Buddy breathing and not holding breath?

[Thalassamania]

When I dive make a fun dive, no-D, with other divers who are comfortable buddy breathing we often dispense with an auxiliary second stage, it's really no big deal ... the world does not end, the scuba police do not pull us over.

 

[rstofer]

And it even works with a standard length hose! Buddy breathing works even better if you dive with an Oceanic Omega II (there's no rightside up).

Richard

 

[Thalassamania]

Still my regulator of choice. I sure hope the rumors about an OMEGA III are true!

 

[bill-da-ho]

When I dive make a fun dive, no-D, with other divers who are comfortable buddy breathing we often dispense with an auxiliary second stage, it's really no big deal ... the world does not end, the scuba police do not pull us over.

Just curious, but what is the advantage of dispensing with the octo? I dont even notice mine when diving. I can see where its no big deal if your buddy is comfortable with buddy breathing, just curious if there was a reason for taking it off the system?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I think if you are unfortunate enough to have a complete first stage failure, and your buddy is somehow diving a defective octo, than you may want to go hide in a closet. I mean, how bad can things get!

Sharing a single second stage should not be a huge problem. Than again, how many problems have you encountered already that requires this to be done?

Your right...It takes two problems to occur. One per diver of a buddy pair. It does not require a first stage failure, just simple run of the mill OOA by one inattentive diver, and failure to properly maintain the octo by the other.

I'm sorry because I know I'm REALLY sounding like a broken record now, but the situation was common enough that it was written up in the "Lessons for Life" section of Scuba Diving magazine about a year or two ago. Diver one was trying to retrieve a fouled anchor at about 100'(?), made several attempts to raise it using a lift bag (thus burning extra air), was so focused on the problem of freeing the anchor that she did not monitor her SPG; finally checked her SPG and was near empty. Swam to her buddy who was hovering nearby at a somewhat shallower depth. She reached her buddy on her last breath, signaled that she was OOA, buddy handed her the octo.... good so far, but.....

Wait for it..... :shocked2: ......

She got one good breath, next breath was WATER. She paniced, and bolted to the surface with the octo mouthpiece still in her mouth. She was lucky, and was fine. The octo mouthpiece zip tie had not had been properly secured when it was last serviced.

 

[Thalassamania]

Maybe it has to do with enjoying the freedom from hoses and such that we got used to in days gone past, we tend to dispense with inflators also, and with a wireless AI computer you're back to a "single hose" regulator ... which just feels good.