Donating to an OOA

[MXGratefulDiver]

I don't see the fuss. There are two skills discussed here - (1) Obtaining an AAS and (2) Donating an AAS.

The former is taught to OW students.

The later is taught to Rescue students... it is an assistance.

That is agency-specific ... different agencies do it differently.

As a YMCA OW student, I was taught to donate ... not to allow the recipient to take ... the alternate air source.

As a NAUI instructor, that is also what I teach.

The recipient is taught to take the AAS from the donor's hand, to purge it, to breathe from it, to establish physical contact (right hand to donor's right BCD shoulder strap) and to signal and begin ascent. In the real world ... unless there has been significant practice either during or after OW class ... I have little expectation that it would actually happen this way ... particularly in cases where that training occurred years ago.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[flots am]

I don't see the fuss. There are two skills discussed here - (1) Obtaining an AAS and (2) Donating an AAS.

The former is taught to OW students.

The later is taught to Rescue students... it is an assistance.

Is that a PADI thing or a different agency?

I've never seen a SCUBA class that didn't teach both donating and receiving.

flots.

 

[DBailey]

Is that a PADI thing or a different agency?

I've never seen a SCUBA class that didn't teach both donating and receiving.

flots.

It depends on what you mean by donating and receiving. Yes, in PADI OW, the student will practice both the roles (donating and receiving).

The point in discussion here is does the donating diver take steps to provide the alternate air source to the diver in need or does the diver in need just take it.

For example, in my OW class, I start the skill by telling the OOA diver that they go and get the alternate air source. Heck man, you are out of air, don't wait for someone to hand it to you. That evolves into a discussion and practice that if you see someone signalling OOA, then do everything you can to get the alternate air source to them more quickly.

In rescue class, the class is more about the rescuer and not the victim; therefore, more time is spent on noticing the situation/signals and taking steps to remedy it.

 

[boulderjohn]

The point in discussion here is does the donating diver take steps to provide the alternate air source to the diver in need or does the diver in need just take it.

...and PADI does not specify the technique to be used in the standards for confined water or open water training. It is up to the instructor. I contacted PADI about this quite some time ago, and they were quite clear on that point. Although the "golden triangle" is part of the academic instruction, students can be trained with the octo on the inflator instead, and they can be taught with the primary long hose and bungeed alternate. In fact, I was specifically told that it was especially good to give students an idea of all the different ways it is done in the real world.

In contrast, as mentioned earlier, an agency like BSAC will require a specific method--in their case with the OOA diver taking the alternate.

 

[DevonDiver]

Is that a PADI thing or a different agency?

I've never seen a SCUBA class that didn't teach both donating and receiving.

That's strictly a PADI thing, which I should have stated. It's also a 'fine-print' thing in the standards/course outline/description of skills.

 

[DBailey]

...and PADI does not specify the technique to be used in the standards for confined water or open water training. It is up to the instructor. I contacted PADI about this quite some time ago, and they were quite clear on that point. Although the "golden triangle" is part of the academic instruction, students can be trained with the octo on the inflator instead, and they can be taught with the primary long hose and bungeed alternate. In fact, I was specifically told that it was especially good to give students an idea of all the different ways it is done in the real world.

Which then ties back nicely to the pre-dive safety check to make sure you know what type of alternate your (insta) buddy has and the deployment method. Even though it should never be needed, it is necessary to know.

 

[DevonDiver]

... students can be trained with the octo on the inflator instead, and they can be taught with the primary long hose and bungeed alternate.

If the 'triangle' runs from the mouth to the corners of the rib cage... then primary donation (donate reg from the mouth) is covered. I always thought it must have been worded specifically to enable that.

 

[boulderjohn]

If the 'triangle' runs from the mouth to the corners of the rib cage... then primary donation (donate reg from the mouth) is covered. I always thought it must have been worded specifically to enable that.

It doesn't matter whether it was intended to enable it or not--PADI clearly accepts any of the OOA procedures we could normally encounter. (I am excluding the bizarre.)

 

[flots am]

It depends on what you mean by donating and receiving. Yes, in PADI OW, the student will practice both the roles (donating and receiving).

The point in discussion here is does the donating diver take steps to provide the alternate air source to the diver in need or does the diver in need just take it.

For example, in my OW class, I start the skill by telling the OOA diver that they go and get the alternate air source. Heck man, you are out of air, don't wait for someone to hand it to you.

That could get interesting with an integrated inflator/backup second stage.

So the OOA diver is supposed to just mug the "donor" for whatever he's breathing, and the donor just hangs there while it happens? This is actually a documented thing?

flots.

 

[supergaijin]

If the 'triangle' runs from the mouth to the corners of the rib cage... then primary donation (donate reg from the mouth) is covered. I always thought it must have been worded specifically to enable that.

I believe it is the triangle from the chin through to the ribs. Sure it's only a matter of an inch or so, but sometimes those inches are important! It can and does happen that divers will snatch regs- I have never seen it or heard of it first hand though.

As an aside, there has been a few references to purging the reg before putting it in your mouth- what is this supposed to achieve?

And no, he didn't purge the reg before putting it in his mouth. I guess he already had a mouth full of water by then so it was a moot point.

On land it can be beneficial to blow the cockroaches out, but underwater...?