium. That's exciting stuff! Sounds like he'd have some of the cleanest air too then.

My CCR fund is growing nicely. $\:D/$

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:39 am

Got ya!

Walt is a great guy and fun to dive with. Rek Tek is his business and he teaches out of Capt. Don's. At least when I was there he had his own storeroom full of tech gear and he is in charge of the tech gas fills.

We did some really cool dives on the "Windjammer" it's an old 3 master that sank around 1898. I've heard that you may not be able to shore dive it anymore. Great dive of course we were at 200' with doubles and stages and all the other crap and there were a group of European divers swimming around us on single 80's!

Dave

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:49 am

To think that being at 200' on 80s is ok is simply beyond me. Not all the dummies in the world live in America.

John Rawlings · Post by **John Rawlings** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:20 pm

Yes....it is true that you can't dive the Mairi Bahn (aka "the Windjammer") from shore any longer. It's now a boat only dive. Just one more thing that idiots ruined for the rest of us.

As I understand it, a group of morons decided to get drunk and have a beach bonfire after their dive and it got out of control. Since the beach entry to the dive site is extremely close to a fuel refinery, this was definitely considered as a "problem" by local authorities. Also, a pair of different divers let the current sweep them under the piere at the refinery, which set all KINDS of alarm bells off with security.

People need to understand that their actions can often have unintended consequences.

It's an absolutely GORGEOUS dive, though!

- John

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:32 pm

I can't think of a better place in the world to have done my Tri-mix class.

Straight descent to the bottom of the hull at 160' down to the crowsnest at exactly 200', around the wreck a couple times and then in my opinion the best section of reef in Bonaire to do your deco on! Unbelievable!

If you ever get a chance to dive it even by boat you won't be sorry!

Dave

John Rawlings · Post by **John Rawlings** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:06 pm

Dmitchell wrote:I can't think of a better place in the world to have done my Tri-mix class.

Straight descent to the bottom of the hull at 160' down to the crowsnest at exactly 200', around the wreck a couple times and then in my opinion the best section of reef in Bonaire to do your deco on! Unbelievable!

If you ever get a chance to dive it even by boat you won't be sorry!

Dave

Yeah! What Dave said! I did an article on the Mairi Bahn that appeared in ADM # 17. Fantastic wreck!

- John