alternate air sources

[frank]

Does anyone have any experience with the zeagle octo+ as their alternate air source. It is a regulator and BC power inflator in one unit. I am very seriously considering this purchase and any input would be greatly appreciated.

I know that zeagle is known for making quality products and I would assume that this is a good system, but when it comes to life support equipment, I don't want to assume.

Thanks
Frank

 

[Iguana Don]

Frank,
I had a Zeagle Tech 50D reg & their version of "Air II",
forgot the name. Yes it is a very good piece of equipment, my son now uses it. I recently moved & there is not a Zeagle dealer in my area. I bought new regs for my spouce & self. That is the only reason I do not use one now. It really streamlines your equipment, especially if you use a hoseless dive computer. I only have 2 hoses now. Waiting on the invention of the hoseless regulator!
Seriously it is a great piece of equipment & do not hesitate in recomending it to you.

 

[Mario S Caner]

Frank,
I for one am a big supporter in integrated octo/bc inflator systems. There's several advantages that become obvious when you sit down and think about them.

First and formost, it's always where you left it in the unfortunate case of an emergency. Once you donate your primary to the diver in need (which is quicker) all you have to do is put your hand on the velcro enclosure that keeps it in place and follow the hose down. Place it calmly in your mouth, clear and you're good to go.

The other benefit that gets overlooked at times and doesn't get used very often is to use your integrated system on your way to depth. The advantage to it is conserving air when you need to add air to your BC. Think about it, wouldn't it be better to put air in your BC that you have already used, as opposed to good air straight from your cylinder? Integrated systems make it very easy to do that, since you don't have to remove the octo from your mouth to access the manual oral inflation feature.

If at all possible though, use the above mentioned system with a standard octo as well. Meaning use both. Yes it doesn't do much for streamlining, but it does wonders in getting you ahead of the redundancy game!

Mario

 

[Dee]

I have found it to be of very good quality...as is all of Zeagles gear. The only modification I've made to it is to add a retractable cable. It's a bit longer than a regular inflator hose and with the extra weight of the small regulator, it hung straight down when diving. The extra weight of it also had a tendacy to swing the hose over my shoulder when gearing up in the water. The small, low tension retractable keeps it in place yet still allow me to raise it overhead to dump air.

I like the process of handing off my primary in an emergency...which I've done 3 times since using it.

My .02
Dee

 

[Mario S Caner]

It's funny how the doo doo hits the fan only when you're prepared for it, isn't it? Or maybe it's just that you don't hear about near-misses from divers who aren't prepared.... makes you think huh?

 

[SubMariner]

As an Instructor, I have seen & used both the tradtional separate Octo and the Air II-type integrated octo/lpi. Personally I will stick with the separate AA on a long hose, whether it be an octo or a pony.

Although the idea of handing off your primary in case of an emergency seems a good one when you're sitting here at the keyboard, in real life it has several pitfalls. Not the least of which is the fact that most primaries are on a relatively short hose. That makes for VERY CLOSE quarters when you have to swim to the surface during an OOA situation. Just how easy is this procedure when one or both divers are stressed? Not very.

Reason #2 is that in an emergency very few people will give up their primary. The only case I have seen where people do this is when the OOA diver physically rips the reg out of their buddy's mouth when they panic during an OOA situation. IOW, it wasn't a conscious/voluntary decision on the part of the donor to give up h/h primary.

I think if you look at dive professionals (DMs, AIs, Instructors) you will see that most, if not all of us, prefer a separate 2nd stage on a longer hose as an AA. Brightly coloured & properly secured in "the triangle", it is easy to see & use. Claims that it creates more drag and gets tangled up in stuff are unfounded.

Just my $0.02's worth,

~SubMariner~

 

[Mario S Caner]

I hear you, but it's not the case around here. Like I said before I personally prefer to have both a traditional and an integrated style octo in my configuration.

In my experience as an instructor, I have found it to be very beneficial in fact mandatory to teach both style of donating and receiving in the "unlikely" case of an out of air emergency. Upon teaching, and observing students practice both ways, it's obvious that the donation of the primary is not only faster but more comfortable for the receiver. First of all, they know for a fact that it works. Second, there's no chance for it to be accidentally secured under a strap somewhere. The length of your primary hose is purely up to the diver. Any local dive shop can swap out your hose for a longer one in a matter of a couple of minutes.

I too have seen divers rush towards another and not bother with the "I'm out of air, please share air" signal. Instead they like you said, rip the primary out of the mouth of the diver they happened to be closest to. In that type of traumatic incident the donating diver knows exactly where their air supply is. It's properly secured to your left side, in easy reach. Just a calm purge and breath away from being a hero.

 

[SubMariner]

Mario, good point about teaching using a variety of AAs as both donor & receiver. Since I also have classes where OW students are a "mixed bag" of rental & owned gear, I think it is especially important to do this to *teach new divers to make a point of thoroughly familiarizing themselves with their buddy's gear configuration*.

If there are students with the AirII type AA, I will configure my AA up behind my neck & over my left shoulder to simulate that setup; donating my primary & using my AA like an AirII.

I think we'd all agree that no matter what AA you are using, it is imperative that people know what AA their buddy has & practice using it in a variety of scenarios. That way if an OOA situation occurs, then it can be handled calmly and safely.

DSDO,

~SubMariner~

 

[King_Neptune]

Frank,


There are also options like Aquavit...


=-)

 

[Mario S Caner]

:royal:, are you sure you have that site bookmarked for the dive gear? I think you might be in trouble again!

Mario