Integrated Alternate Air Source

[flots am]

What is the right length? What is the length in your BC with your Atomic SS1? My guess is that in order to be able to breath the SS1 with full head movement, your corrogated hose needs to be at least 18-20" if not longer.

The standard hose that comes with the BC works just fine.

Dive is over, but if you are at 100ft at that time, you are still 5 or 6 minutes from the surface.

Not a big deal. Everybody is breathing.

"design to not freeflow" mean de-tuned??? at the expense of breahting effort??

It has a slightly higher cracking pressure, but breathes just fine.

Let's take one step back, why do you prefer AAS? What is the advantage? I think one less hose/streamline is definitely not a valide point. People using long hose and bungee look a lot more tidy than convention primary+AAS

I actually prefer having two Atomic M1's and a long hose on the primary, however for new and infrequent divers, an integrated inflator has a number of safety features, not the least of which is the inability to lose it or drag it though the sand.

flots.

 

[freewillie]

Question out of curiosity for integrated AAS owners: It is easy to share your primary with an OOA diver with a standard length primary hose? Or do you have a octo length primary hose to make it easier to share?

It is like any other skill, one needs to familiarize oneself with your own gear and be familiar enough to know how to respond in an emergency. If you just throw it on your BC and hop in the water even a standard octo is confusing. The reason it is taught and practiced in basic training is so one has a basic standard. For all those who necklace their octo it is still a skill that should be practiced. The reason divers may prefer the bungee with long primary is because they at some point felt it was easier. What if they never tried it? After donating primary then saying Wow I wish my primary hose was longer is too late to get a longer hose

The first thing I did when I got my SS1 was to practice breathing off of it. I felt my movement to my right was a little restricted so I changed to a 20'' hose. Breaths excellent at depth and does not free low at all. If disconnected to inflator hose simply push deflate button and manually inflate. The mouthpiece is already in your mouth. Personally it's not very different than donating your primary on a long hose then getting a bungeed octo. Either way you are donating a primary and switching to back up breather. I always know its position simply grab inflator hose and its on the end. Some may find it a little bulky but I like that it feels comfortable in my hand and I can tell the inflate/deflate buttons by feel

When diving in groups or new buddies I always point out my octo is an integrated AAS and in low air/out air I will be donating my primary. My two regular buddies and I have practiced at least once. Point being is I've practiced and familiarized myself with my own gear.

---------- Post added August 25th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ----------

I also feel its little safer. As some have said a few seconds may make a difference and I've had regular octos fall out of their holders in the past. Reach down to find the octo missing then have to perform regulator sweep to find the second. At least with the integrated AAS unless it falls off during the dive it will always be where you expect it