3 reg set up

[carrielsal]

Nope.

A standard power inflator on most BCDs can be used as an alternate air source, with or without an actual regulator on it. Push both buttons simultaneously, and you can breathe off of it.

...Which is to say that anyone with a second stage, backup, and power inflator actually has THREE sources of gas.

You still have only one tank, so that is not 3 sources of air.
Just carrying gear to have it makes no sense. Only take what you need. You need to consider what kind of diving you are doing.
If I am diving a single tank on a dive greater than 100' I carry a pony bottle with air. This provides a second source of air.

 

[rbd.dudley]

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions...Good luck with your operation. I agree safety before profit in any business.

 

[Deep South Divers]

You still have only one tank, so that is not 3 sources of air.

Well, okay... When I said "sources," I meant "second stages," but including the power inflator. With your logic, any diver who has one tank only has ONE source of gas.

Alternatively, it can also be argued that two divers, buddied together, are actually TWO totally redundant and independent sources of gas.

My point was that an "air-integrated" power inflator without a standard backup second stage (or "octo," whatever you want to call it) is not an improvement on the system - it's actually forgoing one device to breathe from.

Just carrying gear to have it makes no sense.

I completely agree. Couldn't agree more.

Only take what you need.

Yep.

You need to consider what kind of diving you are doing.

The WET kind.

There are no "different kinds of diving." Sure, there are cases where you may need one tool in place of another, or more or less gear for a situation, but there are NOT "different types of diving."

You might as well have said, "You must consider what kind of walking you are doing" to make the point that sometimes you need hiking boots, sometimes sneakers, sometimes a handheld GPS, and sometimes sunglasses. Sometimes you need a parka or a raincoat. All of the above is true.

...But there is NOT "different kinds of walking."

If I am diving a single tank on a dive greater than 100' I carry a pony bottle with air. This provides a second source of air.

Third or fourth. Your buddy is a second source of air, even if you're defining the "source" as actual tanks present. If you've got more than one buddy, then another tank becomes your fourth or fifth redundant source of breathing gas.

I like your philosophy of "take only what you need," but what point is that?

 

[carrielsal]

With the proper buddy skills, your buddy is an alternate air source.
Take what you need depends on the type of dive you are doing. I do not need the same gear for a recreational dive at 70' versus a wreck dive at 120' where we are planning a penetration dive.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Well, yeah... And I don't need the same gear strolling through the mall that I do on an overnight hike in the Appalachians. But walking is walking, and that's all there is to it. Mastery of the basics - breathing patterns, correct hip and heel-toe movement, a steady pace, and being properly prepared for conditions - still comes into play no matter what kind of walking you're doing.

In this way, there are no "different kinds of diving," which is simply an excuse for many people to dive with less than optimum gear.

Imagine all of the different styles you'd have to learn - and all of the different areas of expertise you'd have to master - if you didn't standardize your gear! With one philosophy on diving, it's easy to master the basics - and always have an appropriate emergency response - if you don't allow yourself to fall into the mindset of, "different types of diving."

Those who do fall into that mindset - the "Around Here" diver (they're always saying things like, "Around Here, the water's different," or, "We dive differently Around Here," or, "That may work for someone else, and I know that the books all agree to do X, but we do Y, because they don't know what it's like to dive Around Here.") does not equal local expertise. Expertise - be it local or otherwise - is earned by doing a lot of diving and a lot of studying. The only thing the "Around Here" diver accomplishes by having the "different types of diving" mindset is segregating himself (or herself) from all "other types" of diving. That is, by subscribing to the "different types of diving" mentality, all they do is restrict themselves.

Yes, I understand that a drysuit may not be necessary on your trip to Belize... And that plainly, a speargun would be totally inappropriate in a cave. But that's GEAR, not DIVING. I would agree with you that there is different types of gear, but not different types of diving.

...Which brings us back to the point that your alternate air source should be your buddy. If you and your buddy master this basic, then it'll apply to all "kinds" of diving, and the next time you have an emergency underwater, you won't have to first stop and figure out what "kind" of diving you're doing.