Tanks, Rebreather Bottles and Spare Airs May be Confiscated

[tpscuba]

If you are packing for a dive trip aboard, keep in mind that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) specifically prohibits scuba tanks or any compredded gas cylinder from being included in carry-on and checked luggage. This prohibition applies to pony bottles and rebreather bottles as well. And in some cases even the small Spare Air.
Submersible Systems, the makers of Spare Air, interprets the TSA regulation to mean that it is okay to include a Spare Air in checked luggage (never in carry on) as long as the valve is off so that screeners can see that it is empty of compressed gas.
Undercurrent, however has recieved reports that some screeners have confiscated empty Spare Air cylinders and Spare Air marketing assistant Keith Thomas confirmed those reports. In another case a rebreather bottle was confiscated.
Keep in mind that when something is confiscated you may not know until you get off the plane.
One way to get around this problem according to Thomas is to ship the cylinder to your destination if they can't be rented on site.