Do I Really Need An Octopus?

[Eric S]

Well, I guess I've been lucky so far, not having any backup. I typically dive solo, or in a group where you are not really paired up with anyone else. Unless my SPG failed I can't imagine running out of air. So that leaves a second stage malfunction as my primary concern, although I do agree that having an octo for helping someone else out could save a life. I will be putting my Scubapro R190 second stage into duty as my octopus. Can anyone tell me if turning down the adjustment knob is enough to prevent most freeflow, or should I have a shop detune it for use as an octopus. Also, have any of you experienced or know someone that has experienced a second stage malfunction ?

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Also, have any of you experienced or know someone that has experienced a second stage malfunction ?

Sure have. I had one that started breathing very wet. Each breath bought in a nice amount of water and we had to cut the dive short.

My buddy had an issue with her reg where it was breathing really hard for some reason, so we ended up aborting the dive just a few feet below the surface.

 

[weaponeer]

Is ensuring that you and your buddy have a backup source of air worth the expense of an octo? You bet it is. We all need to breath air. Why risk it by not having an octo, airsource or AIR2? What the heck, why not leave your mask on the dive boat too for that matter.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It depends on what you call a malfunction. I've had minor freeflows, one that breathed really stiff(not mine) as a result of not being properly tuned, and saw one where the face plate fell off of a rental reg. These kinds of things except perhaps for the freeflow are rare. Alot more rare than a newbie running out of air. Being able to assist is nice. Also diving where they really don't pair you up with anyone is not diving solo. You'll find that out when one of the newbies in the group runs out of air and comes at you like a torpedo all bug-eyed, and grabs the first air source they see. If you have no octo it's the one in your mouth. Then you'll wish you had one they could grab or one you could pop in when they snatch your primary.

 

[Thalassamania]

Well Walter that may be true with YMCA and some others........... but what gives you the right to decide who and what is the right way.....?

The concept is generally known as precedence.

If another instructer chooses to call this buddy breathing (by the way your are breathing from your BUDDYS alternate air source) does that make him wrong? I do believe that this is the 2000s not the 1980s times and methods change over the years and so does verbage, trust me I spent over 20 years in the military and verbage changes all the time.

Their are many instructers out there that teach one thing and then another using slight changes in the wording metholigy, if verbage gets ya wraped arounfd the axle oh well...I was just simply explaining what I was taught. Bashing my instructer by stating that he was wrong, is not only wrong its direspectfull as he is not able to defend himself. :no


Agian verbage....I actaully call it an octo myself just to get on my instructers nerves, lol.

The verbiage has never changed to my knowledge, buddy-breathing was (and is) a specific skill during which two divers breathe alternately from a single second stage.

I tend to test my backup reg every dive. In an OOA scenario, that's MY reg since I donate the primary. Makes sense to check it regularly. It's just a part of my pre-dive routine now.

I test all regulator second stages (inhale/exhale with tank off and tank on) prior to all dives.

... have any of you experienced or know someone that has experienced a second stage malfunction ?

I was diving at Pt. Lobos, CA with my Assistant Instructor. We were at about 40 FSW, 15 minutes into our dive. My buddy, after signaling me, took off in pursuit of a large Eagle Ray, I was along side of him, about 2 feet back. He suddenly stopped, spat out his regulator and pointed to his mouth (signaling me to buddy-breathe). I gave him my regulator and we settled into a two-breath-each rhythm while maintaining our neutral buoyancy. We were under a very dense kelp canopy and had to buddy-breathe while traveling about 100 yards to a point where we could surface. We did so without further incident, surfaced, returned to our surf mats and to shore. Later examination of his regulator second stage showed that he had bitten off a tab from his mouthpiece and it had lodged in the regulator behind the actuating lever in such a fashion as to cut off his air supply. After some experimentation I found that in this circumstance, if I attempted to depress the purge button I could feel it stick and that if I sharply stuck the second stage it would then function.

 

[jupitermermaid]

I tend to test my backup reg every dive. In an OOA scenario, that's MY reg since I donate the primary. Makes sense to check it regularly. It's just a part of my pre-dive routine now.

I was taught to do that in my OW, and do it every time I prepare to dive. I thought it was standard procedure and that everybody did it. Guess everybody learns different things as standard, and others as optional or while they dive with other people? May be another reason we should be understanding of people who should "know better" when they ask a question that appears to be something learned in basic OW.

 

[~Scuba_Steve~]

The concept is generally known as precedence. The verbiage has never changed to my knowledge, buddy-breathing was (and is) a specific skill during which two divers breathe alternately from a single second stage.

