CESA over Shared Air Ascent: Which is Best

[Rec Diver]

If I were at 25 feet with an unknown and/or inattentive or new diver buddy, I might consider a CESA. With my regular buddies, air-sharing is a routine procedure, and we even throw OOAs at each other in midwater on ascents quite often, to make sure we're all good with the drill. So I know that signaling out of air at 25 feet will get a reg stuffed in my mouth promptly and without fuss, and that we can then finish our controlled ascent and deco as planned, and I will feel much better afterward.

I am curious. Do you actually have enough air in your tanks to require a deco obligation for a max depth of 25 ffw? Or, are you refering to sharing deco gas at 25 ffw from a dive that was deeper?

 

[Rec Diver]

Question? Is it that Ron Paul refuses to drink the water or that he will not lead that horse that you are refering to?

 

[Darnold9999]

Once again, this thread is not about diving with the incompetent, untrained or unwilling. It's not about instabuddies, it's about sharing air with a competent buddy or doing CESA and which makes better sense from a safety standpoint.


Calculus? What kind of equations are you running?

Sorry I haven't met a competent buddy yet. I worry about even diving with me - I assume the worst and am pleasantly surprised most of the time.

The survival calculations we all run every day that keep us alive together with risk reward calculations. We all do them, we are not very good at it but we do it.

 

[Rec Diver]

Surival Planning;

Only I can think for me
Only I can breathe for me
Only I can swim for me

Tom Mount - IANTD

 

[24940]

Surival Planning;

Only I can think for me
Only I can breathe for me
Only I can swim for me

Tom Mount - IANTD

None of this I disagree with. None of this is on topic in the slightest.

 

[captain]

After re-reading the OP's criteria, 25 feet max depth, I would have no particular concerns with purposely running a tank empty and doing a CESA just for pratice.

 

[Rec Diver]

It might help you to undersatnd why a CESA is chosen before buddy breathing

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

The question posed in the poll is one of those "What if" scenarios I always run in my head before and during a dive.

I voted for "Share Air". That is always the 1st, best answer for the way I dive. I stay very close to my buddy and keep close track of air consumption (my wife & kids are my dive partners).

But, the "what if" I always ask myself is.... what if I and my buddy really goof, we get separated by 30 feet from my buddy, they are looking in the other direction, and the surface is 45 feet... Answer: CESA. I'm headed to wherever I can get air fastest.

Safe Diving!

 

[String]

(ii) I didn't know that diving without an independent air source was considered stupidity.

I consider utter blind reliance on a third party to get out of the water safety stupidity. My view is that all divers should be able to get THEMSELVES out of any situation without having to hope the other guy is switched on enough to help. CESA is just bolt and pray - its not a slow controlled ascent, there is no safety stop its just a relic.

Why would anyone WANT to dive with inadequate equipment to get themselves out of trouble?

How many use one independent air source at their OW course? Do any agency say that indepepent air source are mandatory at the recretional level? PADI atleast dont.

Mandatory no but most agencies recommend ADEQUATE gas and planning. Its also illegal to instruct here without one for very good reason.

(iii) I believe that it is possibly to believe you are close enough to a buddy but realise that you arent when an accident happen.

So you switch to your independent air source, get buddies attention and learn from the mistake. No problem there and certainly no need to bolt n pray.

Arguing to keep CESA just to make up for poor dive conduct is ridiculous. Proper planning, proper execution and proper equipment mean its never necessary.

 

[String]

Seriously? Padi ranks CESA above buddy breathing? With buddy breathing you still have an opportunity to do a safety stop. Good grief.

Yes it does but iirc for depths shallower than about 10m or so. Its one of their more insane policies.

Of course, buddy breathing is optional at open water level so most compressed timetable courses don't teach it at all - could be one of the reasons for this.

BSAC we're not even allowed to teach it optionally now as its classed as dangerous. (But on the other hand they don't teach CESA either so there is some sanity in the course).