An actual legitimate use for spare air???

[BRT]

I can blow up a hefty bag and keep it in my pocket and make the same claim.....doesn't mean the hefty bag or the SA is going to be an appropriate tool for the job.

For the same cost, I can carry 13-19 cuft of air, which is enough to collect myself, surface from depth and do a Safety stop.......so why would I intentionally carry less than an optimal amount of gas?

You could also learn to regularly check your SPG, which pretty much eliminates the need for redundant gas in the first place.

I'm guessing 99.9% of the people that have needed a safe second, pony bottle, or SA have done so because they ran out of gas, and not because of some freak equipment failure

You might need two hefty bags to equal the spare air. To date, I still carry more redundant gas than you do. Tell me when that changes.

 

[M-Cameron]

You might need two hefty bags to equal the spare air. To date, I still carry more redundant gas than you do. Tell me when that changes.

....still not quite sure why that seems to be something you are proud of.....

to me thats like a surgeon bragging about how much malpractice insurance he carries.

 

[Chavodel8en]

View attachment 618313

Sorry to change from the always riveting back and forth re Spare Air,

But, is that a second stage with an integrated snorkel?

O man, that's just beautiful, I would love to show up to a site popular w/ Scubaboarders just to see the reaction.

 

[M-Cameron]

Sorry to change from the always riveting back and forth re Spare Air,

But, is that a second stage with an integrated snorkel?

O man, that's just beautiful, I would love to show up to a site popular w/ Scubaboarders just to see the reaction.

when you drown because you forgot to switch your regulator from snorkle mode....we be sure to start a thread about how if you only had a Spare Air, youd still be alive.

 

[Dan]

The first dive or dives of each of our vacation trips we fill our spare airs. We then go out and test all our equipment, make sure weighting is right and enjoy a shallow dive or two. At that point we don't empty the spare air and fill it each dive.

I’m thinking the same. How do you carry your SA on a dive?

 

[BRT]

I’m thinking the same. How do you carry your SA on a dive?

I modified the yellow spare air holders to add velcro and I attach them upside down to my tank band. I have a tether on them and can just reach around and pull the velcro flap and they come into my hand. Never used one when I needed to. They seem very reliable and last dive we play with them. I suspect I could slow things down on ascent if I ever needed to use one. I wouldn't worry about 30 fpm though. I have been tempted to pull one out at 100 and start up but that is just a bad plan if you don't have to. One of mine got used for an emergency ascent from well over 100' and the guy wasn't bent. I suspect he had a lot of nitrogen, he was sea cucumber fishing on a hookah when the hose got cut by the propeller.

Edit: I don't see the spare air as extra air, I see it as a last ditch help if something really goes wrong.

 

[Dan]

I modified the yellow spare air holders to add velcro and I attach them upside down to my tank band. I have a tether on them and can just reach around and pull the velcro flap and they come into my hand. Never used one when I needed to. They seem very reliable and last dive we play with them. I suspect I could slow things down on ascent if I ever needed to use one. I wouldn't worry about 30 fpm though. I have been tempted to pull one out at 100 and start up but that is just a bad plan if you don't have to. One of mine got used for an emergency ascent from well over 100' and the guy wasn't bent. I suspect he had a lot of nitrogen, he was sea cucumber fishing on a hookah when the hose got cut by the propeller.

Edit: I don't see the spare air as extra air, I see it as a last ditch help if something really goes wrong.

Thanks! I also am considering in using tank mount via my BCD tank straps, as shown in the video, below. I may try to slip the tank bands through the holster black straps as shown in the video instead of attaching velcros. That means the holster will be there all the time and I need to transport the SA separately without the holster.

I may not ever use it as I always watch my SPG and never got into OOA at depth situation in 15 years of diving with 800+ logged dives, until last November, when I got into a 12 minute deco and had to stay below 10' (3m) for that long in order to keep my dive computer (DC) from locking up if I surfaced before clearing the deco obligation. My dive buddy's DC was only showing 2 minutes of deco. Finally I ran out of air at 1 minute remaining of deco time. DM took my DC off my wrist before I CESA and kept it down at the 10' depth until the deco obligation was cleared. My DC must be overly conservative or I didn't set the right Nitrox setting.

 

[M-Cameron]

when I got into a 12 minute deco and had to stay below 10' (3m) for that long in order to keep my dive computer (DC) from locking up if I surfaced before clearing the deco obligation. My dive buddy's DC was only showing 2 minutes of deco. Finally I ran out of air at 1 minute remaining of deco time. DM took my DC off my wrist before I CESA and kept it down at the 10' depth until the deco obligation was cleared. My DC must be overly conservative or I didn't set the right Nitrox setting.

.....or you did something during the dive to make your computer think you needed extra deco...

we learn in the first day of scuba not to dive on someone elses computer....and not only did you do that....but you also ignored your deco obligation and tricked your computer so you could dive more....

why bother to have a computer then?....just throw it in the trash, and save yourself the future "hassle"

 

[apenland01]

.....or you did something during the dive to make your computer think you needed extra deco...

we learn in the first day of scuba not to dive on someone elses computer....and not only did you do that....but you also ignored your deco obligation and tricked your computer so you could dive more....

why bother to have a computer then?....just throw it in the trash, and save yourself the future "hassle"

Umm, he said his buddies dive computer showed 2 minutes, not that he was using his buddies dive computer.....

 

[M-Cameron]

Umm, he said his buddies dive computer showed 2 minutes, not that he was using his buddies dive computer.....

hes basing his assumption that his computer is "too conservative" or "wrong settings" based off his buddies computer....and assumed it was fine to trick his computer because his buddies only had 2 min of deco......thats "using your buddies computer"