DECO BOTTLE MARKING

Overview

 

Proper decompression bottle marking is critical to safe technical diving.  Switching to the wrong decompression gas is unacceptable and CAN KILL YOU.  To reduce the risk of the diver breathing the wrong decompression gas, the deco bottle must:

1. Be clearly marked and easy to read - no unnecessary information
2. Have the deco gas' MOD clearly marked on both sides of the bottle
3. Have the analysis tape on the shoulder of the tank, including; mix,date analyzed, pressure and initials of the analyzer

 

Marking the Bottle - MOD

 

Referencing #1 above, the bottle should be clearly marked and easy to read.  Since both the diver and his team will reference the MOD sticker on the sides of the bottle, there can be no distractions.  Since the primary risk the diver has during a gas switch is switching to the wrong gas, resulting in oxygen toxicity, the only marking on the sides of the bottle is the MOD of the gas in that bottle (1.6 PO₂ for deco bottles). 

For bottles containing EAN50, the bottle would simply have “70”, for 70fsw, on each side of the bottle.  A deco bottle containing 35/25 will simply have “120”, for 120fsw, oriented to the person reading it.  The “inside” sticker of the bottle, which the diver will be verifying against, will be oriented to the diver.  The “outside” sticker of the bottle, which the team will be verifying, will be oriented to the team.

 

The only exception to the above method of labeling decompression bottles is for bottles containing 100% oxygen.  Since the MOD for oxygen is 20fsw, and “20” can look very similar to “70”, if the diver were to mistakenly switch to oxygen at 70fsw, running a 3.1 PO2, the results would be tragic.  Therefore, the oxygen decompression bottle is labeled “OXYGEN 20”, illustrated in the picture to the right.

 

Analysis tape is placed on the shoulder of the bottle and contains the bottle’s mix, date analyzed, bottle pressure and the initials of the analyzer.

 

No additional information is required or needed on the main body of the bottle.

 

If you wish to have your initials on you bottle, they can be placed on the “back” of the bottle, on the bottom (directly below the back of the valve, at the bottom of the tank), in such a way to not interfere with the MOD markings or cause confusion, as illustrated in the picture to the right. 

Other Markings

 

To keep the sides of the bottle clean, the visual inspection sticker is placed on the foot of the tank.  The visual inspection sticker serves no purpose to the operation of the dive or the gas switch, so it therefore not needed on the side of the tank.

 

No other markings or stickers are to be placed on the bottle.  To do so could cause unnecessary distraction or confusion during the critical gas switch procedure.

Downloadable PDF

For bottle rigging instructions, see the Bottle Rigging Page