I test all regulator second stages (inhale/exhale with tank off and tank on) prior to all dives.
I was diving at Pt. Lobos, CA with my Assistant Instructor. We were at about 40 FSW, 15 minutes into our dive. My buddy, after signaling me, took off in pursuit of a large Eagle Ray, I was along side of him, about 2 feet back. He suddenly stopped, spat out his regulator and pointed to his mouth (signaling me to buddy-breathe). I gave him my regulator and we settled into a two-breath-each rhythm while maintaining our neutral buoyancy. We were under a very dense kelp canopy and had to buddy-breathe while traveling about 100 yards to a point where we could surface. We did so without further incident, surfaced, returned to our surf mats and to shore. Later examination of his regulator second stage showed that he had bitten off a tab from his mouthpiece and it had lodged in the regulator behind the actuating lever in such a fashion as to cut off his air supply. After some experimentation I found that in this circumstance, if I attempted to depress the purge button I could feel it stick and that if I sharply stuck the second stage it would then function.

Thanks and to you Walter and to you Awap When I get back from Germany I will be talking to my instructor about this, I want to learn as much as I can as I am new to this sport and more than likley would like to instruct one day. I am being pushed, kinda into Divecon and don't believe I am ready (knowlege wise)

I am beat didn't sleep on the flight (kid next to me screamed the whole time) lost my luggage (still lost). Aaaarrg

Steve

 

[offthewall1]

I know I'm late into this thread... but here is my take...

As a new PSAI facility (check it out at PSAI:rofessional Scuba Association International if you don't know who and what we are,) I can tell you that we teach Buddy Breathing and Air Sharing in our Open Water Program. We also have all of our equipment set up to demonstrate using both an Octopus and Integrated Airsource.
We believe that divers should be familiar with all possible configurations and situations when leaving basic Open Water.

As far as testing regulators before every dive... this can be done with two simple moves. Breathe through it with the air off (is it sealed - can't get air?) then, turn it on and breathe... if you get air you're golden.

If you can breathe through it with the air valve off - you have a problem. If it free flows when you turn it on, you have a problem. If you hear a fizz, you have a problem, if the hose blows - you have a problem...

If you don't know how to fix a problem - ask someone who does. If no one is there to fix it... your diving day is done.

Happy Diving!

 

[redacted]

Thanks and to you Walter and to you Awap When I get back from Germany I will be talking to my instructor about this, I want to learn as much as I can as I am new to this sport and more than likley would like to instruct one day. I am being pushed, kinda into Divecon and don't believe I am ready (knowlege wise)

I am beat didn't sleep on the flight (kid next to me screamed the whole time) lost my luggage (still lost). Aaaarrg

Steve

Steve

Ask yourself, why are you being pushed into divecon. Training folks to the level of DM is nice income for the shop and its instructors. In some ways, it is a lot like Amway.

 

[merxlin]

I tend to test my backup reg every dive. In an OOA scenario, that's MY reg since I donate the primary. Makes sense to check it regularly. It's just a part of my pre-dive routine now.

This is why checking both your air sources is important. I was in Hawaii (about 2 weeks after being certified), there were 2 other divers, myself and a dive leader/dive master. This was my 3rd OW dive. One of the other divers was my buddy (and also a divemaster). As we ended the dive, we found out we were under the wrong boat (I won't go into all the things this DM did wrong on this dive here). I am seriously low on air which is why we were surfacing anyway (Yep, I was that guy ).

Rather than have me surface swim, our DM decides to take us back down to 15 ft or so and make it back to the right boat. Since I am low on air and the other two are not, she pairs them up, lets them finish their dive and buddies with me. Well I am OOA in about 30 seconds (and why I do not use rental gear any more when I travel). She hands me her octo, and then climbs behind/above me. I was expecting a face to face air share but she was using her weight to hold me down as I was a bit positive and tending to bob up. After the 2nd or 3rd breath, the reg starts breathing very wet. I mean VERY wet. I try to purge it, no better. I'm getting more water than air. I can't get the DM's attention and she seems oblivious to the purging and my gyration. Finally I freeflow the reg and sip breath off it, get a good couple breaths, and drag her to the surface. Turns out she hadn't checked her Octo in quite some time, and the diaphragm was torn.

I was lucky that I was just out of OW and everything was still fresh in my mind. I learned a lot from that dive, including the habit of checking by air supplies, and making my buddy do the same.

PS-This is posted for the OP's sake, and not to go into the long list of things that were wrong in the scenario above other than the OOA situation.