Both my dive buddy and I recently purchased the Aqualung Zuma with an integrated alternate air source with the idea of better streamlining and one less hose. . . During a recent Deep Dive course the instructor stated she had used one of these in the past but would never consider using it again. ... I tried out my alternate during a skills practice with my buddy. I too found it very difficult to breathe as the semi rigid hose would not bend enough to fit the regulator mouthpiece securely in my mouth. My question is would it be impractical to practice using the alternate as the buddy reg in an out of air emergency situation? After much discussion and research both my buddy and myself feel that if practiced, we could complete this maneuver successfully as well as keep each other close as we ascend. What are we not considering?
Hmm. I have to ask: when you bought your Zumas, did you start out intending to purchase an integrated octo / inflator? Or, were you convinced, during the purchasing process, of the desirability of going that way, by a smooth sales pitch, which emphasized the so-called streamlining benefits and the supposed advantage of ‘one less hose’. Most new divers I work with and dive with never hear about an integrated unit until they talk to some LDS sales person. Maybe not. Maybe, your intrinsic genetic composition moved you inexorably in that direction. Just curious.
I don’t know that you are not considering anything in particular. But, some things do stand out in your post.
1. Streamlining. I have never seen anyone demonstrate that the so-called streamlining makes any difference underwater. It is a false benefit. Perhaps, more accurately put, it is a marketing benefit (that is, a benefit to the marketer). A related bias - (far) more divers will get (far) more benefit, in terms of streamlining and u/w efficiency, by working on achieving optimal weighting and weight distribution, by working on good buoyancy control and good horizontal trim, and by developing efficient propulsion techniques, than will those who dive an integrated octo / inflator.
2. One less hose. OK, you have one less LP hose to buy, and one less to fail - although LP hose failure is uncommon, they do occasionally start leaking. So what? Having one less hose, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t make a bit of difference in u/w efficiency. If your kit is well organized and streamlined across and along your body, the number of hoses is incidental and irrelevant.
3. You have already found the Airsource awkward to breath from. What a surprise (not). But you believe that with practice, you can make it work. Good for you. Please do practice. I admit, in my own case, I prefer not to have to make an inefficient system ‘work’.
To each his own. It is your money, spend it as you wish. And you will (probably) not die as a result of using an integrated octo / inflator (or using split fins, or diving a jacket BCD). The number of real OOA situations - leading to actual alternate air source use - that occur in recreational diving is so small as to qualify as infinitesimal. OOAs do occur, however, but usually don't lead to AAS use, although they do lead to some uncontrolled ascents and a few injuries and even fatalities. Yes, you hear anecdotes about OOA/AAS situations. Yes, they are real. But, the statistical likelihood of you ever having to worry about this is small.
As for me, I prefer a standard ‘octo’. Actually, what I prefer is having an alternate second stage that is identical to my primary (and having both breath very well). I prefer to have that alternate second stage secured close to my mouth in case I need it (i.e. on a bungee necklace right under my chin). I prefer to have my ‘donatable’ second stage right where
I can reach it,
and an OOA buddy can reach it – in my mouth, not located somewhere in the obscure (Bermuda) Triangle of my scuba unit, where my OOA – but predictably, calm, poised and rationale - dive buddy can carefully search for it – while I watch with equal serenity, knowing with absolute certainty that s/he will easily find it, deploy it, orient it and begin comfortably breathing within a matter of mere seconds.
