Can I dive without an octo?

[Damselfish]

Was taught buddy breathing, sharing one reg. While swimming not kneeling. In PADI OW in 1990. I’m sure OP was not.

Don’t think I’ve done it since then and not really a great way to handle what would be an already pear shaped situation when there are better alternatives. And certainly not with someone I hadn’t practiced with

 

[johndiver999]

That was one of the fun parts of dive class back then, trying to pick a buddy for that drill that appeared to have better than average oral hygiene. I would argue that the skill not only went away with the common use of secondaries, growing medical concerns would also be an issue. Can you imagine the backlash you would receive for asking a student today to swim over to their buddy and take that buddies primary regulator from that persons mouth and placing it in their own. You would probably be required to show all you immunization records, including your covid series, and probably a current dental or medical exam to prove your mouth is clean and free from issues.

This is no different than primary donate which a lot of people apparently support.

 

[Gandalf-the-Diver]

My octo broke and is being fixed(probably takes a week or two)

I purchased an inexpensive, used stage 2 octo, no hose, from my "chosen" dive shop; just to keep in my save a dive kit. It has saved dives for me, and my dive buddies. I also use it when I send a reg in for servicing. Cheap investment.

 

[Boarderguy]

I purchased an inexpensive, used stage 2 octo, no hose, from my "chosen" dive shop; just to keep in my save a dive kit. It has saved dives for me, and my dive buddies. I also use it when I send a reg in for servicing. Cheap investment.

I have my wife's full reg set and my deco regs to pull apart if needed. Great things to have lying around

 

[tursiops]

When I did my CMAS in the mid 90's nobody had an octo. We learned buddy breathing. When we saw divers with an octo we knew they were PADI.

That's because CMAS was years behind the learning curve. By the way, essentially ALL the agencies had octos by the mid-90s....not just PADI.

 

[DAJ]

This is no different than primary donate which a lot of people apparently support.

Some do, especially if they run a necklace. Most OW classes teach to donate your secondary or teach the diver to reach for their buddies secondary if needed. If you are truly OOA, you wont think twice about it. It’s a bit different doing it in a pool when you only have one regulator between two divers.

 

[johndiver999]

I had one serious low on air incident with a buddy a long time ago in like 90 feet and had no octo. I was very hesitant to donate my only second stage, so I gave him nothing and just grabbed him and ascended. He had signaled to share my reg, but I was carrying stuff and didn’t want to drop and lose gear, nor find out if he would give it back once surrendered. I just figured he would take it from my mouth if/ when he needed it. He somehow made it alll the way sipping his near empty tank.

It is a very different feeling situation than simply handing off a spare second stage. I pretty much stopped diving deep without a spare second stage after that.

 

[SlugLife]

I had one serious low on air incident with a buddy a long time ago in like 90 feet and had no octo. I was very hesitant to donate my only second stage, so I gave him nothing and just grabbed him and ascended. He had signaled to share my reg, but I was carrying stuff and didn’t want to drop and lose gear, nor find out if he would give it back once surrendered. I just figured he would take it from my mouth if/ when he needed it. He somehow made it alll the way sipping his near empty tank.

It is a very different feeling situation than simply handing off a spare second stage. I pretty much stopped diving deep without a spare second stage after that.

The octo definitely simplifies air-share in what might be a complicated situation. It's a similar problem to a diver with Air2, who hasn't adequately practiced using it. When you have the actual emergency, suddenly bouyancy management becomes extra complicated because you're trying to add/remove BCD air from the device you're breathing from while also helping the buddy.

The one situation where I've said an octo can be ditched, is when you have a regulator on another tank (pony, sidemount, doubles, etc), with enough air to safely get a diver to the surface. In that instance, you still have 2x 2nd-stage regulators, and the octo may just get in your way.

 

[Angelo Farina]

That's because CMAS was years behind the learning curve. By the way, essentially ALL the agencies had octos by the mid-90s....not just PADI.

I am a CMAS instructor. In CMAS, octos have always been deprecated.
The CMAS way is two independent regs on two separate valves!
I started using this config in 1978, and always taught that this is "the way" to my students...
Up to 1985, the standard tank in CMAS courses was a twin set, 10+10 liters, with separate valves plus reserve.
And we did teach deco procedures also at one star (firs level) courses.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I had one serious low on air incident with a buddy a long time ago in like 90 feet and had no octo. I was very hesitant to donate my only second stage, so I gave him nothing and just grabbed him and ascended. He had signaled to share my reg, but I was carrying stuff and didn’t want to drop and lose gear, nor find out if he would give it back once surrendered. I just figured he would take it from my mouth if/ when he needed it. He somehow made it alll the way sipping his near empty tank.

It is a very different feeling situation than simply handing off a spare second stage. I pretty much stopped diving deep without a spare second stage after that.

'Sorry, but I would not hesitate to hand him/her my regulator. 90 feet = 30 yards; I've done that on one breath in a pool. If he/she didn't hand it back, I still have the equivalent of about 4 breaths on the way to the surface.

SeaRat