Integrated octo/LPH

[PerroneFord]

Question for you as an instructor.

In OOA scenarios, do you teach students to go straight to the surface, or follow the safety stop procedures? And if you do NOT teach them to follow the safety stop procedures, is there a strong reason why not? Depending on the dive profile, and the divers, you might well bend two people. So I am just wondering.

Thanks very much.

 

[spectrum]

Just say no, more here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=1169848&postcount=3

Pete

 

[divingjd]

Response to post # 21. Good point. I teach them to do a safety stop if at all possible. If there is not sufficient air to do a safety stop, do a slow ascent to the surface. Bottom line: people recover from DCS, but rarely recover from drowning (let's leave out the discussion of cold-water near-drowning incidents and talk about real drowning), so in a real emergency, getting to the surface is ultimately the most important thing. In the most extreme OOA situations, where you can't find your buddy, what do you do? Emergency swimming ascent or emergency buoyant ascent. No safety stop there. In most classes, somebody will ask if that doesn't pose a risk of DCS. I tell them, yes, it does, but it beats drowning. Frankly, if they could only remember one thing (which may be true for someone in an emergency), I would want them to remember how to get to the surface. If trying to remember to do the safety stop was excessive task-loading that would cause them to botch the ascent, I would prefer they forget the safety stop.

 

[MantaRey]

You can easily dump air through it while breathing with it. You can also manually inflate your bc while breathing through it. When it comes to sharing air in close quarters: well you're buddies right? And plus in an ooa situation your buddy probably won't mind. However a swivel is definitely a good idea. I just got the new air2 by sp. It's very small and tough, I like it. Plus on my sp classic I have plenty of other dump valves to choose from.

Bottom line is: as far as I'm concerned, the less hoses the better. They are the best thing to hit diving since water. Next up is ditching the console for air integrated computer. But it's really up to your preference.

P.S. divingjd is definitely someone I'd trust diving with. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[fullbore]

Interesting reading, and one of the reasons why I changed my mind about an airsource and went for the same quality occy (AT-20) as my main reg (ATX-200)
I previously had the full test results, I'm sure you could search for them, from memory ALL integrated inflator / occy type products were deemed inferior.
Just food for thought, I have no experience with integrated inflator / occys at all.

http://scuba.about.com/od/scubaequipmentgear/a/HSEoctreg.htm

 

[Twomixdiver]

Points against integrated octo/inflator:

1. If your AIR2/
Airsource fails your BCD has also failed.
2. If your BCD fails you also lose your alternate airsource.
3. Laws of physics will always dictate that a conventionally designed octopus will always outperform
an AIR2/
Airsource .

Anyone who doesn't believe that scuba gear has little chance of failing or malfunctioning at the most inconvenient time probably doesn't dive frequently enough. And if anyone believes a AIR2/
Airsource breathes as good and as comfortable as a conventional 2nd stage should try using it swimming against a current.

 

[JodiBB]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! It gives me some food for thought and I guess I need to really think about which is more important for me....the integrated vs. not...

 

[Packhorse]

Points against integrated octo/inflator:

1. If your AIR2/
Airsource fails your BCD has also failed.
2. If your BCD fails you also lose your alternate airsource.
3. Laws of physics will always dictate that a conventionally designed octopus will always outperform
an AIR2/
Airsource .

Anyone who doesn't believe that scuba gear has little chance of failing or malfunctioning at the most inconvenient time probably doesn't dive frequently enough. And if anyone believes a AIR2/
Airsource breathes as good and as comfortable as a conventional 2nd stage should try using it swimming against a current.

1. Not true. You can always orally inflate your BCD and use any of the other dump valves on the BCD
2. Also not true. If your BCD fails due to a punctured bladder how does this stop your regulator from working? It doesnt.
3.True but only dependant and which octi you are compairing it too. My SS1 breathes better than my first set of regs I owned.

 

[BuoyantC]

Having seen an OOA/air sharing and the resultant rapid ascent due to lack of experience in it's use, was enough to make me think twice about wanting an integrated octo/inflator. Then I saw one in the rinse tank and wondered how water would not enter the reg, then I saw one have a problem and the owner had to rent a reg AND bc since the fitting is non standard, then................

I'll stay with a standard setup, thank you.
Dennis

 

[LeFlaneur]

I know this is an older thread but I've just been diving with someone who has an Air2/Airsource and witnessed two non-safety related issues that might also influence a purchase.

1. Testing gas using a meter that connects to the LP hose couldn't be done without undoing his setup and putting a different reg on it to test the gas.

2. He rented a reg while his was being serviced. Then he found he couldn't adapt it to his bc and had to rent a new BC too.

Grandpa always said: When they make a tool to do two different things, it does neither one well.