Ditch the snorkel?

[Wendy]

I agree with BillB about the air 2 thing. Just try an OOAemergency drill, donating your primary, and breathing off that air2, and try to use your inflator to get both you and the buddy to the surface. Doesn't seem like it would be that easy. And an air2 with air shares out of a cave or wreck is awful, I've seen it done in cavern classes.

Snorkel? What's that? Actually I did have to wear one in the pool today for a class. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this huge snorkel from hell. I almost mistaked it for my inflator once. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned those retractable snorkels. I think Scuabapro makes one. It is compact, fits in a pocket, doesn't take up much space, and if you need it on the surface just slip it under your mask strap and then you're good to go. I've never used one, anyone have any experience with them?

 

[MNScuba]

Off Topic Warning

But why on earth would you use your inflator while ascending? This is not a valid argument against the Air2. And for what little air you would want to put in, a manual inflation would do the trick.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by Wendy
I agree with BillB about the air 2 thing. Just try an OOAemergency drill, donating your primary, and breathing off that air2, and try to use your inflator to get both you and the buddy to the surface. Doesn't seem like it would be that easy. And an air2 with air shares out of a cave or wreck is awful, I've seen it done in cavern classes.

Snorkel? What's that? Actually I did have to wear one in the pool today for a class. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this huge snorkel from hell. I almost mistaked it for my inflator once. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned those retractable snorkels. I think Scuabapro makes one. It is compact, fits in a pocket, doesn't take up much space, and if you need it on the surface just slip it under your mask strap and then you're good to go. I've never used one, anyone have any experience with them?

Couple of points...
(1) The Air-2 and the Air Source both work just fine for both inflation and deflation of the BC while being breathed during an ascent. Neither are suitable for overhead environments, because the only acceptable body position that allows venting the BC is upright, looking up... that is, during an ascent in unrestricted water.
(2) The Scubapro folding snorkel is dangerous - a disaster - (unless they've changed it) - there is a purge just below the mouthpiece that has no sump. Result - any attempt to purge the snorkel just blows air out the purge and no head pressure ever builds to clear the tube. I bought two of these pieces of junk (based on a short write-up in Rodale's - who obviously never actually got the things in the water) when they first came out - raised enough hell with Scubapro that they sent me two purgeless mouthpieces, with which the snorkels work fine. An alternative fix is to fill the purge with silicone caulk!
Once fixed it will fit in most BC pockets.
Rick

 

[Wendy]

Sorry, I tend to use the term 'inflator' for the piece of equipment and not the action you are doing with it. Wouldn't you need to use the deflate button to release air to control the ascent? Wouldn't you also have to add or release air from the OOA diver's BC? How many hands do you have to perform all these tasks? IMHO I think it is easier to just have an octo (on a necklace) that I can breath from rather than have to perfrom multi tasks with the air2 I'm breathing off of.

 

[JamesK]

Wendy,

I understand your concerns, but find them slightly invalid. Why would you need extra hands to deflate your BC when using Air2? The action to deflate yours and your partners BC's are the same no matter what system you are using. It just so happens that you are grabbing your inflator hose from your mouth, instead of your chest. I have practiced OOA acsents with people using Air2, and it did not seem to make for more task loading.

This is simply my opinion, and I could be wrong.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by Big James
Wendy,

I understand your concerns, but find them slightly invalid. Why would you need extra hands to deflate your BC when using Air2? The action to deflate yours and your partners BC's are the same no matter what system you are using. It just so happens that you are grabbing your inflator hose from your mouth, instead of your chest. I have practiced OOA acsents with people using Air2, and it did not seem to make for more task loading.

This is simply my opinion, and I could be wrong.

You aren't wrong... indeed, if anything the deflator is easier to find since it's right there at your mouth. The integrated inflator/safe second is designed to do only one thing - to allow a safe open water air sharing ascent, with the advantage of one less hose; one less set of failure points associated with another hose. It does this quite well... but it is not suitable for fine tuned buoyancy control while using anti-silting techniques, or for long-term use, or for sight-seeing, and is therefore not the rig of choice for overhead environments.
Rick

 

[JamesK]

Originally posted by Rick Murchison
... but it is not suitable for fine tuned buoyancy control while using anti-silting techniques, or for long-term use, or for sight-seeing, and is therefore not the rig of choice for overhead environments.

I agree there. I was simply speaking in terms of OW.

 

[Joe R.]

I too think it wise to 'carry' a snorkel in a pocket. I put a pocket on my drysuit and wetsuit and keep a low profile mask,snorkel and wet notes in the pocket.
I dive in the northeast and have seen boats pull anchor and drift away. I have heard 'recently' of a boat sinking while the divers were still down. Swimming on your back for a long distance gets old quick. I bought one of the collapsable Sherwood models that fits easily into a pocket. I tried the scuba pro folding snorkel and found that is too big for some pockets.

 

[large_diver]

MD,

Going back to your original question....

Regarding your back-up reg -- yes it comes directly from your first stage to your neck. Most DIR folks will say 22" is the optimal length.

For single tank OW set-ups without a canister light, most folks suggest a shorter primary hose (5 or 6 feet instead of 7), since you can pass it directly from your first stage under your right arm and across the chest instead of taking the longer route down the side of your body to your hip before passing across your chest.

I'm a DIR neophyte myself and I've been using a 7 foot hose for about 15 dives now. While it has worked fine (I practice deploying/re-stowing all the time), I am starting to think that a shorter primary hose might be a little more streamlined and less likely to pop out from under the edge of my BC. I just ordered 5 and 6 foot hoses the other night from Extreme Exposure. I'm going to set-up both and see how they feel -- hope to get this in the water next weekend. I'll let you know what size I decide on.

Snorkel -- I would say get rid of it given the potential for snagging it when deploying or restowing a long primary hose. If you still want one for long surface swims -- perhaps you can get a snorkel that would fit in a BC pocket.

Feel free to send me a private message if you have more questions. I don't pretend to be a DIR expert, but since like you I'm still in the "I am new to DIR and how do I learn more" phase, I can relate!

Hope this is helpful.

-Chris

 

[MASS-Diver]

Chris and Joe, thank you very much for the advice/inforamtion. As I continue to move toward a DIR set-up, I'm sure I'll have more questions and it's good to know that people of this board (espicially local guys diving in similar conditions) are so knowledeable and helpful.

I known I've mentioned this before but, for guys in MA, Hathaway Pond in the Cape is still the clearest I've ever seen it. It is a pond, but, it can be a fun place for training or a night dive (although it gets crowded as Spring rolls in). There's a wreck, a car, and a training platform. Depth= 50'max