Question about air2's

[lowviz]

...//... We have a had 6 pages of AIR2 is going to kill you and Air 2 is the best thing around. ...//...

-could you add "and one poster that considers AIR2 functional enough that he doesn't really care either way." ?

 

[rhwestfall]

:admingreet:

 

[tracydr]

I was once involved in a rescue when my team of 3 happened upon a diver who was having difficulties. It seems that he was left behind on the surface after an aborted attempt to submerge and now could not figure out how to establish positive buoyancy. We tried to help him but the best we could do was to hold him up from behind while one of us tried to calm him down. Eventually he was able to inflate his BC (It was an Air 2 type) and calm down. It seemed that every button he pushed was letting air out and he was sinking further.

There were many buttons that were pressed in trying to figure out how to inflate his BC and him in a panic did not help. When you are trying to help someone out it makes it easy if their rig was not so complicated.

My buddy for rescue and DM course was using an Air 2 type device. I hated it for this reason. I had an issue finding the inflator and then working to get the inflator to work. In a real emergency I could see this becoming a big issue. It was enough of a problem that my instructor finally recommended that my buddy get a traditional inflator/octo before continuing to classroom setting with OW students.
Even though its important for a DM to be able to use various devices in am emergency, I could see this device causing problems, especially if the rescuer is not a DM, but just another rescue level diver.
it really gave me an appreciation of the requirement that GUE team me members all have similar equipment.

 

[nimoh]

My buddy for rescue and DM course was using an Air 2 type device. I hated it for this reason. I had an issue finding the inflator and then working to get the inflator to work. In a real emergency I could see this becoming a big issue. It was enough of a problem that my instructor finally recommended that my buddy get a traditional inflator/octo before continuing to classroom setting with OW students.
Even though its important for a DM to be able to use various devices in am emergency, I could see this device causing problems, especially if the rescuer is not a DM, but just another rescue level diver.
it really gave me an appreciation of the requirement that GUE team me members all have similar equipment.

While I am not a big fan of air2, and also have a great appreciation for standardized equipment, I think your Rescue instructor made the wrong call. The fact is that people use air2s and as a rescue diver, you should be able to figure it out quite easily.

 

[maniago]

My buddy for rescue and DM course was using an Air 2 type device. I hated it for this reason. I had an issue finding the inflator and then working to get the inflator to work. In a real emergency I could see this becoming a big issue. It was enough of a problem that my instructor finally recommended that my buddy get a traditional inflator/octo before continuing to classroom setting with OW students.

I totally don't get that. Buttons are standardized - the one closest to the BCD inflates, the one farthest deflates/oral use (its also nearest to the oral mouthpiece if you want to look at it that way). How hard is that to recognize? Maybe your buddy had a crappy one, or a malfunctioning one, but the standard is there and it works on any design.

 

[rhwestfall]

---------- Post added May 28th, 2013 at 03:57 PM ----------

My buddy for rescue and DM course was using an Air 2 type device. I hated it for this reason. I had an issue finding the inflator and then working to get the inflator to work. In a real emergency I could see this becoming a big issue. It was enough of a problem that my instructor finally recommended that my buddy get a traditional inflator/octo before continuing to classroom setting with OW students.
Even though its important for a DM to be able to use various devices in am emergency, I could see this device causing problems, especially if the rescuer is not a DM, but just another rescue level diver.
it really gave me an appreciation of the requirement that GUE team me members all have similar equipment.

The Air-2 buttons are (with exception of an additional purge on the end that you wouldn't specifically be using unless you are breathing off it) the same configuration as their conventional inflator. Are those banned?

My HOG branded inflator is slightly different, it it too just "instant death"?

 

[BDSC]

My buddy for rescue and DM course was using an Air 2 type device. I hated it for this reason. I had an issue finding the inflator and then working to get the inflator to work. In a real emergency I could see this becoming a big issue. It was enough of a problem that my instructor finally recommended that my buddy get a traditional inflator/octo before continuing to classroom setting with OW students.
Even though its important for a DM to be able to use various devices in am emergency, I could see this device causing problems, especially if the rescuer is not a DM, but just another rescue level diver.
it really gave me an appreciation of the requirement that GUE team me members all have similar equipment.

Let me see if I have this right.

1. You are a Divemaster
2. You had a problem with your buddys AIR II and couldn't seem to find the inflator and getting it to work.
3. You can see how this device could cause a problem for just "another rescue diver" if that diver is not a Divemaster.
4. You are a Divemaster.

 

[James R]

Imagine the horror of dealing with someone with a SeaQuest BCD -- the infl/defl is down by the diver's left hip!

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Imagine the horror of dealing with someone with a SeaQuest BCD -- the infl/defl is down by the diver's left hip!

It is???
Weird. I can't imagine how I did over 100 dives wearing a SeaQuest Balance without noticing this "fact"...

In reality, the LPI was on the corrugated tube running over the left shoulder. Same place it is on my wives LadyHawk. Same place it is on my BP/W.

 

[BDSC]

On ScubaBoard you will find real life problems in diving and then there are internet problems. A real life problem is where a diver runs OOA. We all know that can actually happen. It may have happened to some of us or at least you may know of someone it has happened to. Then we have the internet problems. Like saying the AIR II could somehow be dangerous or hard to figure out in an emergency. Of course we have not experienced it, we don't really know of anyone that has, and to my knowledge this deadly piece of equipment has never lead to a death or serious injury. But you see on the internet that doesn't really matter. Just so you will know, as I type this, I have disconnected my AIR II in case I decide to go internet diving. I want to live.